Fellows Return to MCRI for Final Visit to Advance Adolescent Health Research

In September 2025, the Global Adolescent Health Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) was delighted to welcome back the 15 Fellows from the Philippines for the final visit of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia Awards Fellowship, a Fellowship focused on strengthening research and policy capacity in adolescent health.

This visit built on the momentum of the previous engagement visits, with Fellows returning to Melbourne to progress and refine their collaborative research papers developed from the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC). Over the week, teams worked intensively with MCRI researchers and mentors to advance four group papers aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): adolescent hunger (SDG 2), health trajectories (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), and disability inclusion (SDG 10).

The week combined focused writing sessions with presentations, peer feedback, and expert mentoring. Fellows also engaged in “hot topic” discussions on advanced analytic techniques, qualitative research using NVivo, and youth engagement in policy translation. The visit concluded with presentations of paper progress and reflections on the journey shared across the 10-month Fellowship.

This final engagement demonstrated how sustained collaboration, mentoring, and shared purpose can translate complex longitudinal data into research with real-world impact. The strengthened partnerships between MCRI and institutions including the University of the Philippines Cebu, University of San Carlos’ Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., and the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture will continue beyond the Fellowship, supported by the Global Adolescent Health groups forthcoming Centre of Research Excellence to define responsive, evidence-based, efficient, and accountable action for adolescent health in Australia and the Asia Pacific, launching in 2026.

Together, these collaborations has contributed to a community of practice committed to ensuring Filipino adolescents not only survive but thrive, informed by evidence, guided by collaboration, and inspired by shared purpose.