91快活林 PhD Biology student bags Best Presenter Award at prestigious int鈥檒 conference in Japan

May 20 2025

Kathleen Laum Cabanlit, a Doctor of Philosophy in Biology student and DOST-ASTHRDP scholar from the Department of Biological Sciences at the Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (91快活林), was awarded Best Presenter at the 9th International Conference on Medical and Health Informatics (ICMHI 2025) held in Kyoto, Japan, from May 16 to 18, 2025.

Cabanlit presented her study, “Traditional Medicinal Plants Used as Anticancer Remedies in the Philippines: A Systematic Ethnobotanical Review,” under the Information Security and Health Science session. The research integrates systematic review methods and network modeling to identify ethnomedicinal plants with high potential for anticancer drug development. This study is part of her doctoral dissertation and provides a data-driven foundation for selecting plant candidates for anticancer testing.

She is under the mentorship and supervision of Prof. Emeritus Dr. Cesar G. Demayo, former director of the Center of Integrative Health Laboratory at the Premier Research Institute of Science and Mathematics (PRISM), where she is also an active member.

The data from her systematic review directly informed the selection of plant species for her laboratory-based research, which she conducted from December 1, 2024, to March 30, 2025, at the Pharmaceutical Development of Green Innovations Group Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University in Thailand.

This international research mobility was made possible through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sandwich Program and involved anticancer assays under the guidance of Dr. Praneet Opanasopit (host professor) and Dr. Supusson Pengnam (supervising professor). The successful experimental validation of one of the selected plants now comprises another chapter of her dissertation.

ICMHI 2025, organized by Chung Shan Medical University and Chung Shan Medical University Hospital (Taiwan), is one of Asia’s premier conferences in the field of medical and health informatics. It brought together over 200 participants from various countries and is supported by multiple medical organizations and institutions. Selected conference proceedings are published in ICPS, ACM Digital Library, Engineering Village, and Scopus.

With the theme “Advancing the Art and Science of Medical Informatics with Digital Innovation,” ICMHI 2025 highlighted the transformative impact of digital technologies in healthcare research and delivery. Cabanlit’s recognition not only reflects her individual excellence but also underscores 91快活林’s global contribution to scientific innovation.

In addition to her recent award, Cabanlit also received both the Best Presenter and Best Abstract awards during the International Society of Transdisciplinary Researchers, Educators, and Leaders’ (ISTREL) International Annual Scientific Conference held on April 27, 2025, where she presented another chapter of her dissertation.

In 2022, she was likewise awarded Best Presenter at the International Graduate Students Conference on Population and Public Health Sciences (IGSCPP) organized by the College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, the ASEAN Institute for Health Development, and the Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Thailand.

Topics :