Dr. Rafaela Jane Delfino of the UP Diliman Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology participated in the Asia Summer School on Time-series Regression for Public Health, and ASEAN Climate and Health Research Forum, held from 13 to 17 July 2026 at The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo City, Tokyo, Japan. The five-day programme introduced participants to statistical methods for examining the short-term health effects of environmental exposures, including temperature and air pollution. It featured lectures and practical exercises on time-series analysis, distributed lag non-linear models, disease-burden estimation, health-impact projections, and multi-location studies.

Dr Delfino worked with fellow participants from the Philippines (UP Manila, DOH, DOST-PAGASA), Peru and Nepal to apply these methods to a group research project entitled: Turning Up the Heat: Modelling Heat–Mortality Relationships in Metro Manila, Philippines Using a Time-Series Analysis. Their group was recognized with the Best Group Presentation Award during the closing session of the summer school.

On 17 July, Dr Delfino also participated in the ASEAN Climate and Health Research Forum: Bridging Borders for Adaptation and Mitigation at the University of Tokyo. She delivered a presentation entitled “Event Attribution in Tropical Cyclones and Heatwaves in the Philippines,” highlighting research on the influence of climate change on extreme weather events and their potential implications for human health. The forum brought together researchers and public-health practitioners from across Southeast Asia to share national research priorities and explore opportunities for regional collaboration on climate-change adaptation, mitigation, and health action.