13th FERCAP International Conference Addressing Ethical Issues Through Quality Multidisciplinary Research Bali, Indonesia 17-20 November 2013 Institutional Initiatives for Capacity Strengthening for Health Research Ethics in the Philippines Harvy Joy Liwanag, Edlyn Jimenez, Vicente Belizario Jr., and Cristina Torres University of the Philippines Manila
OVERVIEW Describe institutional initiatives for capacity strengthening for health research ethics in the Philippines Identify patterns observed from participation in the courses offered by the UPM-NIH Training Center for Health Research Ethics and Good Clinical Practice Describe a capacity building model based on partnership that may help sustain improvements in the quality of ethical health research
The University of the Philippines Manila - National Institutes of Health (UPM-NIH) and the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) NIH Established by law in 1998 to help the national effort to improve the health of Filipinos through health research and development Health research for policy and practice Research capacity strengthening UPM-NIH as one of the four implementing agencies of the PNHRS allowing close interaction with key national agencies for health research PNHRS Institutionalized by law in 2013 Linking health research to health system needs Investments in health research Good governance, partnerships, sustainability Institutionalized the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) Developed the National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research Provides oversight to ERCs
Early Challenges in Capacity Strengthening in Research Ethics in the Philippines Lack of institutional support (many administrators did not see the importance of research ethics) Lack of cooperation from investigators (many investigators saw research ethics as an obstacle) Lack of trainors General lack of awareness What factors led to the initiative? Advocacy from key leaders in the health research sector who recognized the emerging importance of ethical health research Critical mass of researchers from UP Manila who received training from WHO-TDR Favorable circumstances that provided excellent opportunities to pursue the initiative Institutional support for the initiative
Capacity Building Initiatives by the UPM-NIH Training Center for Health Research Ethics and Good Clinical Practice Short courses offered starting 2005, classes ranging from 20-80 participants per course Courses conducted on-site and off-site Course objectives and content were developed in collaboration with SIDCER-FERCAP, but conducted by a pool of experts in the Philippines Intended for researchers/investigators, ERC/IRB members, academics, public health professionals, policy makers, sponsors, and other stakeholders Course fees supported by institutional training funds from government and private entities, as well as personal funds of participants
Number of Basic and Advanced Courses on Health Research Ethics (HRE) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) conducted by the University of the Philippines Manila - National Institutes of Health (UPM-NIH) (2005-2013) 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2 0 14 12 13 9 10 4 6 2 3 1 2 3 4 2 3 2 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013* Advanced Courses Basic Courses *(as of 14 Nov)
Number and Types of Participants in the HRE and GCP Courses conducted by UPM-NIH (2005-2013) 700 600 500 400 300 578 Investigators/Researchers ERC/IRB Members Others (Sponsors, Public/Private Agencies, etc.) 17% 200 100 0 436 349 321 340 286 308 81 84 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013* 12% 71% Total No. of Participants *(as of 14 Nov)
Geographic Locations of ERCs/IRBs Represented by Participants in the Courses conducted by UPM-NIH (2005-2013)
Institutional Representation of Participants in the Courses conducted by UPM-NIH (2005-2013) UP Manila/PGH 18% Private Sector 45% Public Sector 37%
Key Observations Increase in number of courses conducted/participants may suggest both an increasing demand from stakeholders and better institutional support for capacity building Initiative has provided a platform that brings together investigators, ERC/IRB members, and sponsors in an environment of partnership and cooperation to sustain improvements in quality of health research Significant participation from the private sector in recent years may help sustain the initiative under the framework of a public-private partnership
Capacity Building as a Platform for Partnership in Improving Health Research Ethics Public Sector Private Sector P A R T N E R S Continuing support for capacity building Towards accreditation/ recognition Participants Better understanding of ethical standards Training Provider (UPM-NIH) Good Ethical Review System! N E T W O R K S SIDCER/ FERCAP PNHRS
Factors Influencing Sustainability of Capacity Building for Health Research Ethics in the Philippines
Future Directions Short-Term Publication of findings in an academic journal Medium- Term Expansion of core of training personnel to include those from regions outside of Manila Courses to include more participants from Asia and the Western Pacific (in collaboration with FERCAP) Development of new courses Post-training forum for participants to share successes/challenges Long-Term Outcome mapping tools to evaluate capacity building
Thank you! Maraming salamat! Terima Kasih! nih.gcp@gmail.com harvyliwanagmd@gmail.com