Dr. Sia is Professor of Pharmacology at the University of the Philippines Manila. He has served the University since 1985 as teacher, researcher, extension worker, and administrator.

As a researcher, Dr Sia has taken the less trodden fields of ethnopharmacology and community pharmacology. He has conducted ethnopharmacological documentation of more than 30 ethnolinguistic groups including those in the Cordillera region, Sierra Madre mountains, Mindoro, Palawan, and Mindanao. The documentation serves useful purpose of not only written record of the healing traditions of the Philippine indigenous peoples but also as source of study materials for potential medicinal agents and as rallying point for advocacy of forest conservation. Culture sensitive educational materials on health were prepared for some groups of indigenous peoples. Likewise, he has conducted community-based research to determine the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of medicinal plant preparations used in the community for common ailments such as scabies, skin fungal infection, and cough.

In addition, Dr. Sia has conducted several action-oriented researches on improving use of medicines in the community and in the home. One of the published researches (Parmakolohiya sa komunidad: mga nakatagong gamot sa mga bahay sa Barangay Bungo, Gapan, Nueva Ecija, Acta Medica Philippina), done with barangay health workers as research partners, was given the National Academy of Science and Technology Outstanding Publication Award in 1996. Outputs from this and other researches were used in the publication of several teaching materials on the proper use of medicines in the home and community.

Details

Written by Super User

Published: 26 August 2014

Hits: 9541