Prof. Maravilla during one of his presentations with the Institute of Health Sciences and Nursing. Photo from IHSN
Since 2021, Prof. Dr. Joemer Maravilla has been the supervising investigator of Continuing care in COVID-19 outbreak: a global survey of new, expectant, and bereaved parent experiences-Philippines (COCOON Global Research-Philippines or COCOON Philippines), which is locally led by Far Eastern University.
He currently mentors more than 10 academics in survey design, epidemiology, and perinatal mental health research. Through this project, he also pioneered inter-departmental research collaboration between the departments of nursing and psychology, leveraging both disciplines to produce quality evidence that aspires to transform practice, policy, and education in the Philippines. He also guides the FEU research team as they collect data and organise research students to be involved in survey administration, data analysis, and research dissemination activities.
“Prof. Maravilla was involved in team teaching in research courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students and members of the faculty, in collaboration with research and academic coordinators within the Institute of Health Sciences and Nursing. He has given lectures on core concepts of research design, analysis planning, epidemiology, and biostatistics,” said Prof. Joycelyn Filoteo, FEU Nursing Research Committee Chair.
FEU Dean of Nursing, Moira Uy, further added that Prof. Maravilla developed and implemented HIVE Research Sessions—research enhancement brown bag lectures intended for postgraduate nursing students. He designed tailored lectures targeted to the specific needs of students who are conducting their thesis, while providing a nurturing and safe environment. This enables more effective engagement among students and mentors. He collaborated with research coordinators of the department to provide 30-minute informal lectures on literature review and critical appraisal, observational and experimental studies, and data analysis.
“As an alumnus of FEU, it is a great honor to give back to the university as an adjunct faculty, particularly in research, where FEU gave me life-changing opportunities when I was a student nurse,” said Prof. Maravilla.
He added that it is great to see students and faculty members becoming more confident and skilled in conducting quality research.
“Students’ success with their research is a testament to FEU’s efforts in producing world-class graduates—I am thrilled to be part of it. I couldn’t be prouder to be with the COCOON Philippines research team when they achieved their first publication milestone in a top scientific journal in medicine,” said Prof. Maravilla. They co-authored the COCOON Global Research protocol in the British Medical Journal Open with scientists from world-renowned institutions, such as the University of Queensland, King’s College London, and the International Stillbirth Alliance.
Prof. Maravilla’s areas of expertise are epidemiology; maternal, child, and adolescent health; and mental health. He is a research fellow at Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The University of Queensland (Australia); visiting research fellow, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku (Australia); director for research, Filipino Nursing Diaspora Network; officer, International Association for Adolescent Health; associate editor, Frontiers in Public Health; and affiliate fellow, Australian Research Council-Centre for Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.
He is among top-cited scientists in the world, ranked by Elsevier and Standford University. He has published 56 research articles, >95% in Q1 journals, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (United Kingdom).