Faculty ; Medicine

This oration was delivered by the author during the annual discurso de apertura at the formal opening of the academic year 2021-2022 at the University of Santo Tomas last August 2, 2021. The discurso started as a Dominican Catholic tradition on July 16, 1866 as an annual event. The professor or dean assigned the preparation of this academic paper is appointed by the rector of the university a few months prior to the opening of each school year.

Research integrity is manifested thru the use of honest and verifiable research methods with adherence to accepted professional codes. Recently, trustworthiness in research has been challenged by various forms of research misconduct, such as analytical flexibility, data dredging, HARKing (hypothesis after research knowledge), plagiarism, and selective and distorted reporting. Drivers of research misconduct have been identified as institutional--publication incentives to pursue a career, researcher--metric of success is publication volume, and the journal-- more likely to accept papers with positive. The open-access mode propelling the proliferation of predatory journals is causing a dilemma to sound research reporting. Measures were established to curtail research integrity challenges, such as study registration, open data, common reporting standards, a team of rivals, and blind analysis. This report will elaborate and provide insight into what influenced research misconduct, how it can be mitigated, and how to maintain a credible research environment.
Scientific Misconduct ; Predatory Journals As Topic

Geriatrics is a branch of medicine concerned with diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases in older people and problems specific to aging. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the number of people aged 65 or older is projected to grow from an estimated 524 million in 2010 to nearly 1.5 billion in 2050. The burden of diseases in the aging population will dramatically impact healthcare expenses in low- and middle-income countries and even developed ones. A preventive approach is essential. The role of medical institutions and inclusion of geriatrics in the medical curriculum have become important. However, incorporating geriatrics into the medical curriculum is associated with various issues and challenges: compact preexisting curriculum, attitudes of teachers and students, and shortage of teaching geriatricians. An individualized institutional approach to curricular integration guided by the American Geriatrics Society’s minimum required competencies for the undergraduate will circumvent these challenges.
CURRICULUM ; EDUCATION

International collaborative Master in Public Health programs provide students wider opportunities to engage in vital public health related work with specific populations and communities to improve health through awareness, education, policy, and research. A transnational education model to promote academic exchange in public health is hereby showcased with the collaboration of the University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the University of Leeds, Nuffield Center for International Health and Development. The program was established through initial institutional visits of each respective staff, faculty capacity building through workshops and symposia, and final agreement on a laddered structure of curriculum. This article describes how this program was established.

Faculty ; Medicine