Dr. Finaflor F. Taylan, the Program Chair of the Diploma in and Master of Social Work of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) and Director of the Office of Gender Concerns of the University of the Philippines-Open University (UPOU) served as a resource speaker during the Third Gender Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) Webinar titled “Advancing Gender Equity in One Health: Insights and Success Stories” of the Southeast Asia One Health University Network in collaboration with Malaysia One Health University Network (MyOHUN) and the Philippine One Health University Network (PhilOHUN), held last 6 August 2024 via online platforms.
Source: Southeast Asia One Health University Network Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/seaohun
In her presentation titled “Enhancing Healthcare Systems through Multi/Interdisciplinary Gender Integration”, she highlighted how gender integration in research can significantly enhance the relevance and responsiveness of healthcare systems. By embedding gender considerations into every stage of research, healthcare systems can better cater to the diverse needs of women, marginalized groups, and various gender identities. She also discussed some of her involvement in various programs at the UP Open University in relation to integrating gender in OneHealth or interdisciplinary initiatives such as targeted seminars and workshops designed to foster gender sensitivity and promote women’s empowerment. These initiatives are instrumental in advancing leadership among children and youth while also addressing environmental issues through a gender-inclusive lens. Among these engagements, she highlighted her previous project on the Community Health and Development Program, which successfully integrated gender perspectives into its activities where she developed an integrative framework from this experience. During the open forum, she responded to the question on the context of gender mainstreaming and integration in the Philippines’ programs as she described the Philippines as very successful in legislation but needs to ensure the policies’ full implementation that hopes to benefit women and the society at large.
Dr. Taylan is a registered social worker by profession and has experience working on community-based health, agriculture, and environment programs utilizing participatory research methods with the community people and other professions such as medical and allied professions, agriculturists, and environmental scientists.
Written by Dani Mercado / Edited by Dr. Finaflor F. Taylan