CDU Maintains Winning Streak in DOH Regional Research Congress

MANDAUE CITY, CEBU — Cebu Doctors’ University (CDU) student and faculty researchers secured top awards at the Department of Health Central Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH CVCHD) 8th Regional Research Congress (RRC) held on September 5, 2025, at bai Hotel Cebu.

For the second consecutive year, CDU researchers won both first and second place in the Research Podium Presentation (Medical Students Category). The University also earned a second-place finish in the Research Poster Contest (Allied Health Professionals Category).

Zeus Joshua Emmanuel L. Initan took first place in the Research Podium Presentation (Medical Students Category) with the study “Lived Experiences of Primary Caregivers of Children Diagnosed with Disabilities in Cebu City: A Phenomenological Study,” conducted with nine co-authors under the mentorship of Dr. Bryan Albert T. Lim.

IN PHOTO: Initan with his winning team

Second place went to Romelyn Ann V. Caminade for “From Ashes to Vapor: The Lived Experiences of Smoking Adult Residents of Metro Cebu Who Switched from Traditional Tobacco Cigarette Smoking to Electronic Cigarette,” with six co-authors and mentorship from Dr. Maria Cecilia Alvarez-Espino.

Another CDU entry, led by Jhana A. Luardo, was named finalist in the same category for the research “Mental Health Literacy and Quality of Life of Post-Stroke Patients in Selected Community-Based Rehabilitation Centers in Metro Cebu,” mentored by Dr. Brian M. Denney.

In the Allied Health Professionals Category, faculty researcher Jacklyn Risia D. San Gabriel, RPh MSc, earned second place in the poster contest with the study “Ascaris lumbricoides Infection Among School-Aged Children at Umapad Elementary School, Mandaue City, Cebu: Exploring Associated Determinants and Assessing Potential Impacts on Nutritional Status.”

IN PHOTO: Jacklyn Risia D. San Gabriel, RPh MSc

The annual Regional Research Congress was organized by DOH CVCHD to encourage research initiatives and strengthen regional collaboration in health research development and management. This year’s theme, “One Health Approach in Research: Interconnected Lives, Shared Solutions and Shared Futures,” emphasized the role of interdisciplinary studies in shaping evidence-based policies and advancing Universal Health Care.

CDU’s consecutive wins highlight its continuing contributions to health research in Central Visayas.

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CDU MPRO