Tacloban City, March 3, 2017 – As an offshoot of the Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (EVHRDC) funded research study entitled “Assessment of the Sanitary Conditions and Food Handlers’ Practices of Public and Private High School Canteens in Eastern Visayas, Philippines”, the Department of Health Regional Office VIII (DOH RO8) in coordination with the study's Lead Investigator Mr. Pet Anthony Pascual and Leyte Normal University (LNU) conducted a “Feedback Forum on Food Safety Research and Training of Food Handlers in Selected Schools in Eastern Visayas” last March 1 – 2, 2017 at the DOH RO8 Conference Room, Bgry. Candahug, Palo, Leyte. The activity aimed to disseminate evidence-based information and use these strategies to adopt and integrate evidence-based health interventions on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

             The activity has three objectives. First, to distribute evidence-based results to food handlers and promote insight on good practices that would ensure the safety and level of protection of the students. Second, to disseminate evidenced-based information to Health Officials which can aid in implementing new programs regarding food safety and third is to provide training to food handlers on food safety to contribute to the general welfare of the people.

SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY, Catbalogan City, Samar.  – From a college thesis, now a commercialized product in-waiting. This is the fate of a computer engineering project of Samar State University in 2013, which has received at least 5 different awards to date, from local to national competition. The biggest was the USAid-STRIDE award worth PhP 1.03M received this month of February 2017.

The device is a system which allows visually impaired people to detect and evade obstacles. It comprises a microcontroller-based embedded design that can measure the distance to the near objects through the use of ultrasonic, which generates high-frequency sound waves and evaluates the echo which is received back by the sensor. When a nearby obstacle is detected, the device notifies the user through a sound and vibration.

In 2014, Ma. Corazon Curiano, ChillaUy, Bryan Garabilis, ArwilRoyandoyan and LeeanIlao, fifth year Computer Engineering students under the advice of Engr. Jon Alvin Macariola developed an Obstacle Detection and Evasion System for Visually Impaired People. This project won as Outstanding Research Project in Samar State University in March 2014 from among the 30 projects in the competition.

Call for Proposals for EVHRDC Funding

Tacloban City, February 24, 2017 --- The Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (EVHRDC) is  geared towards generating more research outputs that will promote Health policy formulation, enhance health program performance, as well as improve clinical practices in various hospitals and health Institutions in Eastern Visayas.

In this context, the “Call for Proposal Forum” was spearheaded by the DOH-RO8, in collaboration with the EVHRDC on February 23, 2017, Villa Lolita Apartelle, Tacloban City and was attended by 46 representatives from various hospitals and medical institutions in the region.

Eastern Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (EVHRDC) conducts an Institutional Visit Cum Research Information Committee (RIC) Meeting last February 2, 2017 at Samar State University (SSU)

Catbalogan City, Samar. February 2, 2017 --- The EVHRDC – RIC members and Committee Chairs together with Ms. Anicia P. Catameo had gathered and conducted its first institutional visit at Samar State University (SSU), Catbalogan Samar.