Photo by Erlyn May U. Pareja
Text by Angelou C. Mendoza and HPP staff Bill Whilson Baljon and Reiner Lorenzo Tamayo (for edits and additional information)
Attendees actively participate in the Realizing Equity through Sustainable Health Action, Participation, and Empowerment (RESHAPE) Program Training and Protocol Development Workshop with the guidance and inputs of the resource speakers.
In pursuit of achieving and amplifying inclusive health promotion goals in the country, the Health Promotion Program (HPP) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM), in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the Department of Health (DOH), conducted a five-day workshop from Nov. 11 to 15, 2024, at Malate, Manila. This event is a continuing iteration of the Realizing Equity through Sustainable Health Action, Participation, and Empowerment (RESHAPE) Program that started in 2021.
Five Participatory Action Research (PAR) demonstration teams attended the workshop: two teams from the Quezon City Health Office, one team each from the Paranaque City Health Office and Valenzuela City Health Office, and one team from the Metro Manila Center for Health Development.
On the first day of the workshop, Department of Behavioral Sciences (DBS) Prof. Laufred Hernandez discussed the relevance of PAR in health systems, its key principles, advantages, and limitations. Department of Social Sciences Professorial Lecturer Reynaldo Imperial underscored the ethical considerations in conducting PAR, highlighting the rights of collaborators throughout the research process and the importance of ensuring the participants can make informed decisions.
To facilitate an interactive learning experience, each module included group activities and case presentations with inputs and advice from other resource speakers, including former Vice Chancellor Nymia Simbulan, Prof. Marilyn Crisostomo, and Dr. Calvin delos Reyes. Prof. Nymia Simbulan then discussed the human rights approach in PAR and health systems by
On the last day of the Realizing Equity through Sustainable Health Action, Participation, and Empowerment (RESHAPE) Training and Protocol Development Workshop for PAR, the data analysis component and research consultations continued from the fourth day. This was followed by Prof. Calvin de los Reyes’ discussion of how to implement PAR and address its challenges.
It was followed by a discussion of the administrative and financial requirements to implement PAR projects by Lynnell Alexie Ong, the Health Promotion Program’s grants officer.
The event concluded with inspiring words from Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, executive director of the NIH, who acknowledged the participants’ commitment and dedication to strengthening the field of PAR through in-depth discussions covered in the workshop.𓑔
Together with the resource speakers from the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences and Health Promotion Program of the National Institutes of Health were the five Participatory Action Research demonstration teams from the Quezon City Health Office, Paranaque City Health Office and Valenzuela City Health Office, Metro Manila Center for Health Development.
