The research fellowship program aims to strengthen research capacity of selected medical practitioners who are engaged in local research which respond to current public health concerns.

A maximum amount of P200,000 will be given by PPFI to each research fellow grantee. They will also participate in research capacity workshops which include mentoring on research processes such as research methodology, proposal preparation, project implementation, data processing and analysis, report writing and dissemination of research results.

The NIH-PPFI research grants were awarded to Dr. Veralynn Antoniette Vasquez of St. Frances Cabrini Medical Center, for her proposal entitled "Microbial growths in household nebulizers;" Dr. Ana Marie Leung of Saint Louis University, for her study entitled "Health status of indigenous small-scale miners using cyanide in Itogon, Benguet Province;" and Dr. Maria Princesa Obieta of Skin and Cancer Foundation, for the study on "Rapid Polymerase chain reaction based diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections in Filipino skin tissue specimens."

Research grants were also awarded to Dr. Consuelo Gonzalez-Suarez of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Sto. Tomas, for her proposal entitled "Childhood obesity in San Juan, Metro Manila: Its prevalence, risk factors and intervention;" and Dr. Samuel Arnado Tan of University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, for the study on "Magnet therapy as an adjuvant treatment in patients with diabetic neuropathy" A randomized controlled, double blind study."