UP CIDS Launches Second Batch of DSPPP Research Fellows

Inset from right to left: DSPPP Convenor, Dr. Ebinezer Florano, Training Resource Person from UPLB Prof. Mamplata, UP Manila Research Fellow Dr. Mac Ardy Gloria, UP Manila Research Fellow Dr. Margarita Gutierrez, UPLB Research Fellow Dr. DJ Darwin Bandoy, UP President Angelo Jimenez, CIDS Exec. Director Dr. Rosalie Arcala Hall, and CFP Convenor Dr. Emmanuel Lallana.

The University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) held the contract signing for the second iteration of its Data Science for Public Policy Program (DSPPP) Research Fellowship on June 23, 2025. This event welcomed a new cohort of research fellows and interns committed to advancing evidence-based policymaking through interdisciplinary and data-driven research.

Dr. Rosalie Arcala Hall, Executive Director of UP CIDS, delivered the welcome remarks, emphasizing the critical role of research fellows in enhancing the Center’s capacity for policy research, particularly in emerging fields such as data science. DSPPP Convenor Dr. Ebinezer Florano also underscored the program’s expanding reach, including a plan to host an international conference in the future.

The event featured key research presentations by the new fellows. From UP Manila, Dr. Mac Ardy J. Gloria presented his study on estimating a cost-effectiveness threshold for healthcare policy in the Philippines, aimed at promoting equitable and evidence-based health resource allocation. Dr. Margarita Gutierrez outlined a roadmap for pharmacy education reform, enhanced with data visualizations using Microsoft Power BI. From UP Los Baños, Dr. DJ Darwin Bandoy emphasized the need for more accurate dog population data to strengthen rabies prevention programs, advocating for census integration and inter-agency collaboration.

Certificates were awarded to participating fellows and interns, marking the start of their research engagements with UP CIDS. The event also served as a platform for program updates, including upcoming training bootcamps and coordination with stakeholders from government agencies, media, academia, and civil society.