Seven hundred and thirty-three representatives from various local and international organizations and 46 oral research presentations were exhibited during the 6th Annual and 1st Virtual Multidisciplinary Research Conference of the Manila Adventist College on September 27-28, 2021, via Zoom.

With the theme “Sustaining Research Quality Amidst and Beyond the Pandemic,” the two-day scientific conference highlighted the research endeavors of Manila Adventist College and its public and private partner institutions. It was successfully conducted despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first day of the conference was highlighted by the keynote message of John Wesley Taylor V, PhD, EdD., Associate Director of Education of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Maryland, USA. This keynote speech, entitled ” Addressing Myths in Research,” enumerated and debunked seven popular myths in conducting research, particularly on data significance and sample size interpretations. Concurrent sessions from various research presenters followed this.

Four masterclasses on research processes from conceptualization to literature referencing were presented by experienced researchers of Manila Adventist College. Classes on “Conceptualizing the Research Problem” by Lorraine Villagomez, PhD, DrPH, RN, “Preparing Online Data Collection Forms” by Ryan Ray M. Mata, PhD(ip), MN, RN, “Conducting Online Qualitative Interviews” by Maria Carmela Lacsa-Domocmat, PhD, RN, and “Navigating Mendeley Reference Manager” by Lady Christifanie M. Dapat, PhD(ip), MBA, CPM were introduced to help upskill participants’ research competencies.

The second day of the research conference featured two plenary sessions on “Scientific Publication for Novice Researchers” by Samuel Gaikwad, PhD, Interim Vice President for Academic Administration of Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, and “Involving God in the Research Process” by Rowena R. Antemano, PhD, MSc., Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Association of Adventist Scientists.

The conference was officially closed by Bibly L. Macaya, MD, MBA, FPCS, FPUA, FPCHA, President of the Manila Adventist College and Adventist Medical Center Manila, on September 28, 2021, with an invitation to the upcoming 7th MAC Research Conference.