April 30, 2019 — The Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 11 through a symposium entitled “Nurturing Children through Health Research.” The symposium highlighted the role of research and its translation to improve children’s lives. The future of vaccination was discussed by Dr. Xiaojun Wang, Team Leader of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) from WHO Country Office in the Philippines.
Previous researches conducted by the ICHHD were presented and how these researches were applied to improve child health. Three main research subjects were presented: Vaccine-preventable Diseases by ICHHD Director Dr. Anna Lena Lopez, Effect of Environmental Toxicants on Child Growth and Development by Wayne State University professor and previous ICHHD Adjunct Professor Dr. Enrique Ostrea, and Safe Schools: Prevention of Sexual Abuse in Philippine Public Schools by Child Protection Unit Director and Child Abuse Neglect and Exploitation Study Group Convenor Dr. Bernadette Madrid. Dr. Mariella Sugue-Castillo, Maternal and Child Health Specialist from UNICEF Philippines discussed briefly the topic on investing in research for children’s health.
