27/07/2023
Social scientists, policymakers gather at Silliman to discuss public health issues
QUEZON CITY — The country’s leading social scientists and policymakers will meet on July 27-29 in Dumaguete City in what could be the largest gathering of social science scholars, researchers, academics, policymakers, and private technology companies to explore prospects, challenges, and responses to public health in the country, and the rest of Asia.
The 10th National Social Science Congress is spearheaded by the Philippine Social Science Council, the country’s largest group of social science scholars, in partnership with Silliman University.
PSSC Executive Director Dr. Lourdes Portus, who has been leading preparations for the academic assembly, said the Congress is gathering academic leaders and technology entrepreneurs prompted by the agenda to harness social science knowledge and technologies to address public health imperatives.
“The Congress comes at just the right time when nations are recovering from the life-altering COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted our otherwise normal world – causing deaths and unspeakable suffering and upheaval in our lives,” Dr. Portus pointed out.
The Congress theme is “Centering Social Sciences in Future-proof Health and Well- being,” making clear the compelling agenda of bringing the social sciences at the center of activities.
Dr. Portus underscored that “medical science has been at the front and center of the country’s collective response to the pandemic; now social scientists must take center stage in planning and facilitating our post-pandemic recovery.”
“The pandemic,” she added, “has halted many ongoing research and knowledge-generating and knowledge-sharing efforts. Now we can begin again.”
Dr. Portus highlighted the prospects of gathering and sharing insights on recent studies in a reinvigorated network of social scientists in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.
SU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr Earl Paul Jude Cleope, cited the partnership with PSSC for the Congress will also give an opportunity to the delegates to re-discover Dumaguete and the rest of Negros Oriental, known for its gentle people.
Resource speakers will confront pressing issues and offer solutions to public health concerns backed by evidence-based research which, organizers said, are “needed now more than ever.”
Leading the Congress resource speakers and experts – in five plenary sessions – are a former Health Secretary, a technology social entrepreneur, a sociologist, a medical doctor, and an engineer and environmental science specialist.
Former Health Sec. Jaime Galvez Tan will tackle how health social sciences can help achieve the future-proofing of health and well-being through his session on “Centering Social Sciences to Future-Proof Health and Well-Being.”
Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO Dennis Anthony Uy will share valuable insights and case studies highlighting the impact of digitalization, technology, and private sector engagement on health and wellness in a session on “Fiber-Powering Health and Wellness: Leveraging Technology, Digital Transformation and Private Sector Participation.”
Dr. Miwako Hosoda from Seisa University in Japan will focus on planetary health and the challenges to social and health disparities. Dr. Ramir Anthony Blanco, a public health specialist focusing on equity in health, will present the outcomes of their study “Devising Strategies for Equitable Pandemic Response through Landscape Analysis of COVID-19 and Groups Living in Vulnerable Situations.”
Dr. Jorge Emmanuel of Silliman University will explore the implications on global health, particularly the health and well-being of Filipinos, and the role of the social sciences in pulling back into safe spaces of planetary boundaries and protecting planetary health.
The papers are related to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic under discussion panel themes: Social Scientists’ Diverse Perspectives on Public Health, COVID-19 Studies, Health and Communication, Governing Health and Well-being, Researching Health and Well-being, Geographies of Care, Health Issues and Discourses, Social Construction of Health and Well-being, and Economic Well-being.
The Congress is the flagship program of PSSC, serving as the platform for social scientists to share their latest research, test concepts, theories, and ideas, and critically examine issues of social significance.
First held in 1983, the NSSC has enabled other sectors of society, including policymakers, legislators, local officials, donor agencies, and civil society organizations, to develop partnerships with the social sciences in their common pursuit of human development, equality, and well-being.
NSSC also gives voice to scholars, researchers, and teachers who wish to be involved in understanding society and contributing to its betterment.
PSSC, established in 1968, is a non-profit organization committed to scientific, cultural, and educational purposes. The pioneers include Dr. Mercedes Concepcion, Fr. Frank Lynch, Dr. Cristina Parel, Dr. Eufronio Alip, and Dr. Armand Fabella, who constituted the first PSSC Executive Board.
The pioneers embraced the idea of an umbrella organization for the social sciences put forward by Dr. Estafania Aldaba-Lim of the Social & Human Sciences Committee of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, in line with UNESCO’s global thrust of tapping learned social science societies to address contemporary challenges.
PSSC’s mission, from the very beginning, has been to advance Philippine social sciences, and serve as a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and activities.
Today, PSSC is one of the country’s longest-running and financially viable non-profit organizations. It has carved its niche as a base for developing social science scholarship and training, and a repository of social science resources in the country. (Karen Barrios)
