Australian partnership working towards Universal Health in the Philippines

University of Adelaide’s Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) is working with the Australia Awards Fellowships to help build a capable health workforce in the Philippines.

Thirteen mid-career allied health academics and clinicians will participate in the Australia Awards Fellowship Health Workforce Development in Evidence Synthesis, until 31 October 2025.

The programme will focus on training participants to develop, conduct, and report robust, high-quality systematic reviews which will then provide the strongest possible evidence to inform clinical decision-making and guideline development, supporting the national goal of Universal Health Coverage in the Philippines.

JBI is working closely with the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute and the Center for Health Research and Movement Science at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. This partnership ensures the programme is tailored to local contexts and priorities while aligning with international best practices through the world-class training from JBI.

The training will empower participants to become agents of change, leading transformation across the broader health sector.

Australia Awards Fellow, Dr Fredyrose Pinar, plans to engage with policymakers to advocate for evidence-based policy change.

"This fellowship will be instrumental in enabling me to significantly contribute to advancing healthcare in the Philippines,” she said.

The Australia Awards Fellowship Health Workforce Development in Evidence Synthesis demonstrates a commitment to building a sustainable health workforce capable of addressing challenges in clinical practice and research.