Quezon City, Philippines | June 22-26, 2026. A step toward translating genomic surveillance concepts into actionable health practices, the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), in collaboration with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau (DOH-EB), and Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, organized the Fundamentals of Pathogen Genomic Surveillance Workshop last June 22 to 26, 2026, at the ibis Styles Manila Araneta City.
This workshop was designed to build the health surveillance capacity of Philippine public health leaders. It was attended by both executive and operational leadership, including directors of national and subnational laboratories, facility directors, division heads, laboratory managers, representatives from WHO, and staff from the Epidemiology Bureau of DOH, RITM, and PGC. The five-day workshop was structured to build knowledge progressively across two thematic halves.
Workshop Program Overview
Days 1-2: Foundations and Translation into Practice. The first half of the sessions covered foundations of pathogen genomic surveillance, the translation of genomic data into public health action, and data governance and sharing. This was complemented by a group workshop on designing and planning a genomic surveillance program.
Days 2-3: Laboratory and Bioinformatics Fundamentals to support the communication of Surveillance Findings. The second half focused on lectures discussing laboratory methods, quality assurance, and fundamentals of bioinformatics including data analysis, interpretation, and workflows that support genomic surveillance programs. The final day concluded with a communication exercise in which participants practiced reporting and communicating surveillance findings to diverse audiences.
The workshop is aimed to equip participants with the knowledge, frameworks, and practical skills needed to design, implement, sustain, and communicate findings from genomic surveillance programs in the Philippine context. Through the convergence of strategic research, practice training, and inter-agency cooperation, the activity targets improvements in existing health surveillance systems and highlights the critical role of a robust Pathogen genomic surveillance infrastructure in advancing modern public health.
The Fundamentals of Pathogen Genomic Surveillance workshop is a two-part collaborative activity. The second batch is currently in its planning stages, continuing the momentum toward fostering multi-institutional partnerships and a shared commitment to strengthening pathogen genomic surveillance in the Philippines.
See more photos from the workshop here. For more information about collaborative activities, email [email protected]. Know more about PGC research support services: https://pgc.up.edu.ph/services/
