The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) recognizes the vital role of the research mentors who selflessly share knowledge and skills, instill values and attitudes, and inspire those involved in the research process, thereby creating an enabling environment and contributing to capacity-building in research. 

The Best Mentor in Health Research Award is offered biennially to recognize and reward mentors in health research who have built the capacities of researchers in the health sector, and in the process, propelled significant advances in the Philippine National Health Research System’s (PNHRS) thrusts as outlined in the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA). 

OBJECTIVE 

The Best Mentor in Health Research Award recognizes excellence in mentorship that results in quantifiable productivity of mentees in health research. 

DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. The health research mentor gives another individual (mentee) advice, guidance, counsel, and support. He/she plays an active role in the development and reexamination of mentee’s personal, and professional development. The mentor makes a long-term commitment to further the career and at times personal development of the mentee. Likewise, the mentor serves as a professional and personal role model for the mentee.
2. Institution refers to an established organization such as colleges/universities and hospitals usually located in a particular site specifically intended for educational or training purposes.
3. Awards refer to research awards received as recognition in competitions given by recognized organizations; research grants and incentives (e.g. International Publication Award) are not considered awards. 
4. Mentors are classified according to the Categories of Mentees: 
   1. Undergraduate Students who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree as the first level of higher education at a college or university;
   2. Junior/Early Career Researchers who are those with up to five (5) years of research-related experience/employment or within five (5) years of completing a doctoral or other terminal degree (PhD/MD, etc.) e.g.  hospital residents, junior colleagues, fellows, interns in training; and
   3. Graduate Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree and are pursuing further education in a specific field, either a master’s or doctoral degree.
5. Active involvement refers to the continual involvement/engagement in health-related research activities.
6. Policy refers to a documented proposal for a strategic decision, plan, or action that is made to support the conduct of health research at least at the institutional level.

ELIGIBILITY 

• Who can nominate 

The nominating party may be any of the following:

• • Head of the nominee’s institution or immediate supervisor 
  • Colleague/s 
  • Trainee/s 
  • Student/advisee 

Self-nomination is not allowed. 

Nominees must be endorsed by the head of the institution where they are affiliated. Each institution can nominate a maximum of three (3) nominees per category.

• Who can be nominated 

1. Must be a Filipino citizen
2. Must be with relevant academic qualifications
3. Must be actively involved in mentoring researchers/ students or colleagues for at least three (3) years
4. Has a good track record as a health researcher in terms of any of the following: publication, product development or policy formulation 
5. Must be professionally involved in health research activities within the last five (5) years either as a research program/project leader, principal and co-principal investigator, mentor/adviser/trainer, or author/co-author, etc. 
6. Must be actively involved in any health research activities within the last five (5) years such as conduct of research training and extension work, paper presentations, fund generation, research promotion and networking, research agenda setting, and capacity-building activities
7. Must be affiliated with a member institution of the Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (RHRDC)

Winners are ineligible for subsequent nominations, while non-winners are still eligible for nominations provided they submit a new set of documents, but not for consecutive calls of nomination.

NOMINATION PROCEDURES 

1. Submit the recommendation form, together with the endorsement of the head of the institution where they are affiliated, for initial screening to the Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (RHRDC) Secretariat (Please refer to the attached list of regional consortia and contact information).
2. Shortlisted nominees will be endorsed by the chair of the consortium to DOST-PCHRD. Qualified nominees will be selected and contacted by DOST-PCHRD and will be required to submit the following documents in hard and electronic copies strictly within the deadline: 
   1. Accomplished curriculum vitae of the nominee using the prescribed form
   2. List of complete names of mentees and their achievements in research, including and a narrative description of the nominee’s contribution to the success of each mentored research (at least 5 for undergraduate students category and at least 3 for graduate or junior/early career researchers category) 
   3. Description of other achievements attained related to health research for the last five (5) years including supporting documents, e.g. certificates of recognition/awards/honors received by the nominee, which are relevant to the nominee’s eligibility criteria in Section IV.
3. Narrative description (1,000-1,500 words) of the nominee’s mentoring activities using the guide questions provided, accompanied by supporting documents, e.g. certificates and other relevant documentation.
4. Instructions for document submission are as follows:
   1. For the hard copy, the documents must be filed in a folder (preferably arch file folder) with proper tabbings and table of contents in five (5) copies. For the electronic copy, the documents must be uploaded to the designated Google Drive folder to be assigned by the secretariat.
   2. Supplemental documents and/or verifications may be required as deemed necessary. 
   3. Incomplete and unorganized submissions will not be accepted. 
5. Disposal of documents: Submitted documents will be available for pick up by nominees upon coordination with the secretariat or will be properly disposed one year after the end of the selection process.

SELECTION PROCESS

Selection Procedure

There will be two (2) levels of selection: Cluster and National Selection.

1. Cluster Selection:

A. 1 Each Cluster Selection Committee shall be composed of:

• • Representative from DOH Regional Office 
  • Representative from CHED Regional Office 
  • Representative from DOST Regional Office 
  • Two (2) technical experts identified by DOST- PCHRD 

*Chair to be elected from the Members of the Committee during deliberation meeting

A.2 The Cluster Selection Committees for Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and NCR will convene to review, validate, and select the Cluster Winners from the nominees.

A.3 The Cluster Selection Committees have the option not to declare a winner for a given year.

A.4 The profile of Cluster Winners from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and NCR shall be submitted to the National Selection Committee for further evaluation.

A.5 The decision of the Cluster Selection Committees is final.

Final Selection:

B.1 The National Selection Committee shall be composed of:

• • Representative from the DOH Central Office
  • Representative from CHED Central Office
  • Representative from DOST Central Office
  • Representative from UP-NIH
  • One (1) technical expert identified by DOST- PCHRD

*Chair to be elected from the Members of the Committee during deliberation meeting

B.2 The National Selection Committee shall evaluate and choose one National Winner per category among the Cluster Winners.

B.3 The National Selection Committee has the option not to declare a winner for a given year. 

B.4 The decision of the National Selection Committee is final.

Selection Criteria 

The documents submitted by the nominees will be reviewed by the Cluster and  National Selection Committees based on the following criteria: 

A.Research Guidance – 44% 

• • Quantitative Indicators – refer to the number of research mentees guided, advised or mentored by the candidate.
  • Qualitative indicators – refer to the extent, quality/result of the research guidance/mentoring done e.g. publications of the mentees, awards and other forms of recognition received by the mentees

B. Track Record in Research – 31% 

• • Publications  refer to research works published in indexed journals (e.g. Scopus, PubMed, etc.) during the last 5 years: 
    • Main author in a Philippine journal or international journal 

(Main Author has the most significant contribution to the research, first in the author list and primarily responsible for the work)

• • Co-author in a Philippine journal or international journal 

(Co-Author supports research in various capacities, listed after the main author and has shared responsibility for the work)

• • Awards received refer to local or international recognition received during the last 5 years for the research completed as: 
    • Principal Investigator
    • Co-investigator
  • Paper presented refers to the number of completed research work/papers orally presented in conference/fora by recognized organizations during the last 5 years.
  • Completed research refers to completed unpublished researches over the last 5 years 

C. Dedication in promoting research refers to the years of active service/involvement in research and development in the last five years – 20% 

• • Types of active involvement in research:
    • Teacher, adviser, panel member, critic/editor
    • Advocate of health-related policies 
    • Reviewer of refereed journal article/editor/member of editorial board/team 
    • Member of professional organization/network 
    • Trainor in training courses/resource person/lecturer 
    • Research manager/director, coordinator, evaluator 
    • Others (technical, financial or logistic support such as in research fund generation, research promotion and networking, etc.)
  • Types of active involvement in research output development:
    • Product
    • Intellectual property (such as but not limited to patent, copyright, trademark)
    • Policy

D. Others – 5%

This may include impact of R&D in terms of utilization such as patent, commercialization, and/or translation of research results into policies and actions such as training modules developed, teaching manuals, community modules; contribution to national health development/equity; and/or relevance of research results in health care delivery, etc.

INCENTIVES

• Cluster Winners will receive plaques of recognition and the following cash prizes (net of tax): 
  • Mentors of Undergraduate Students – Php 100,000.00 
  • Mentors of Junior/Early Career Researchers – Php 150,000.00 
  • Mentors of Graduate Students – Php 200,000.00 

• National Winners for each category will receive trophies and the following additional cash prizes  (net of tax):
  • Mentors of Undergraduate Students – Php 200,000.00 
  • Mentors of Junior/Early Career Researchers – Php 250,000.00 
  • Mentors of Graduate Students – Php 300,000.00

In addition, national winners will be eligible to apply for a capacity building grant of up to Php 3,000,000.00 (subject to the submission of an approved non-R&D proposal).

TIMETABLE

For more information, contact awards@pchrd.dost.gov.ph.