The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) convened experts in personalized and participatory medicine on 18 March 2026 at the Acacia Hotel, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The parallel session entitled, “No Voice Left Behind: Co-creating Research through Shared Power, Knowledge, and Lived Experience,” featured discussions on the two pillars of P4 medicine: personalized and participatory, to equip participants with better appreciation and understanding of the challenges and opportunities in making healthcare both precise and people centered especially in low and middle income countries like the Philippines.

Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco – de la Paz of the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Center for Precision Health and Medicine explained that many health systems continue to rely on standardized treatment approaches that treat patients uniformly, despite genetic variation and differences in treatment response. She cited hypertension management, where patients often receive similar medication regimens yet show differing levels of disease control, suggesting that biological differences can be addressed through precision medicine.

Dr. Cutiongco-de la Paz also shared ongoing research on X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism, a condition observed among Filipinos with maternal ancestry traced to Panay, as well as the planned Filipino Genome Sequencing Project. She emphasized that Filipino genomic data is necessary for accurate care, noting the limited representation of Filipino genetic data in global databases. She explained that accurate interpretation of genetic findings depends on reference data derived from local populations, since genomic variation differs across ethnic groups. Without such data, diagnosis and treatment selection may be uncertain.

Complementing personalized medicine with participatory research, Ms. Teresita D. Panganiban, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of FriendlyCare Foundation Inc., described health interventions shaped through engagement with frontline workers, including firefighters, police officers, social workers, health workers, and early childhood care teachers. She highlighted participatory approaches such as focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and walking ethnography conducted in real service environments, which allow researchers to observe working conditions and daily stressors affecting participants.

Ms. Panganiban also identified mental health stigma as a barrier to participation, particularly when workers feared that involvement in psychosocial studies could be interpreted as evidence of illness. Collaboration with local government units (LGUs) and private groups helped clarify participation processes and foster open communication. She emphasized, “Nothing for us without us,” reflecting that research directions and solutions are more effective when anchored in the actual needs conveyed by the community.

Reinforcing the importance of structured priority-setting in guiding investments in health R&D, DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. pointed to the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA) and the Harmonized National R&D Agenda (HNRDA) as key frameworks for setting research directions. Both agendas were developed through extensive national and regional consultations. He noted, “Alignment with national priorities ensures that health research funding reflects the country’s identified public health needs.”

In closing, the panelists emphasized in their research journeys how realizing P4 vision will require a long process, driven by multi-sectoral collaborations among the academe, public and private institutions, and the community.

Secretary Solidum reaffirmed DOST-PCHRD’s commitment to this vision through programs such as OMICS in Health, which harnesses technologies like genetics to advance precision medicine, and the Re-emerging and Emerging Diseases (RED) Program, which supports preventive healthcare through novel platforms, surveillance, therapeutics, and disease management.