Students and faculty researchers from the College of Allied Medical Sciences (CAMS) presented their papers and poster at the 56th Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference, co-hosted by the University of Health of Thailand, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations International Organization for Migration (UNIOM), held on November 4–7, 2025, at Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Charles Daniel Medina, a BS in Medical Technology student, won the Best Poster Presentation Award for his team’s research, “Food Insecurity and Diabetes Self-Management in Unserved and Underserved Rural Households in General Mamerto Natividad, Nueva Ecija, Philippines.”
“The team’s work was commended for its rigorous methodology, strong community relevance, and timely contribution to public health equity,” related Mr. Jay Montiadora, CAMS faculty.
BS in Pharmacy student Adriene Lustre and BS in Medical Technology student Romulo Ducay presented their teams’ papers, “Over-the-Counter Medicine Use in Unserved and Underserved Areas: Implications for PhilHealth GAMOT and Universal Health Care,” and “Health Financing in Philippine Unserved and Underserved Areas: Coverage, Barriers, and Out-of-Pocket Burden in the Context of Universal Health Care Implementation,” respectively.
Mr. Montiadora noted that acceptance into the APACPH Conference is typically dominated by professors, senior public health experts, and graduate-level researchers, stating that this performance by CAMS reflected its growing reputation for cultivating high-caliber undergraduate scholarship.
Representing the BS in Medical Technology faculty, Mr. Montiadora, also presented his department’s research, “WASH Inequities in Unserved and Underserved Areas: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study in UUA Barangays of Nueva Ecija, Philippines.”
He stated that the research reflected academic rigor and commitment to collaborative, community-empowering health work.
“The study was strengthened by active partnerships with barangays, the Local Government of General Mamerto Natividad, and the Provincial Government of Nueva Ecija. All of them expressed strong enthusiasm and support for CAMS’s research direction. Their engagement demonstrated a shared vision of improving rural health systems through evidence-based programs and highlighted how CAMS research helped shape real-world decision-making at multiple levels of local governance,” he added.
All CAMS research entries underwent double-blind peer review. The university’s contributions covered several public health subthemes, including Community Health, Health Equity, Migrant Health, and Health Policy and Systems.
The conference featured more than 350 oral presentations and over 100 poster presentations from public health scholars, including professors, senior researchers, PhD and Master’s degree candidates, and undergraduate students. Some institutions in attendance included Tulane University and the University of Hawai‘i, the National University of Singapore, Taipei Medical University, Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University, and the University of the Philippines.
“The presence of highly regarded public health researchers across Asia strengthened regional collaboration and accelerated discussions on urgent global health issues,” Mr. Montiadora noted.
