by Leo G. Almonte, MDC
WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz attended the 3rd International Symposium on Clinical Research Trials & Joint Arise-Africa Symposium in Japan from February 7 to 8, 2023.
The National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGHM) and Center for Clinical Sciences (CCS) – Department of International Trials (DTI) organized the symposium with the theme “Addressing the Shortage of Physician-Scientists and Clinical Trial Professionals.”
Presenters explored solutions to increase the number of professionals in the clinical research setting and discussed strategies to get more people involved in the clinical trial industry.
According to the organizers, the symposium aims ”to bring together not only heads of universities/medical faculties but also clinical research players to discuss how to address the critical issue of clinical research professional shortage in their respective countries and the world.”
Dr. Villaruz’s presentation entitled “Raising Clinical Research Awareness Early in Medical School: A Strategy to Increase the Number of Physician-Scientists”, delved into the ‘dearth of physician-scientists’, a problem arising from the declining number of physicians conducting research and fewer doctors pursuing scientific careers.
He mentioned the barriers and challenges in addressing the shortage of physician-scientists and clinical trial professionals. Dr. Villaruz shared the Philippine experience and the solutions his university and the government implemented to address the said problem. He provided an overview of the mechanisms that WVSU put in place to nurture a ”physician-scientist” culture in the university.
According to Dr. Villaruz, curriculum tinkering, access to government research programs, involvement in agency science-driven initiatives, and international funding for research are among the solutions implemented in the Philippines.
There were 31 presenters from Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Kenya, DR Congo, Vietnam, and the United States. Speakers came from the academic, health, and government sectors.