Text by Charmaine A. Lingdas
Photos by Sarah Hazel Moces S. Pulumbarit
Officials of the University of the Philippines Manila held a meeting with representatives from the School of Nursing of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) on Jan. 22, 2025, at the UP Manila President’s Office. The meeting centered on the renewal of the existing memorandum of understanding between the two institutions. Discussions also delved on additional areas of cooperation in education, research, and evidence-based healthcare implementation.
The meeting highlighted the growing challenges in research particularly in applying evidence on the ground.
To ease this concern, Assoc. Prof. Jed Montayre, tackled the importance of the Joanna Briggs Institute or JBI in conducting research. JBI is an international research organization that develops and delivers evidence-based information, software, education, and training aimed at improving healthcare practice and health outcomes. Based in Australia, JBI is a global network that conducts evidence synthesis reviews and then leads towards implementation. Montayre, who is also the associate head of Strategy at the School of Nursing of HKPU noted that there are around 90 JBI centers worldwide, but none are currently focused on nursing in the Philippines.
“Reality is, yung uptake po kasi ng evidence is not that good in the clinic,” Assoc. Prof. Aila Nica Bandong said. “JBI also, in a way, makes translating research easier. Kasi, they’re focused on implementation science. So, in a way, it gives structure to how we can better facilitate uptake of evidence,” she pointed out.
Faculty members affirmed that joining JBI would not replace the University’s own academic excellence but strengthen it. “We are not just the consumer, but I think we are the trailblazers in generating knowledge as a College of Nursing,” Asst. Prof. Julienne Ivan Soberano said, adding that the initiative would help systematize evidence use across disciplines.
Assoc. Prof. Montayre noted that international partners have repeatedly raised concerns about the limited number of research papers from the Philippines, which are needed to contextualize evidence locally. He said establishing a JBI Center would help fill this gap. “This will be one way. With the JBI, especially in nursing and allied health, we will now be able to produce evidence that can be cited globally,” he said.
Assoc. Prof. Montayre, has been instrumental in establishing the initial partnership between HKPU and the UP College of Nursing in 2024. He is currently supporting the College’s application to become a Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Center for Nursing Development and Health Policy and is expected to provide capacity-building activities related to quality improvement, evidence synthesis, and implementation.
The proposed JBI Center is envisioned to strengthen the translation of research into clinical and policy practice. “With UP being the leader in (Evidence-Based Practice) EBP nursing and EBP healthcare, I think it’s an opportunity we can actually do some translation from academia to practice. That’s the main core of the JBI,” Assoc. Prof. Montayre emphasized.
The JBI Center application will involve the College of Nursing, the College of Allied Medical Professions (CAMP), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
Also during the discussion, Chancellor Michael Tee emphasized that UP Manila’s participation in global networks should prioritize leadership and contribution over passive adoption. “Huwag nating isipin na tayo ay consumers lang,” he said. “Rather, we create the primary evidence, consult them in a way that follows the framework.”
The Chancellor further stressed the University’s role in developing leaders and knowledge producers. “Ang pinoproduce ninyo nurse leaders, nurse managers, nurse scientists,” he said.
The meeting also revisited the accomplishments of the partnership between the UP College of Nursing and the HK PolyU School of Nursing. These include service learning activities focused on gerontological populations conducted in May 2024 and May 2025, benchmarking of the Master of Science in Nursing program, and simulation facilities in November 2025.
Additional collaborative efforts include support for faculty participation in the Sigma Asia Regional Conference 2025, training of faculty and support staff in JBI methodology for evidence synthesis and implementation scheduled for May 2026, an outbound student mobility program planned for July 2026, and the expansion of the World Health Organization’s Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) methodology in the Philippines through training and research.
The meeting was organized by the Office of International and Local Linkages (OILL) led by Asst. Prof. Laurence Lloyd Parial, coordinator of the UP College of Nursing Office of International and Local Linkages. It was also attended by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Bernadette Heizel Reyes; Asst. Prof. Arnold Peralta, Head of the Teaching Program and Officer-in-Charge Dean; Assoc. Prof. Earl Francis Sumile, Head of the Research Program.
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