Throwback: History of my almost 10 years at the VSMMC PETRO Research Office

I was already on dialysis then when I applied at VSMMC. 

Everything started when I was hired June of 2014 by our Medical Center Chief as Training Specialist but was subsequently assigned to concentrate on research among the residents. I was just going solo in a small office. Had no secretary then. But lots of support from Dr. Celia Mabalatan, our Chief Training Officer who took me in the Training and Research Division (former PETRO) and Dr. Beth Espinosa. With my presence Dr. Marian Denopol now concentrated on research ethics and she was also helpful showing me the ropes. This was in the early stages where we were making adjustments for VSMMC Ethics Committee to get the higher level of accreditation with a separate office and full support to its members.

I first spent some time putting up a process for submission of researches and made several submission forms, a technical review form, prepared VSMMC to submit abstracts to the Herdin database, and made a Manual of Format and Style which is being used until now. 

One of our early guidelines for submission prior to becoming PETRO.

I felt since the research culture was not yet fully established, it was better to let them write the proposal, the "long cut" style and when they have mastered it, it is easier to write the publishable "journal style".

2014 was spent on preparing for planned upcoming seminar workshops the following year, helping establish the Ethics Committee, preparing VSMMC for DOST PCHRD visits to becoming a research consortium member and undergoing research trainings from DOH.

CVCHRD visits VSMMC prior to becoming a consortium member.

As planned with Dr. Mabalatan, the research proposal making workshop series started for residents year 2015. This was one of our earliest research proposal making workshops in 2015 showing Research is fun. At first, it was just me and Dr. Mabalatan for the workshops.

one of our earliest proposal hearings May 2015

First Case Report or Interesting Case Poster Contest for VSMMC Residents (Sept. 25, 2015)

1st prize VSMMC Oral Research Presentation Contest 2015

We won the CIM Research Contest that year (December 2015), which began a series of wins annually in researches presented outside VSMMC. 

One of our early proposal hearings or defense by residents as initiated by Dr. Celia Mabalatan, our Chief Training Officer (2016)

and it was during the time when Dr. Espinosa went abroad.  I was fortunate to have Dr. Nelson Elle join us and finally I have someone to help me in the Research Office training residents and reviewing research papers. 

But there was a higher calling for Dr. Elle, and he had to go to Bohol to become the Chief in one of the government hospitals there. (He is also starting a good research program there with one of our VSMMC resident graduates and their colleagues.) In his place, I was able to bring in Dr. Joan Danes with valuable experience coming from the DOH. 

This was from a 2014 Research Training when Dr. Danes was still in the DOH7. Who would have thought we will be teammates years after.

Was designated as Assistant to the Chief Training Officer

Organogram showing designation

Meanwhile, we continued with our contests and winning tradition.

During one of the DOH trainings conducted in VSMMC, Dr. Nene Cañal brought up the idea of having a big collaboration with VSMMC and thus... the DOH RO7 or the CVCHD Research Congress was born! And every year and we have this big event. We were suddenly founders of a historical event!

 

The 1st DOH RO7 Research Congress took place August 2017 but on the day itself, I was admitted to a hospital because of fever.

But life must go on and aside from the DOH partnership, we were set to join the consortium.

This paved the way for VSMMC to become a member of the consortium, CVCHRD or Central Visayas Consortium for Health Research and Development and ever since VSMMC is actively participating in CVCHRD meetings and activities.

VSMMC as CVCHRD member (Region 7 Research Consortium Membership)

Invited our current DOH secretary Dr. Ted Herbosa (not yet secretary that year) to the 2nd DOH7 Research Congress as Keynote Speaker (August 2018) and was finally able to attend the event itself.

We also care for researches done by other employees in VSMMC like the nurses... and latter the Allied Health and support staff.

The first Research Proposal Making Workshop for Nurses. (Oct. 26, 2018)

And to serve as model to the residents, we bravely participated in research contests and won not as co-author but as main author!

First Research Proposal Making Workshop for Allied Health and Support Personnel.

(Feb. 8, 2020)

We also conducted the VSMMC's First ever 3-minute Pitch to Policy Makers Contest based on completed researches by residents in 2020, perhaps the first training hospital in Cebu to hold such activity and here were the winners:

1st Place: Dr. Karen Isabel Liao (Pathology Dept.)

2nd Place:  Dr. July Rose Alameda (OB-Gyne Department)

3rd Place: Dr. Leoncio Tajon (Orthopedics)

This was held last December 15, 2020.

Introduced to VSMMC the inclusion of a librarian, statistician and research assistant to the Research Office staff plus one Medical Officer.

Got in just in time before I had my stroke in 2021 during the Covid19 pandemic. I was lucky now to have a secretary/assistant: Ms. Fruive Mae Bongbong and she made everything easier. We also had OVID and Turnitin.

We continued Training activities with our Research Online Workshop.

And then stroke hit me.

For a time I was sidelined. I even had bleeding from my kidneys requiring several bags of blood transfusion.

In my absence, the team performed in the best way possible and since I cannot afford a real award, and I would just like to give this special appreciation award... I am very much grateful. 

And despite my mobility challenges, continued to work and supervise the Research Office with an increasing population of residents and fellows... and fortunately continue to get accolades for our residents researches.

Introduced the inclusion of CNU VSMMC medical students to the DOH 7 Research Congress Research Presentation especially since they are DOH scholars; and invited speakers to the latest CVCHD Research Congress which talked about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among other topics.

With my former Parasitology teacher, Dr. Vicente Belizario who is also a former NIH Executive Director. He mentioned that "he just can't refuse the invitation of his former student".

I do not know where my future brings me next. After almost 10 years in my institution, entering VSMMC when I was already on dialysis, God has protected my brain somehow from the ill complications of hemorrhagic stroke. I even believed Citicoline might have even enhanced my cognitive performance. Hahaha.

I see myself as the Xmen's Professor X...Don't let my wheelchair fool you.

I end with a famous line of Professor X:

"Just Because Someone Stumbles And Loses Their Way, Doesn't Mean They're Lost Forever." (X-Men: Days of Future Past)