The UP Board of Regents (BOR) approved the establishment of two new institutes and one center under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila), during its 1411th BOR Meeting on 26 August 2026 at the University of the Philippines Bonifacio Global City (UP BGC) Campus.
The newly approved units are:

• Health Promotion Research Unit (HPRI) - Proponent: Dr. Katherine Ann V. Reyes
• Institute of Social Innovation in Health (ISIH) - Proponent: Dr. Meredith Del Pilar-Labarda
• National Training Center for Applied Ethics in Human Research (NTCAEHR) - Proponent: Prof. Edlyn Jimenez

The HPRI will strengthen the knowledge base in health promotion and promote policy-relevant research to inform health policy and practice in support of Universal Health Care.
The ISIH will nurture the social innovation in health ecosystem in the Philippines by supporting the development and scaling of local health solutions through research and capacity building activities to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes.
The NTCAEHR will continue to advance capacity building in applied ethics in human research and advocate for ethical research as a cornerstone of national policies and funding priorities, as it has in the past 21 years.
With the approval of these new units, NIH now has 13 institutes and 6 centers, further expanding its capacity in health research, training, and capacity building.
This milestone reflects the continued efforts of NIH to expand its work and build a stronger health research community para sa bayan, kasama ang bayan.
Congratulations to HPRI, ISIH, and NTCAEHR!