Amidst fierce competition from researchers across the Philippines showcasing health research posters, Claire S. Omiles from Region 1 and Rania T. Malali from Region 11 emerged as winners, claiming the 1st Place awards in the Student and Professional categories, respectively, with their posters highlighting the role of research in improving public health.

The Research Poster Contest, held on 13 August 2024 as part of the 17th Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) Week, provided a platform for researchers to emphasize the importance of visual posters in disseminating research. With a rigorous evaluation process, the posters were judged based on the science and technology impact, socio-economic benefits, and visual presentation, both for the student and professional categories.

Student Category

Claire S. Omiles from Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University secured 1st place with her poster on the “Development of Reprolearn to Provide Reproductive Health among Adolescents in Agoo, La Union” while Adrian Raizen S. Tolentino from the University of the Philippines Baguio (CAR) bagged the 2nd place with his poster on “Neuroprotective Potential of Lactobacillus plantarum against Acute Bisphenol A (BPA) Toxicity Affecting Dopamine and Serotonin- regulated Locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans.”

Precious Ann B. Magpale from Cagayan State University – Andrews Campus (Region 2)  earned 3rd Place with her poster entitled, “Development and Evaluation of Coconut Husk-Based Snail Collection Tool (Oncotrap) in Selected Sites of Barangay Sta. Maria, Gonzaga, Cagayan” and the People’s Choice Award was given to Alyssa Mae O. Encinares of Bicol University (Region 5) with her poster on “Development of Tagbak (Alpinia elegans) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Rhizome as an Immune Booster Capsule”, garnering the highest engagement online.

Professional Category

In the professional category, Rania T. Malali of Davao Medical School Foundation, Inc. (Region 11) captured the 1st Place prize for her research poster presentation on “The Anticoagulant Effects of C. maxima (Pomelo) Fruit Juice on Murine aPTT and PT: An In Vivo Study,” while securing the 2nd place is Mark Lloyd G. Dapar from the Central Mindanao University (Region 10) with his poster, “A Pan-Cancer Analysis of the Oncogenic Role of YKT6 in Human Tumors.”

Jennifer L. Luyun of Cagayan State University – Andrews Campus (Region 2) earned 3rd place with her research poster entitled, “Extraction, Characterization, and Bioactivity Evaluation of the Essential Oils of Fruit Wastes.” Meanwhile, Enya Marie D. Apostol of Mindoro State University (Region 4B) won the People’s Choice Award for her poster, which drew the most votes and online interest, titled, “Groundwater Quality Monitoring Using In-Situ Measurements and Hybrid Machine Learning with Empirical Bayesian Kriging Interpolation Method.”

“There is a need for researchers to communicate their findings effectively, not only within the scientific community but to a broader audience. The Research Poster Contest demonstrates how visual presentations can make complex health research accessible, engaging, and impactful,” PNHRS Lead Coordinator and DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya said. “By connecting local health innovations to global networks, we enable our researchers to contribute more meaningfully to both national and global health challenges,” Dr. Montoya added. 

The contest served as a platform for promoting the visibility of health research in the Philippines, bringing together researchers from different regions and sectors and encouraging them to engage with the public through visually accessible and easy-to-understand presentations.

To further extend the reach of these important research projects, all poster entries were disseminated online through the official DOST-PCHRD and PNHRS websites, as well as social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The contest’s integration of digital platforms allowed for broader public participation, particularly in the voting for the People’s Choice Award.