Master of Medical Parasitology and Entomology

Master of Medical Parasitology and Entomology

Master of Medical Parasitology and Entomology Programme is developed to make the Department of Parasitology, Universiti Malaya (UM) as a centre for teaching and research in the field of parasitology and entomology, at the same time the referral centre in parasitic diseases at the national and international level.

Development in the field of medical science is rapidly happening in order to bring improvements in the control and elimination of life-threatening infectious diseases. This necessitates the development of this programme to share the latest knowledge and techniques, in hope that the graduates from the programme would be able to contribute and provide scientific solutions to the wellbeing of community and society.

This programme involves in two important fields, medical parasitology and medical entomology, that are highly associated in many aspects and would be able to give a greater depth of understanding in tropical diseases.

The uniqueness of the programme are:

• Exhaustive and informative details on major parasites of medical importance and their vectors including history, epidemiology, morphology, habitat, life cycle, modes of infection, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, prevention & control. 
• A multi-disciplinary approach involving molecular, biochemical, physiological and microbiological perspectives towards understanding the role and relationship of parasites, vectors and humans.
• Taught by experienced and knowledgeable academicians who are recognised in their respective fields of expertise. 
• The programme includes cutting-edge methods and approaches that revolutionises other aspects including control of parasites and vectors which is critically important at this period due to the exponential growth of vector borne diseases.
• An opportunity to gain practical insights from different countries on   best practices in control and prevention. 
• Guided hands-on practical sessions to empower students with techniques. New innovative diagnostic approaches will be part of the hands-on practical sessions. 
• Engaging and interactive learning sessions complete with discussions, panel sessions, debates, problem-based learning, presentations and field trips.
• Expert supervision on research project to empower students to embrace research ethics, formulate research objectives, methodologies and generate meaningful research output. 
• A gateway towards PhD level programme. 
• Gears towards career enhancement and personal development such as time management, leadership and effective presentation skills and confidence building. 

Some of the topics that will be covered:

• Global trends and its influence on parasitic infections 
• Climate change, migrant population 
• Hygiene hypothesis 
• Cutting edge techniques in parasitology and entomology
• Hands on in vitro culture techniques 
• Parasite-microbiota interactions
• Genomic and post-genomic advancement
• Parasite omics -transcriptomic, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics 
• Imaging toolbox
• Geographical information system 
• Data interpretation techniques 
• Global epidemiology of major parasitic infections 
• Parasites and autoimmune, cancer and neurological diseases
• Emerging and opportunistic parasites 
• Innovative control and preventive measures  
• Applied entomology 
• Advanced molecular tools
• Field techniques 
• Bionomics of vectors 
• Insecticide and drug resistance