The University of the Philippines Manila’s National Institutes of Health (UP Manila NIH) has launched a programme on social innovation and entrepreneurship in health, marking a milestone in embedding social innovation in health in the nation’s premier health sciences university.
In 2017, the Social Innovation in Health Initiative’s Philippines hub was established under the leadership of the late Dr Noel Juban, with the aim of becoming a leading institutional partner for strengthening the country’s health system through social innovation.
Seven years later, the hub has been relaunched as a programme now hosted at the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology of the UP Manila NIH with Dr. Meredith del Pilar-Labarda as the lead. The programme serves as the home for the research hub and the SIHI Secretariat.
Gelia Castillo Award: a catalyst for institutionalization
A significant milestone for SIHI Philippines in institutionalizing social innovations in health was the introduction of the concept to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD). Further engagements with the council led to the co-creation of the Gelia Castillo Award for Research on Social Innovations in Health (GCARSIH).
This award recognizes Filipino social innovators for their community-driven solutions to health challenges and provides support through research training and grant eligibility. As a recent publication highlighted, “this institutionalization emerged from multisectoral collaboration, resource availability, and an aligned agenda beneficial to all stakeholders.” It promoted the understanding of how social innovations could generate impact and be integrated into the broader health system in the Philippines.
Since 2020, winning social innovations have been identified across two completed cycles.The third cycle of GCARSIH was officially launched on 15 August 2024 during the 17th Philippine National Health Research System Week, an annual conference organized by DOST-PCHRD. An information session was also held during the pre-conference to provide an overview of the award.
The call for submissions is open until 30 September 2024. More information on the submission, screening, and selection processes can be found on the DOST-PCHRD website.
The SIHI Philippines team headed by Dr Meredith del Pilar-Labarda (2nd from left) at the launch of the 2024 Gelia Castillo Award for Research on Social Innovations in Health during the 17th Philippine National Health Research System Week. Photo credit: SIHI Secretariat/SIHI Philippines, 2024.
Engaging key national health system actors
SIHI Philippines further strengthened its partnerships, building on successful collaborations with DOST-PCHRD and other health system actors in the Philippines. It was always Dr Juban’s vision to integrate the hub into the UP Manila NIH and transition it into an institute. At the 2023 SIHI Global Partners’ Meeting, SIHI Philippines invited executive directors Dr Jaime Montoya of DOST-PCHRD and Dr Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz of UP Manila NIH to align efforts and mainstream social innovation in the Philippine health system. The meeting inspired an action plan to establish the Institute for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health.
From left to right: Dr Mary Ann Lansang, SIHI Philippines Technical Adviser; Dr Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz, UP Manila NIH Executive Director; Dr Jaime Montoya, DOST-PCHRD Executive Director; Dr Jana Mier-Alpaño, SIHI Philippines Hub Manager; and Dr Alberto Ong, SIHI Philippines Innovator and Gelia Castillo Awardee. Photo credit: SIHI Secretariat, 2023
Evolving from hub to programme to institute
What began as a vision to nurture innovative health solutions created by Filipinos has now evolved into a dynamic research programme at UP Manila NIH.
In his investiture speech on May 2024, UP Manila Chancellor Dr Michael L. Tee affirmed the programme’s role in ensuring that “research is translated to evidence-based policies and co-created actions that transform local health systems and enable communities, so that effective and equitable health solutions reach those who need them most.”
SIHI Philippines will continue to advance social innovations and entrepreneurial health initiatives through community-engaged research, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and ecosystem development as part of the global SIHI network.
The SIHI network is supported by TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
“The Social Innovation in Health Initiative is a concrete example of TDR’s efforts to democratize health research by making it a useful tool for social innovators who develop community-driven solutions to health challenges,” said TDR Director John Reeder. “It is fantastic to see that the initiative is being institutionalized in the Philippines’s health system.”
For more information, please contact Dr Mihai Mihut.
