Faculty members from Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) completed a two-day Basic Research Ethics Training on October 19-20, 2026, at the 3rd floor of the BDC Building, organized by the Research Integrity Office with the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board – Committee on Information Dissemination, Training, and Advocacy (PHREB – CIDTA) of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), under the Department of Science and Technology.
Faculty members from the different colleges of the NwSSU Main Campus and the San Jorge Campus participated in the training which aimed to equip them to apply research ethics principles, evaluate protocols, and navigate the national and institutional ethics process.
PHREBâs Dr. Leslie Michelle M. Dalmacio and Prof. Maria Cecilia C.G. Conaco both served as resource speakers. The Day 1 lectures covered historical research abuses, protections for human participants, core ethics principles, informed consent, and justice. Through group work, participants applied these principles to cases and protocols, then reviewed a protocol, consent form, and relevant guidelines.
On Day 2, the resource speakers discussed research ethics governance, the roles of institutional research ethics committees, types of ethics review, researcher responsibilities, and current issues such as âpublish or perishâ and artificial intelligence. Participants also had group discussions and shared their own experiences related to the topics covered.
The training, spearheaded by Mr. Felix John Refamonte, Director of NwSSUâs Research Integrity Office, marks another step toward the full operationalization of the universityâs Research Ethics Committee. A response to the need to uphold research integrity and scientific soundness in the work of both faculty and students.