TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Spearheaded by Samar State University (SSU) and Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), the 5th International Conference on Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development (iPOVCON) continue its second day at the Summit Hotel, Tacloban City, Philippines.
Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III, Founder of Global Health Focus (GHF) and Editor-in-Chief of the Public Health Challenges (Wiley), jumpstarted the day with an opening keynote on, “Measuring Research Impact: Beyond Citations – Exploring Alternative Metrics and Indicators of Scholarly Influence.” Through his scholarly contributions, Dr. Prisno helped many students escape from conflict and poverty-stricken countries.
“The impact of my research is beyond the h-index. [Because of publications and researches], we [are able to] pull people out from poverty. We do research for humanitarian reasons and for the development of the world,” Dr. Prisno remarked.
The second plenary session was led by Dr. Meredith D. Labarda, Lead of the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Global Network. Dr. Labarda’s discussion was centered on bridging social disparities through health equity and innovations, where she highlighted SIHI Global Networks’ social innovation projects.
“The heart of collaboration is ‘bayanihan’. We cannot alleviate poverty alone, but we can do that together,” Dr. Labarda emphasized in her lecture.
Following the plenary sessions, the conference will feature 24 presentations under Track 1: “Sustainable Development Strategies for Inclusive Growth,” and 30 presentations under Track 2: “Innovative Technologies and Social Entrepreneurship for Social Impact.” A closing ceremony and conferment of awards will follow the parallel sessions.