Workshop on GCPand Research Ethics

Hi!
This week, I attended a workshop on Good Clinical Practice and Ethics in Research conducted by UP-NIH in cooperation with DOH and FERCAP, and funded by WHO. By attending this workshop, I got GCP certified, whatever that means!
Anyway, for 4 days, I sat patiently and listened intently as we were spoonfed by our distinguished lecturers, all of them acknowledged experts in their own fields. A lot of things were going around in my mind (Eg. that we were doing many things correctly, but we were also doing many things incorrectly; we knew many things, but we also did not know many things; etc).
The very good thing that happened was that my questions on the regulatory requirements of BFAD for our Phase I Clinical Trials Facility (which I had been tasked to set up) at St. Luke's were all clarified! As if the workshop was customized for me :-) How lucky can I get!

To make things even better, the following day, my boss, Mr. Ledesma, approved my request to visit Phase I facilities in the US (Houston). So I'm leaving on Sunday the 18th. Here's the e-mail from my host Fred Lowrey from Pharm-Olam, Houston:

Hi Filipinas, I have you arriving on United Airlines # 378 to George Bush
Airport on Monday Nov. 19 at 4:26 PM. Pauline will make you hotel
reservations for 2 nights and the hotels have vans that circulate the terminals
to pick you up and take you to the hotel. I will plan to go to dinner with
you that night if you are not too tired. Please see my cell phone number
below to contact me once you get to US.

On Tuesday we have an
appointment at 9:30 AM at Methodist Hospital phase I unit. Dr. Tracy
Goekin will accompany us as he used to work there. We will go to lunch at
the Texas Medical Center and then we have an appointment at 2:00 PM to visit
West Houston Clinical Research Services. We will have some time to talk
and meet some of our people later that
day.

The schedule looks perfect- I can finish my official business all
in one day!

Just checked Texas temperature on the internet-9-21C - not bad!

Well, as they say in Texas, Hola!

First Timer

Hi!

Just trying this for the first time. My son-in-law Roovin is a computer bug and he's just too eager to make his mom-in-law happy by setting up this blog site for me :-) This was decided while we were having dinner tonight- "we" means Manny and me, Nel and Abby, and Maela and Roovin. Nephew Eli (son of my bro Bong) has a "gig" with his band at Magnet (in Katipunan) and was not part of the unanimous approval for the title I chose, but I'm sure he, too, will be excited to know that his Auntie PI is in the loop! Nel and Abby were just visiting, while Mae and Roovin were staying for the week-end. To make sure someone opens my site, they promised to!

I spent the long holiday in Antipolo just enjoying the rare luxury of a lazy time at home. Not exactly lazy. Cooked a few dishes, visited 2 cemeteries, put up Phase I of the "2007 version" of our home Christmas decor, did a little bit of work on the MD-PhD program that I am preparing for presentation, and answered some official e-mails.



Next week, I will be attending a 4-day workshop on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) at the Manila Orchid Garden Hotel, 8-5 PM, 5-8 November. This does not exempt me from doing my work at St.Luke's - still have to go there to do whatever needs to be done for the day!



Roovin gave me this tip: Make your blog short and interesting. So, that's it for now.