Recognizing the vital role of producing quality health researches in Region IV-A, the Subcommittee on Ethics of the Health Research and Development Consortium Region IV-A (HRDCR IV-A) organized the Basic Health Research Ethics Seminar-Workshop in coordination with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) through the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB).
Faculty and researchers of Batangas Regional Hospital (BRH), De La Salle Lipa (DLS-Lipa), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), DOH-Center for Health and Development Region IV-A (DOH-CHD4A), Lyceum of the Philippines University Batangas (LPU-Batangas), Cavite State University (CAVSU) and De La Salle Health Sciences Institute Independent Ethics Committee (DLSHSI-IEC) participated in the said event last October 3-4, 2012 at the DLSHSI, Dasmariñas Cavite.
The two-day seminar-workshop aimed to help participants do ethical research, sensitize them regarding the nature and significance of ethics in health research, practice how to apply these concepts, describe the different controls for Ethics in Research and motivate them towards doing and advocating quality ethical research. The seminar was also designed to encourage the other HRDCR IV-A member-institutions to organize their own Ethics Review Committee (ERC) and to support the PHREB campaign of accrediting all the ERCs in the country.
The activity consisted of lectures and workshops led by experts from the PHREB namely: Dr. Rosario Angeles T. Alora and Dr. Doris R. Benavides. Lectures focused on Ethical Research, Dealing with Subjects and the Different Controls for Ethics in Research. Participants were also given pre and post tests to measure their learning for the seminar-workshop. Presentation and critiquing of outputs by group representatives followed each lecture and workshop.
Basing from the result of feedbacks, comments and the post tests of participants, the organizers are confident that the seminar-workshop substantially added to the previous understanding of the researchers in conducting ethically sound health researches thus producing future quality health researches.
“After all is said and done, the best safeguard for ethical research is the ethical researcher.”*
* Alora AT. Milestones in Health Research Ethics. In: Alora AT, editor. Introduction to Health Research Ethics.p5
