The Health Promotion Program (HPP) at the National Institutes of Health, UP Manila operates through a functional framework that mirrors the synergistic triangle of Research and Evidence Generation, Policy Advocacy, and Community Engagement. These three interlinked pillars represent the Program’s commitment to generating evidence, fostering societal support, and enhancing the policy environment for health promotion.

1. Research and Evidence Generation This team leads the end-to-end process of health promotion research, beginning with agenda setting and culminating in dissemination and impact monitoring. HPP currently stewards:

• Research agenda setting

• Research protocol and proposal preparation

• Research grant management and implementation

• Rapid evidence reviews and data management

• Dissemination of research products

• Monitoring the utilization and impact of research findings

2. Capacity Building Capacity building is woven across HPP’s workstreams to ensure that individuals, institutions, and systems involved in health promotion are equipped to lead and sustain research and practice. This includes:

• Competency needs assessments

• Training design and implementation

• Sharing lessons on what works in capacity strengthening

• Monitoring and evaluation of capacity-building efforts

3. Policy Advocacy and Community Engagement This integrated team focuses on translating evidence into policy and practice while anchoring all efforts in meaningful community participation. The team ensures that research informs policy and that communities are empowered to act on health issues. Current efforts include:

• Conducting needs assessments and stakeholder analysis

• Facilitating strategic engagement planning and dialogues

• Monitoring and mapping policy developments

• Documenting pathways from evidence to policy

• Designing and implementing communication and advocacy strategies

4. Management, Administration, and Finance To ensure coherence, sustainability, and accountability across the program, a dedicated team supports strategic and operational functions, including:

• Strategic planning and quality assurance

• Contracting, procurement, and financial management

• Monitoring and evaluation

• Institutional reporting and compliance

• Knowledge and human resource management

HPP’s work is implemented under the guidance of the UP Manila Chancellor and the Executive Director of the National Institutes of Health. Research, Extension, and Professional Staff (REPS) serve as the backbone of HPP—leading research, supporting engagement, and enabling capacity-building initiatives. While currently engaged through project-based contracts, the Program is committed to maximizing professional development and growth opportunities, especially for REPS pursuing research-oriented careers.

Together, the Program’s components contribute to its vision of advancing health promotion through evidence, equity, and empowerment—fostering societal support for policy decisions grounded in local and global evidence.