HEALTH RESEARCH IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

It was in March 2020 when we first got our acts together for COVID-19 pandemic response, activating the COVID-19 Incident Command System and making lists on lists of things to do and checklists for logistics, creating algorithms and reviewing guidelines, frantically searching for research journal articles on this virus (most were in Chinese at that time). We feared what we didn't know. These days, we still don't want to get COVID-19 severe or critical pneumonia, but the chances of survival are greater because we know more about this disease now than we did back in the first quarter of 2020. Today, we even have vaccines that protect against severe and critical COVID-19 pneumonia.

The oratio imperata for the protection against COVID-19 also prays for the people tasked to find cures for this disease and to stem its transmission. In our basic health research class, we have an assignment to talk about our hero clinician-researcher whom we idolize. In outcome-based education, we have to keep the end in mind. So, we stand on the shoulders of giants to provide us with a vision of where we want to go and who we want to be.

Tonight, we look at the status of health research in the time of COVID-19. The pandemic has forced a lot of changes in how we do things - virtual meetings, online classes, food deliveries, cashless transactions and covered faces in public. How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect health research in the country? How do we move forward and create engineering changes to allow us to safely live WITH COVID-19?

Last week, the Philippine Virology Institute called for a meeting with alumni association of UP (UPMASA), the National Institute for Health, DOST-PCHRD, the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) and different deans of the colleges of medicine, as well as the Philippine High School faculty and administration. As research efforts take a turbo boost forward to solve problems thru collaboration, networking, training and technology transfer, we look forward to exciting times when the country prioritizes and promotes careers in health research.

Join us tonight at #HealthXPH 9PM MLA time as we discuss health research in the time of COVID-19:

T1. Tell the story of a health researcher/clinician-scientist who inspires you.

T2. This COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted health research and health systems policy development. Suggest research programs needed to fill gaps in helping us live with COVID-19.

T3. How can we encourage young researchers to pursue a career in health research?

The Role of Research in Academe

During the Global Forum 2015, there was a plenary session that pointed out the disconnect between researchers who don't teach and teachers who don't do research. Research faculty are separated from academic faculty.  Many programs attempt to marry research industry and academic institutions through research grants. Still the question is left unanswered: what is the role of research in academe?

One website says "the purpose of research is to inform action" and main problem is the "slow translation of research into practice".  Here again it is mentioned that there is a disconnect between those who create the evidence base (the researchers) and those who are positioned to implement the research findings (teachers).

I teach research to first year medical students.  Many of my students find the class difficult, with so many steps to go through; but since it's a requirement, they plod on.  I also supervise the research projects of my residents in obstetrics and gynecology.  You would think that since they went through research in medical school, they'd fair better.  In reality, if medical students find research difficult, imagine that residents have fourfold difficulty juggling clinical patient care with cudgels of research work.  One resident complained "why are we required to do research? Why not limit it to those who actually like research?".  The main advantage of actually conducting research is knowing the actual process and understanding how to interpret data globally available and to translate it into policy and practice.  Hence, we are left with the question:  How do we bridge the disconnect between teachers who don't do research and researchers who don't teach?

Republic Act 10532, an act institutionalizing the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS), aims to improve the quality of life of every Filipino through health research and development activities.  Medical schools are mandated to prepare research agendas to which students align their research projects.  Areas for research are identified in the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA), Regional Unified Health Research Agenda (RUHRA) and the National Higher Education Research Agenda (NHERA).  One challenge is the rigorous process of technical and ethical reviews of research protocols prior to actual implementation to ensure that health research adheres to universal ethical principles.  Another challenge for researchers is how to tap funding for research. Medical schools offer grants to encourage faculty to do research. The Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) accepts research proposals for funding.  Aside from this, how do we help researchers tap funding for research?

Teachers on twitter.  Pezaro (2015) shares that a small but growing group of teachers flock to social media to share their resources, experiences and ideas. Because formal research is hard and technical, teachers seek what they need through networks, and events, instead.  Social media is a platform where formal research may be shared and presented and translated into simpler more easily understandable language.  Still, there needs to be those people who will create the evidence base, people who will translate the evidence for consumption, and people who are positioned to implement the findings.  Data is there on social media, then researchers need to be able to organize this data into formal research for publication.  However, how do we ensure that research based on data from social media adheres to universal ethical principles?  What ethical issues arise when doing research on social media platforms?