DFAT Fellows Visit MCRI to Strengthen Collaboration in Adolescent Health Research

In February 2025, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) welcomed 15 Fellows from the Philippines for the first engagement of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia Awards Fellowship. The visit marked the beginning of a ten-month collaboration aimed at strengthening the capacity of Filipino researchers to harness data from the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC) for evidence-based policy and programming in adolescent health.

The week-long visit focused on building and deepening relationships between Australian and Philippine researchers. During the program, Fellows presented their initial research ideas using data from the LCSFC and received guidance from MCRI mentors and guest experts on how to refine research questions, select analytic methods, and align their work with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sessions combined hands-on workshops, collaborative brainstorming, and presentations on adolescent health and life-course research.

The February visit also provided the foundation for future collaboration. Fellows and MCRI researchers identified four joint research papers focused on adolescent hunger, health trajectories, education, and disability, that will continue to be developed over the course of the Fellowship.

The visit was an important step in building lasting connections between MCRI’s Global Adolescent Health Group and leading research institutions in the Philippines, including the University of the Philippines Cebu, the University of San Carlos’ Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., and the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture.

This first engagement visit set a strong tone for the year ahead, demonstrating how collaborative learning, shared expertise, and cross-country partnership can advance research that improves the health and wellbeing of adolescents in the Philippines and across the region.

For additional posts on this Fellowship:

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