The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) will celebrate its 41st anniversary this 17 March 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City. 

Bannering the theme “PCHRD Beyond XL: Transforming Healthcare Through Digitalization,” this year’s celebration will highlight the role of DOST-PCHRD in supporting and introducing innovations in digital health, including frontier technologies in the biomedical, diagnostic, artificial intelligence (AI) fields, among others. Through a combination of virtual and in-person activities, the event will bring together health research stakeholders from the academe, policymakers, the private sector, and civil society groups.

Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Diagnostics Development (DxD) Hub and Executive Vice President at Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL) Dr. Sidney Yee will deliver the keynote address tackling the role of health research and development in revolutionizing healthcare service and delivery through digitalization, while also promoting the importance of collaboration and productization.

Dr. Yee, a trained chemist and research scholar, is an advisor to the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Innovation & Enterprise Division which is Singapore’s lead public sector agency that spearheads economic-oriented research in advancing science and technology. Dr. Yee’s A*Star incubation and start-up management team collaborates with the DxD Hub team to commercialize innovative diagnostic technologies.

The celebration will include a variety of activities, including the launch of initiatives such as the Health Research and Technology Innovation (HeaRTNovation) Hubs Program and the Mental Health R&D Manuals which aims to improve the quality of mental health research in the Philippines by guiding researchers in developing technically sound research proposals. Also part of the event is the awarding of the newly accredited research ethics committees (RECs) and the awarding of winners of the first photojournalism contest entitled, “Capture the Heart in Health Research.”

Afternoon activities will include sessions on digitalization and partnerships and the annual convention of PCHRD Scholars Society (PSS).

“For the past 41 years, the PCHRD has been working to provide solutions that are responsive to the needs of the Filipino people through health R&D,” said DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya. “As we move forward with our mission, we commit to carry the best interests of the Filipino people at the heart of all our initiatives,” he added.

To know more about the event, visit the official website of PCHRD at www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph or the official Facebook page of the council (DOST PCHRD | Facebook)! Interested participants may register through this link; bit.ly/PCHRD41MainConference and bit.ly/PCHRD41BreakoutSession