Rubrica - Issue 10

A Memorandum of Agreement ceremony between the Malaysian Society of Parasitology & Tropical Medicine (MSPTM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) was officiated on 6th December 2021 at The Cube, Faculty of Medicine. This event was held in conjunction with the launching of a new Master programme by the Department of Parasitology. Funds received from MSPTM will be used to renovate and convert two seminar rooms at the department into a lecture hall, which will be named the CP Ramachandran Hall. The Vice Chancellor of UM, YBhg Professor Dato’ Ir Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd. Shukor, the Dean of FOM, Professor Dr. April Camilla, and President of MSPTM, Dr. Sam Mohan Aruputham, were present for the MOA signing ceremony.

The opening ceremony of FOM’s new research hub, the Dato Panglima Kinta Eusoff Research Centre, has become one of the Faculty’s highlights of the year. This newly revamped research centre, formally known as Bangunan Tahan Lama, was inaugurated on 13th December 2021 by Universiti Malaya’s Chancellor, His Royal Highness (HRH) Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah. The funding for the construction of the research centre was contributed by one of UM’s Alumni, Datin Ragayah Mohd Eusoff in early 2019, followed by a memorandum of agreement to establish a high-impact research centre.

World Disability Day, an event held to honour and celebrate persons with disabilities, was held on 4th December 2021, with the theme this year, 'Fighting for Rights in the Post-COVID Era'. The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine organized an exhibition of artworks by people with disabilities, all of which who were former patients treated by staff in the department. The event was officiated by the Honourable Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Mohd Radzi. Over 80 artworks which showcased oil, acrylic, hand batik and face mask paintings were exhibited. The exhibition was held until 14th December 2021 with free entry, where it received an encouraging response from the public.

The recent floods over the weekend (18th-19th December 2021) caused by days of heavy rain have displaced an estimated 70,000 people in the Klang Valley and Selangor region. Many rivers have overflowed their banks while major roads have been cut off. The Registrar’s Office, Universiti Malaya, recently organised the UM Flood Relief Volunteer Program, held on 22nd December 2021. Dr. Jasmine Lim, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Surgery who participated in the program, shares her personal thoughts.

Flood Relief Mission at Ground Zero - by Dr. Jasmine Lim

“Selangor Floods: Over 2,800 people evacuated from their homes in Klang’ was amongst the major newspaper headlines on 18th December 2021. Thousands of pictures and videos were shared via social media over the weekend, showing the extent of this catastrophic disaster and its impact on people’s lives. My heart sank as I saw the struggles of flood victims.

Joining the UM Flood Relief mission allowed me to witness the aftermath at ground zero myself. We visited and offered cleaning services to one of the affected UM households in Puchong. The house was full of mud and most household items were damaged as flood waters rose to chest level over a short period of time. With the spirit of “gotong-royong”, we helped the family clean the entire house, including the living hall, kitchen and bedrooms. I was involved in cleaning the kitchen and tableware with my comrades from other faculties. It was truly a heart-warming experience, and I shall remember it for a long time. Herein lies one of my favourite inspirational quotes; -

“The last two years have really taught us a lot, and it’s important that we reflect on being better people, a better society. Power to me is about doing the right thing, doing good and ultimately, giving back” - Prof. Dato’ Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Tatler’s Power Award 2021 winner.

The UM Innovative and Creative Group program, better known as the KIK program, is one of UM’s initiatives to preserve a culture of innovative and creative thinking to solve problems in everyday essential work. It also serves as an important platform to generate new ideas that can be implemented to improve the quality of efficient services. At the university level, the top management has high hopes that the implementation of KIK will lead to new systems and operations that can directly improve the quality-of-service delivery, foster closer cooperation, as well as promote a more collaborative work culture among staff members. This initiative also augments and strengthen our understanding of the UM core values (Passion, Oneness, Integrity, Sincerity, Empathy), and furthermore, serve to enhance the image of Universiti Malaya.

UM’s first KIK Convention was held on 21st – 22nd December 2021. There were 47 teams competing with the largest number coming from UMMC – 15 groups, followed by the Faculty of Medicine - 5 groups. The Ortho Sparks team, consisting of Dr. Muhammad Ziyad, Pn. Suhaili binti Mohd, En. Muhammad Lutfi Md Zin, En. Muhammad Helmi Harun and Pn. Sahrinanah Mappiare from the Faculty of Medicine was selected for ‘Anugerah Inovasi Harapan’ under the Technical Category. Well done to all teams!

The Breakfast@UMHealth web series, an online continuous medical education (CME) endeavour, aims to provide relevant clinical knowledge for clinicians, academics and the public, primarily based on the knowledge and expertise of the clinical academic staff, medical specialists and researchers from Universiti Malaya. The web series also involves leading clinicians, scientists and trendsetters from other institutions. Listed below are the Top 10 most watched episodes this year.

The "Keluarga Malaysia, Keluarga UM, Jom Derma Darah" programme, an initiative by the UM branch of the Majlis Anak Mahasiswa Pulau Pinang in collaboration with the Universiti Malaya Medical Society (UM MEDSOC) and the National Medical Organization (NMO) for Malaysia (SMMAMS) to raise awareness regarding the importance of blood donation. The programme was directed by FOM’s 2nd-year medical student, Shee Loke Yuan. The event was officiated by YB Sim Tze Zin and graced by Prof. Dr. April Camilla Roslani (Dean of FOM), Dr. Mohammad Salleh Yahya (UMMC Deputy Director of Medical Services), Dr. Christina Lee (UMMC Head of Transfusion Medicine), Assoc. Prof. Dr Nadia Atiya (Consultant Clinical Microbiologist, UMMC), Woon Shi Sien (SMMAMS President) and Khairul Ameen (UM MEDSOC President).

YBhg. Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, Universiti Malaya’s newly appointed Board of Directors (LPU) Chair, visited the Faculty of Medicine (FOM) on 11th January 2022. The visit was received by the Dean, Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani, and members of the FOM Management team.

During the visit, YBhg. Tan Sri Zarinah, UM’s first female LPU Chair, was briefed on the Faculty’s achievements as well as on challenges and issues that the Faculty faces. Tan Sri Zarinah spent an hour on a walkabout around the “Quadrangle” [comprising the Clinical Skills Unit (CSU), Anatomy Dissection Hall and ORL Simulation Lab] accompanied by the Dean, the Director of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), and other members of the management team.

The 19th Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC) was held on the 14th - 16th January 2022 with the theme, “Our Heritage, Our Strength: Future Proofing Healthcare Professionals”. In collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, with co-organizers, National Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM) and International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia, the conference attracted 1,150 participants (healthcare professionals & students) from 34 countries. Various workshops and symposia were held over the three-day conference covering topics such as teaching and learning, assessments, leadership within the medical education context in response to the challenges the global pandemic has brought upon us. The conference kicked off with a one-day Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NoTSS) masterclass on 8th January 2022, then proceeded with 2 more days of pre-conference workshops and special courses on 12th and 13th January, before the commencement of the main conference from 14th to 16th January 2022. Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfurlah, UM Chancellor, was present for the opening ceremony to give his opening keynote address.

At the event, UM’s very own MBBS Stage 3.3 student, Chan Chee Ken, successfully won the Young Scholar Merit Award for his oral presentation on “The impact of recurrent waves of COVID-19 on the mental health of medical students: a cross-sectional study”. Co-Authors for the work include Lam Thian Yin (MBBS Stage 3.3) and their study supervisors, Dr. Kanesh Kumaran Seevalingam, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Retnagowri Rajandram and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shanggar Kuppusamy.

Dr. Wan Kim Sui, a PhD graduate from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, became the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Award 2021. The award ceremony was held on 21st January 2022. It was attended by Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani (Dean of FOM), Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Haji Mohamed Ismail Merican, Dr. Hoe Chee Peng, and Mr. Ronald Quay Ong Guan (representatives from Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Society), Professor Dr. Shahrul Bahyah (Deputy Dean of Postgraduate Studies), Professor Dr. Victor Hoe (HoD of Social and Preventive Medicine), and Dr. Wan’s academic supervisors, Professor Dr. Noran Naqiah Hairi and Professor Dr. Moy Foong Ming. This award was established with sponsorship from The Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society (Penang) and aims in recognizing the best candidate for the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) programme at Universiti Malaya.

Interview with Dr. Wan Kim Sui

Could you share with us about yourself?

My name is Wan Kim Sui and I was born in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. I completed my secondary and high school in SMK King George V before obtaining my Doctor of Medicine in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2010. After my housemanship, I served in the hospital, health clinic, and state health department before pursuing my public health study in Universiti Malaya. I graduated with a Master of Public Health (with Distinction) in 2018 and a Doctor of Public Health (with Distinction) in 2021. I am currently the district health epidemiologist in Port Dickson and in the gazettement process to be a public health medicine specialist. I am an avid runner and triathlete, but the current COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the training process.

What was your first reaction to win the first Dr. Wu Lien Teh Award?

I was truly delighted when I first heard the news.

Tell us about this award & what it means to you.

The Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Public Health Award was established with sponsorship by Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Society, Penang and in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. The award shall be awarded annually to one Doctor of Public Health student with the best achievement in the program based on four domains: leadership, community engagement, academic standing, and professionalism. https://spm.um.edu.my/about/dr-wu-lien-teh-public-health-award/

I am truly honoured to receive this inaugural award. While I feel elated, I am humbled as what I have done or achieved is relatively insignificant compared to Dr Wu Lien-Teh. Nevertheless, I will take this recognition as an inspiration to work harder and hopefully contribute to public health and society.

Could you share more about your study/project/program?

My doctorate thesis's title is 'Trends and predictors of glycosylated haemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, and LDL-cholesterol among patients with type 2 diabetes in Negeri Sembilan. I merged six different datasets from the National Diabetes Registry to form a five-year retrospective open cohort between 2013 and 2017. Although the concurrent attainment of A1C, blood pressure, and LDL-cholesterol goals, collectively known as the 'ABC' goals, had improved from 4.5% to 5.8%, the overall performance remained suboptimal. There were demographic differences whereby non-Chinese ethnic groups and younger adults had the most inadequate control of ABC. Hence, targeted interventions can be directed at these high-risk populations.

My study also investigated clinical inertia in type 2 diabetes management, which tends to be overlooked in Malaysia. Clinical inertia happens when there is a failure to initiate or intensify treatment promptly according to evidence-based clinical guidelines due to multifactorial conditions. I found that the median time to diabetes treatment intensification was more than one year among patients with uncontrolled A1C. During the average of 2.6 person-year follow-ups, less than half of them had treatment intensification. These findings provided real-world evidence about clinical inertia in diabetes management in Malaysia. I hope more studies are done to explore the underlying causes of clinical inertia in Malaysia in order to develop effective strategies to address this problem.

What motivated you to conduct this study/project/program?

The high burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Malaysia. My ultimate motivation is to apply the research findings to improve type 2 diabetes patients’ health by avoiding preventable cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through optimal control of ABC. A tool called “Report Card on ABC Goals in Diabetes” has been developed and printed through a smart partnership with the State Health Department of Negeri Sembilan. I am happy to share that the tool is being used in new research on ABC knowledge, awareness and practice among healthcare providers and patients. My co-researchers and I hope for positive outcomes so that the tool can be adopted in daily clinical use.

What will be your advice to other fellow researchers?

Think about the ‘so what’ question. As researchers, we spend many years studying a focused topic in great depth. Thus, it is critical to ensure our efforts and research outputs are helpful to others.

I am now learning that having the research findings is only the first step. The following job is to approach relevant stakeholders and decision-makers and advocate our ideas if we want changes to materialize. The process is not easy, and thus, it would be helpful to have genuine interest or passion in our research topics.

On the 22nd and 23rd of January 2022, the Deans’ Office, together with the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM), organized a coaching and consultative masterclass titled “The New Leadership Paradigm & Breakthrough Results” for the Faculty of Medicine (FOM) Management Team and all Head of Departments. The two days’ workshop was held at the Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Neela Mehan from the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM), a renowned corporate trainer, organizational consultant, and educationist. Through the workshop, he shared his extensive knowledge and experience to the participants on how to change and improve your mind-set for continuous improvement and growth. He also shared with the participants the essential leadership skills to become an effective and world-class leader.

All in all, the two-day highly stimulating workshop was an eye-opener to understand the right leadership characteristics on becoming an effective leader for the organization, while at the same time leading a well-balanced life.

This year, through their free webinar series, the UM eHealth Unit hoped to showcase digital health case studies, cutting edge technologies, and educational and research awareness in Digital Health. In the first webinar session on 24th January 2022, Professor Dr. Wong Chee Piau, founding president of Digital Health Malaysia, gave a talk on the “Current Trend of Digital Health”. Professor Wong has been instrumental in the growth of Telehealth in Malaysia as he and his team at Monash University, Malaysia initiated the Telemedicine National Conference in 2015 which attracted the interest of the Ministry of Health Malaysia. In his talk, Professor Wong walked through the historical path of how Digital Health was back in 1996 and how the Malaysian government has moved towards paperless hospitals and Total Health Information Systems (THIS) in many public hospitals. The current healthcare ecosystem is disease-based, while the future should move towards wellness-based where healthcare is precise, predictive and preventive. Among the future of healthcare related directly to digital health are digital and cloud-based inventories, patient centric consultations using mobile technology, homecare using wearable devices, and the use of Internet of Things platforms. Finally, Professor Wong discussed the requirements for Digital Health implementation which includes regulation, training and education for end users, retraining of all healthcare stakeholders and narrowing the digital divide.

The first FOM Inaugural Lecture for 2022 was by Professor Dr. Nortina Shahrizaila, held on 25th Jan 2022. Dr. Nortina is a Professor of Neurology from the Department of Medicine. She has sub-specialty clinical and research interests in the field of neuromuscular disorders and motor neurone disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The Virtual Inaugural Lecture titled “Through Thick and Thin: Exploring the Nerves” was live streamed via the Fakulti Perubatan Universiti Malaya YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/rQmB2IHt-RA

Healthcare practitioners in Malaysia have to regularly communicate with a diverse and multicultural patient population with very different rationale, behaviour and approach towards healthcare.

The Department of Primary Care Medicine recently organised a “Cultural Competence in Healthcare Workshop” for clinicians and healthcare professionals on 28th January 2022. The aim of the workshop was to determine how culture influences health and health beliefs, how health impacts on cultural assumptions and stereotyping, the rationale for cultural sensitivity, and the use of different communication strategies.

Twenty participants from various faculties attended the workshop. Speakers and facilitators engaged participants with some thought provoking and insightful discussions about the perspectives of different health belief systems. This included strategies on how to work with different people’s varying health beliefs, lifestyles and circumstances, which would then influence choices and behaviour in seeking healthcare services. The featured speakers at the event were Assoc. Prof Dr. Phyllis Lau (University of Melbourne), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pauline Lai (Department of Primary Care, UM), Dr. Siti Nurkamilla Ramdzan (Department of Primary Care, UM) and Mr. Kamal Solhaimi Fadzil (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM).

The Dean’s Office, Faculty of Medicine organized a Photo Competition in conjunction with Academia Day (5th October) and Academia Month (October) with the theme of “FOM Key Pandemic Inspirations” from 4th October 2021 to 8th November 2021. We are pleased to announce the winners as selected by a panel of judges;

1st Prize: Teo Shin Shin (Department of Emergency Medicine)
2nd Prize: Beh Jin Wey (Department of Emergency Medicine)
3rd Prize: Mohazmi Mohamed (Department of Primary Care Medicine)
Consolation Prize: Ong Teng Aik; Loo Fui Jane; Aizura Syafinaz Ahmad Adlan; Mohd Nahar Azmi Mohamed; Nur Afiqah Salleh; Nasrin; Teh Ru En; Chong Chun Yip; Francine Chai

Team Members: Nosrihah Ismail, Noor Nadiah Ahmad Nasharuddin, Thibashini Nair Sathasivan, Nur Liyana Azmi, Anis Haziqah Ayop, Asmad Rizal Mohd Khir

Community gardens have taken off in recent years, with more and more neighborhoods realizing its benefits to the environment and to the health and wellbeing of community members. Similarly, many institutes have begun to catch on and are developing their own form of community gardens at the workplace. Having that in mind, the Cangkul Project, a group of staff from the Central Research Laboratories (CRL) have started off their KIK project named “Edible & Sensory Community Garden by Cangkul Project”.

The project started in September 2021 by utilizing the backyard of the Medical Biotechnology Laboratory building for the cultivation of edible plants such as herbs, vegetables, flowers as well as a special site which functioned as a sensory garden. This site will also serve as a hub for communication between faculty staff and the teaching and learning centers. The structure and landscape created will also be a stress reliever for the visitors.

The Edible & Sensory Community Garden concept uses a ‘raise bed’ technique that does not disrupt the existing soil structures. As part of the sustainability practice, the Cangkul Project makes use of unattended used pots and garden pots for planting purposes where these appliances have also been creatively crafted for use as the exclusive attraction of the Faculty of Medicine. In addition to connecting with nature through the simple act of digging in the soil, gardening also offers the opportunity to relieve stress through more physical acts such as breaking branches and yanking out weeds. Simply exerting energy through physical labour could be enough to get the staff to forget about the stresses of the office and recharge for the next workday.

The Cangkul Project is highly confident that the “Edible & Sensory Community Garden by Cangkul Project” will be a starting point in establishing sustainability practices in the Faculty of Medicine and contribute to Universiti Malaya’s cleaner, greener, safer, and seamless campus community experience. Come and join hands with Cangkul Project’s volunteering program. You will be amazed realizing the value of working in the dirt and producing your own food!!

Our answer would be: "Living in a post-apocalyptic world where skyscrapers are made of ancient trash"

To avoid our worst nightmare, we figured that we should start by joining the Sunday Recycling Day, organized by Tzu Chi, liaised via the UM Medical Society. We started the day by partially re-enacting our worst nightmare: being buried in ankle deep plastic while sorting them. Fortunately, the day went uphill after that, to the point that it was one of the most unforgettable and meaningful days of our lives. Not only were we able to contribute and participate in the front-seat view of Earth-saving efforts in Malaysia; we had the privilege to personally sort recycling materials such as plastics, papers, glasses, metals. It was on that day we learnt that recycling doesn't magically end with us throwing our trash into the three different coloured bins. Instead, that was the very beginning of the long process of recycling. The types of recyclables were so complicated that it reminded us of the Physiology classes that we attended.

Our surprises didn’t end there. We also learned from Prof. Lucy about endocrine disruption, a spectrum of diseases that has yet to gain the awareness it should. We were given detailed descriptions of how micro-plastics were, are and would be affecting us and our descendants for years to come. Unlike treating infections where we can just treat with courses of antibiotics, following the government guidelines, we are forced to figure out its effect at the expense of our health. Fortunately, we were on the right track to curb its impact by participating in the event.

“Recycling is not economically sustainable” is one of the arguments constantly used by right-winged parties all over the world. That argument has always been impeccable, and without us knowing, it has steered many away from recycling. It made us ponder, how can recycling be economically sustainable? Compared to reaping raw materials from mother Earth, procuring materials from people surely can’t be economically sustainable, right? Boy, were we wrong! That day, we were taught a valuable lesson about how economically sustainable recycling was. Watching them weigh sorted trash and turning them into funds for welfare purposes was just so satisfying and inspiring.

Despite all the benefits we had learnt from a day of volunteering, the prevalence of recycling is still low not only among old people, but also among youngsters. Why is that so? In our humble opinion, environmental awareness has made its presence known in all areas of everyday life through social media such as Instagram, TikTok and Youtube. However, the level of practice is still lacking among our batchmates and even in the younger generation because they can’t feel the fruits of their efforts. Unlike studying which guarantees them good results in written exams, recycling is long term work with little results to show, hence the return just doesn't seem proportional to the investment. The lack of immediate reward in going green dampens their interest to recycle.

Thus, education is the key to promoting going green. Going green should be instilled into the souls of the next generations, just like all those moral values that we had to learn for our Pendidikan Moral. Besides, we should also do aggressive campaigns to target older generations who have long past their schooling days. In summary, barriers to recycling that currently exist should be acknowledged and removed in order for the involvement and participation from different parties. After all, the whole point of recycling is to ensure a sustainable planet for everyone to live in.

Dr. Lee Way Seah is a Professor in Paediatrics and Senior Consultant at the Department of Paediatrics, specialising in paediatrics, gastroenterology and hepatology. He joined the Department of Paediatrics, UM as a lecturer in 1996 and was promoted to Professor in 2006. Professor Lee has published more than 120 scientific papers in local and international journals. Professor Lee has also edited four paediatric reference books; ‘'Handbook of Hospital Paediatrics', 'Handbook of Hospital Paediatrics, 2nd Edition', 'Textbook of Paediatrics and Child Health’ and most recently ‘Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition: A Survival Guide’. He was the President of College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia from 2006 - 2012, and the Head of Department of Paediatrics from 2011 - 2016. In April 2016, Professor Lee was elected as a fellow of the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia, becoming the second paediatrician in Malaysia to be elected to this prestigious academy. Prof. Lee officially retired from UM on 28th January 2022.

1. How long have you been working in Universiti Malaya?
   I have served UM for the last 26 years. I first reported to the Department of Paediatrics on 2 Jan 1996 as a lecturer after spending a few years in the UK for post-graduate training. 
    
2. What are the most memorable experiences throughout your service in UM?
   There are many memorable experiences. The most cherished experience is the ability to inspire young students. They are very keen to learn and are just like a clean sheet of paper, to be inspired and influenced. I think clinical teachers play an important role in what type of new generations of doctors we are training. I am told that a few medical students later became paediatricians, claiming to be 'inspired' by me (laugh). I also like the experience of an academic healthcare system where there is a balance between academic medicine, providing health care, as well as teaching and training.  I also like doing research and publishing. The joy of seeing your research work is recognised and published is immense.
    
3. Any messages for your colleagues in FOM/students?
   To all young academic staff in FOM, my advice is to be passionate and dedicated to your work. Remember this, 'publish or perish'. To all students in UM, make full use of your learning experience in this institution.
    
4. What do you look forward to doing upon your retirement?
   I will be joining another local university as a full-time academic staff.  I feel that I can still contribute to educating and training the next generation since I am still young (haha!). Furthermore, the experience I have acquired over the years in UM is still useful. I have been appointed as an honorary professor at UM. So, I hope to visit UM and UMMC regularly to train postgraduate students and fellows in paediatric gastroenterology and hepatology. My passion is managing children with complex GI and liver problems. I will continue to provide care for them. Beyond all this, I hope to have a more flexible schedule to allow me to pursue other interests in life. 

Members of the Nursing Society (NurSoc) under the Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine volunteered at several flood relief locations from the 23rd - 26th December 2021.

On the first and second day, the members volunteered at the Gurdwara Sahib Temple in Petaling Jaya to provide assistance to the flood victims. Members helped to cut vegetables, pack essential grocery items and food packages to be distributed to the flood victims around Klang Valley. On the third day, NurSoc members volunteered at SMK Sri Muda, Shah Alam to clean the muddy school compound which was terribly affected by the flood. Members cleaned and washed the muddy areas, cleaning the school compound, classes, canteen and the drains.

Members collaborated with the Universiti Malaya Students’ Union (UMSU) Press and Cuci Malaysia on the following day to provide support and assistance to the affected areas at Bukit Lanchong, Shah Alam by cleaning their houses and living compounds. Members who volunteered felt extremely glad and blessed to be a part of this volunteering programme of community service, giving us an opportunity to realize the importance of humanity and community cohesion. #kitajagakita #kitabantukita.

Also in December last year, a group of 34 first-year and second-year UM medical students, led by second-year medical student, Rex Chan Zhen Khai, assisted Mr. Kuan Chee Heng (or more famously known as "Uncle Kentang"), a well-known philanthropist, and his NGO in a post-flood recovery operation to help distribute goods to flood victims in Puchong.  

"I believe one of the most admirable Malaysian traits is that our community will always rise to help out each other during any sort of dire situation, regardless of our age, religion or skin colour. The recent flood disaster was the perfect example to showcase that anyone and everyone can do something to help out those in need." - Rex Chan Zhen Khai, second-year UM medical student.

The UMeHealth Unit organised an office party at the Bilik Galeri, FOM on 15th February 2022 to welcome new members (Professor Dr. Lee Ping Yein and Assoc. Professor Dr. Norimichi Hirahara) to the unit, and to celebrate the relocation into a new office space (albeit a temporary one). The event also aimed to enhance collaboration with partners and promote activities of UMeHealth. The UM eHealth Unit (UMeHU) was established in 2020 with the aim to use information and communications technology to improve healthcare for patients and the community. UMeHU comprises researchers, healthcare providers, computer scientists and industry representatives. They collaborate with academic institutions, government agencies, NGOs, consumer groups and industries to conduct research, enhance teaching and learning and innovate healthcare delivery.

Phacoemulsification has progressed tremendously over the past few decades and has become the gold standard of cataract surgery. The importance of mastering one of the most important skills in Ophthalmology must be instilled in every practicing resident of Ophthalmology.

The Ophthalmology Department, Universiti Malaya (UM) and University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) organised its second Phacoemulsification Workshop, a quintessential session on cataract surgery techniques, phaco-dynamics and techniques to undertake during a challenging cataract surgery. It was a collaborative effort that included the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). It was well supported by other industries particularly companies involved in providing the phacoemulsification machines, intraocular lens and related items.

The workshop was held on 17-18th February, 2022 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malay. It was officiated by the Head of Department of Ophthalmology, Associate Professor Dr Norlina Binti Ramli and led by Dr. Penny Lott as the chairperson. It was a huge success with 18 attendees from all universities involved. There was a forum showcasing the latest machines and equipment along with the techniques involved in cataract surgery with the top national and international faculty who shared their valuable experiences.

The organising committee led by Dr. Penny Lott made sure that knowledge was abundantly shared by Professor Khairidzan Mohd Kamal from IIUA. Techniques for management of hard cataracts and intraocular lens implantation were illustrated along with hands-on practice using the Kitaro set that was provided by both UKM and Hospital Selayang. The in-house lecturers of the Ophthalmology Department (UMMC) were present to provide personal insights in their respective areas of expertise, thereby enriching the overall experience.

In a nutshell, the Phacoemulsification Workshop 2022 superseded its expectation. It has cultivated sufficient training in the minds of young budding surgeons of Ophthalmology, making it a very memorable experience.

The Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society (LLRS)/Paediatric Orthopaedic unit under the National Orthopaedic Center of Excellence for Research & Learning (NOCERAL) recently organized a TSF Correction for Valgus Tibia on 18th February 2022. The aim of the workshop was for our medical practitioners and Master of Orthopedic Surgery (MORTHSURG) students, to learn the theory and practical applications on the use of implants on bone models and the system used for the procedure. We hope our surgeons and students will acquire the relevant skills to offer comprehensive options for the management of their patients with deformities.

Eight of our Master students attended the workshop. The facilitators were from the Orthopaedic Surgery Department; Dr. Mohammed Ziyad Abduljabbar Albaker, Dr. Maria Shelynn Wong and Dr. Devarani Pancharatnam.

A forum organized by Universiti Malaya through the Universiti Malaya Community Engagement Center (UMCares) in collaboration with Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Pfizer Malaysia and MR DIY, was held on 19th February 2022 via Zoom. The session began with a welcome speech by the chief organizer, Associate Professor Dr. Nur Amani Natasha Ahmad Tajuddin, from the Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine UM. Invited panellists present included YBhg Pn Fadhilah Sidek, Senator/Syariah Lawyer, Professor Dr. Sajaratul Othman, Senior Consultant Specialist, Family Medicine, Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine UM, Inspector Nurzahira Abu Yaziz, Consultant Investigation Inspector, Criminal Investigation Division, IPD Wangsa Maju, and Madam Fatimang Ladola, Society Development Officer, Department of Medical Social Work, Universiti Malaya Medical Center. Among the topics discussed were body safety rules, child grooming, healthy & unhealthy relationships and marital rape. The forum was also attended by the residents of PPR Gombak Setia. You may click the following link to watch the recorded session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-U3fMx0ufU&t=1375s

On the 23rd February, Professor Dr. Sajaratulnisah Othman took the public audience through an informative and interactive webinar on intimate partner violence. Professor Dr. Sajar is a Professor of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, and the Chair of the Violence Intervention Committee at UMMC. The webinar was organised by heroes.my, an initiative of Uplift.my by BAC Education. The one-hour session was participated by 45 participants. Kindly click on the link below for the recording of the webinar: https://vimeo.com/681236100

The Department of Parasitology’s Journal Club held a seminar on ‘Rosetting phenomenon in malaria: who cares?” on 23rd February 2022, which was attended by 35 participants. The webinar was presented by Dr. Wenn-Chyau Lee. Rosetting is a biological phenomenon where a Plasmodium-infected erythrocyte (IRBC) is stably adhered to the uninfected erythrocytes (URBC). Since its discovery in 1988, various works have been conducted to associate the rosetting phenomenon with the disease severity of malaria. However, the postulated roles of rosetting in malaria pathogenesis were not well studied. Through years of investigations via cross-institutional and cross-national collaborations, the speaker and his colleagues have deciphered the roles of rosetting in the pathogenesis of malaria. In this seminar, the speaker presented these works in chronological order. The postulated role of rosetting in facilitating merozoite invasion has been disputed. Instead, this phenomenon works as an immune-escape mechanism for the parasites, as well as a “buying time” strategy for the late stages of P. falciparum against the action of artemisinin, the current first line anti-malarial drug. These recent research breakthroughs on the immune-pathobiology and drug resistance development of malaria parasites were discussed in detail during the session.

*Wenn-Chyau Lee received his BSc (Hons) degree in Biomedical Sciences from Universiti Malaya, Malaysia in 2011, and graduated with his PhD in Medical Sciences from Universiti Malaya in 2014. Subsequently, he joined the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN, A*STAR) as a research fellow at the Laurent Renia’s Laboratory. He was appointed as a SIgN fellow after receiving the OF-YIRG grant, awarded by the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) of Singapore in the year 2018. He joined the newly formed A*STAR ID Labs as an investigator in the year 2021. Subsequently, he joined the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya as a senior lecturer.

The second FOM Inaugural Lecture for 2022 was by Professor Dr. Tan Kay Sin, held on 25th February 2022. Dr. Tan Kay Sin is a Professor of Neurology from the Department of Medicine. Professor Dr. Tan began his career in neurology in 1999 after joining UM as a lecturer. His research interests include ischaemic stroke in young adults, homocysteine as a residual risk factor for ischaemic stroke, and RNF213 in moya-moya disease, to name a few. The Virtual Inaugural Lecture titled " Advances in the Management of Stroke: A Journey in Time'' was live streamed via the Fakulti Perubatan Universiti Malaya YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Ecfk21YnplA

The Master of Health Research Ethics (MOHRE) Programme, jointly developed by the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, and the Berman Institute of Bioethics, John Hopkins University conducted the second series of the MORES Hot Topic in Research Ethics webinar on the 25th of February 2022 . Discussing on the topic titled “Participation of Women in Research in Low- Middle- Income Countries (LMICs)”, Professor Dr. Vina Vaswani from the Yenepoya College (Deemed to be University), shared a rich mix of experience in bioethics research and education on the participation of women in clinical trials within LMICs. The discussion spanned from recruitment decisions, negotiating participant responsibilities, balancing domestic burdens, to sensitizing researchers to the nuances of gender-based issues in research. The webinar witnessed the participation of approximately 70 participants from all over the world and received very engaging feedbacks and questions.

The MOHRE Team would like to thank all participants and attendees of the event. To view the recording of the webinar, please go to the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics webpage.

Do contact us via e- mail at mohre@um.edu.my for more details or if you have any inquiries on our programme.

The programme is funded by the Fogarty International Center of the United States National Institutes of Health (Grant R25TW010891).

Sometimes, it helps to get away from it all. The Faculty of Medicine Management Strategic Planning Retreat 2022, held on 26 – 27 February 2022 at Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur aimed to synchronise the 2022 strategic planning for academics, research, people & empowerment, student affairs, development, quality management and finances with the direction and aspiration of the Faculty of Medicine’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025. The 2-day retreat was filled with brainstorming and strategizing sessions on the Faculty’s Key Performance Index (KPI) for 2022.

The Majlis Amanat Dekan Tahun 2022 successfully took place on Friday, 18th February 2022 from 9am to 11am. The event was held at the Bilik Fakulti, Faculty of Medicine, UM, and was streamed via YouTube Live and ZOOM. Aimed to inform faculty members on FOM’s upcoming plans and projects, the event was attended by FOM’s top management team. Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani, Dean of FOM, introduced the team present for the event; Professor Dr. Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin, Deputy Dean of Undergraduate, Pofessor Dr. Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman, Deputy Dean of Postgraduate, Professor Dr. Sanjay Lekhraj Rampal, Deputy Dean of Research, Associate Professor Dr. Wan Yusoff Wan Sulaiman, Deputy Dean of Development & Infrastructure, and lastly, Associate. Prof. Dr. Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal Tengku Dato’ Omar, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs.

The event began with the Dean acknowledging the projects, events, seminars, workshops of 2021 that have successfully taken place, as well as the myriad of promotions and achievements of our students and faculty members. After a brief run through of the university’s three main plans, UM Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025 (5-year time frame) and UM Transformation Plan 2021 – 2030 (10-year time frame), and the UM Master Plan 2050 (30-year time frame). With any long-term plan, the Dean underlines the vision of UM in becoming a global university impacting the world, and its mission to push boundaries of knowledge and nurturing aspiring leaders, as the main guides for the three UM plans, along with the core values of P.O.I.S.E. (Passion, Oneness, Integrity, Sincerity, Empathy) acting as a framework to make these plans a reality. Professor Dr. April touched on the UM Health Project with FOM being a part of this plan, where its aim is to bring together all five entities in UM related to health: namely the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Dentistry, the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre and the Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre. This is to ensure a more streamlined implementation of plans where all five entities work towards a common vision and mission.

Professor Dr. April then proceeded to present the crux of the event which is the Faculty of Medicine Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025. Keeping in mind the vision, mission and core values of the university and its long term plans, four thrusts that are integral in fulfilling the FOM Strategic Plan’s own vision (to become “a global academic health science centre that transforms society through knowledge and empowerment.”) and mission (“to nurture lives and empower communities through high quality and transformative healthcare scholarship in education, research, service and leadership, in a diverse and engaging environment.”) were ideated. These four thrusts/pillars are (1) People & Empowerment, (2) Academic Excellence, (3) Impactful Global Research and (4) Infrastructure & Financial Sustainability.

The first thrust that was highlighted, the People & Empowerment thrust, emphasized on three goals and strategies: sustainable leadership, talent management and culture and legacy. In line with the first strategy where among its goals were to train potential leaders, a series of leadership courses have been planned, where it kicked off with the first series, successfully conducted on 9th December 2021 at the TJ Danaraj Auditorium. As for talent management, one of the measures implemented is the reformation and merging of units and departments to become the under one roof for facilitation of communication for future projects. In the area of culture and legacy, one of the visibility plans included reviving the Rubrica News Bulletin which is now actively reporting on the latest news and events of the FOM community monthly and the Breakfast@UM Health with academic and non-academic talks, the formation of the Medical Humanities & Ethics Unit (MedHEU) with their policy developments to create a more comfortable environment for staff and students, and lastly promoting positive culture and values within the FOM community which saw the launch of a few new events to get everyone together and socialize such as Academia Day, and FOM’s participation in the recent Gotong Raya Perdana UM.

Next, as one of the leading tertiary education institutions in the country, goals and strategies for the Academic Excellence thrust focuses on high value academic programmes, outstanding teaching and learning experience and student empowerment. Increasing the intake of local, private and international applicants and the professionalization of trainers are some of the initiatives working towards producing high value academic programmes, where one of the related projects, the National Postgraduate Medical Training Curriculum (NPMC) Project, was recently launched in August 2021. Incorporation of various e-learning mediums such as Lecturio and virtual patient learning platforms into teaching and learning, and the continuation of the Teachers’ Tool Kit training programmes are among the initiatives to improve the learning experience for both, students, and staff. With regards to student empowerment, the FOM aims to increase attention in the areas of student welfare, faculty engagement, industrial collaborations, and student bodies.

Being one of the most esteemed public research universities in the world, the third thrust spotlights on Impactful Global Research. Goals and strategies cover the following: skilled and ethical researchers, the forming of interdisciplinary research partnerships and creating an equitable research ecosystem. In the area of training quality researchers, various workshops have been planned in 2022 for clinical, general and lab research. A variety of topics will be covered, from how to write each section of a research article as well as writing styles in publications and research ethics, each tailor made for FOM’s budding researchers. With nearly 200 national and international research collaborations, our faculty’s publication numbers reached an all-time high (over the past 5 years), with a total of 805 research papers published in ISI-indexed journals. Additionally, research grants received in 2021 amounted to RM23.5 million, an increase of RM8.6 million from the total received in 2017, with significantly more allocation coming from government and private grants. Prioritizing early career researchers for grant allocations and the mentoring and training in grant preparations are among the incentives under the equitable research ecosystem aspect.

Finally, the Infrastructure & Financial Sustainability thrust underscores its goals and strategies of efficient fund management, sustainable income generation and the enhancement of FOM’s facilities and Space Utilization. The recent formation of the Business Unit of FOM allows a more structured and well-regulated review of project proposals for any business ventures, and the evaluation and analysis of these applications, aligning with the goal for this trust to manage funds in a more efficient manner. With the presence of the Business Unit to oversee the faculty’s spending, expected activities for 2022 -2023 consist of producing a fixed budget for building maintenance, fundraising activities, small donations, fiscal prudence of centres and joint venture development of department renovations. Outcomes of the facilities enhancement and utilization of space measures can already be seen around the faculty, such as the renovation of the Clinical Skill Unit (CSU), the reopening of MediCafe and Synapse after a short period of dormancy. Several upcoming renovation plans were also presented such as the future renovations of the FOM Museum, offices, studio, simulation theatres in Block D, along with the renovation of the anatomy dissection hall and MD labs. The dean reminded everyone on the utmost importance of income generation for the faculty as these renovation projects would require a hefty sum of money to have “proper, long lasting, sustainable renovations”.

With that, final words by the dean: her humble request for every single member of the faculty to “engage, volunteer and collaborate” in said planned projects under the Faculty of Medicine Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025, by working together in order for the vision and mission of the faculty, university, and the nation can be achieved.

You can watch the Majlis Amanat Dekan in full by clicking on the links below:

https://youtu.be/isZEH7Bh8no | https://zoom.us/j/94577000112

The Faculty would like to congratulate our postgraduate student, Dr. Helmy Jameed Abu, and his supervisors from The Department of Nursing Science, Dr. Vimala Ramoo, Associate Professor Dr. Chong Mei Chan, and Dr. Mahmoud Danee, for the excellent performance at the Asia Pacific Conference on Nursing Science and Healthcare held on 1st and 2nd December 2021 in Dubai. The conference was organised by the Society for Nursing Practices (SFNP) and BioLEAGUES Worldwide with the theme “Obstacles and Developments in the field of Nursing Science and Healthcare”.

Dr. Helmy won the First Prize for the Oral Presentation entitled “Work Commitment and Organizational Communication Satisfaction among Health Care Professionals: The mediating role of Work Satisfaction”. RUBRICA is happy to share some of the conversation the team had with him.

1. Congratulations on your win! What interested you to participate in this conference and how do you feel about winning the award?
   First, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Malaysia and the Malaysian people for their warm and generous hospitality during my stay in Malaysia.
   
   When I heard about this conference, I informed my supervisor about it and she was very encouraging and supportive of my participation. Her words of encouragement had immensely boosted my self-confidence about my research thus I decided to give it a try. I then prepared and completed all requirements for the scientific evaluation with the guidance and support of my supervisor. I was elated to receive the letter of acceptance and continued to prepare my presentation. I am grateful for the consultation, advice, and training I have received from my supervisor along the way. On the conference day, I was completely ready, feeling confident and optimistic. I was satisfied with my presentation and the discussion that followed.
   
   About a month later, I received a certificate for winning the first prize for best oral presentation. It was overwhelming and I was completely elated. I was extremely happy to have made my supervisors, university and myself proud.
    
2. How would you describe your postgraduate journey in FOM?
   Since I joined the Faculty of Medicine, I have taken things seriously and have been actively looking for every opportunity, which are abundant in the university, to develop my knowledge and skills. I have participated in almost all the workshops that were held in the university and would like to thank the university for organising these courses and workshops that helped mould me into a better researcher.
    
3. Any message to fellow postgraduate friends in FOM?
   I feel proud for the opportunity to learn with you, you are distinguished among the best students of the world, and that we all had the opportunity to uphold the excellence of our university. The support offered by our university for the students are not found by foreign students in their countries. Therefore, I advise you to be proactive and not miss the opportunities.
   
   Finally, I would like to assure you that our relationship with supervisors and fellow students goes beyond borders. As I was injured and part of my house was destroyed seven months ago due to the occupation’s aggression on Gaza, I found support and prayers from my supervisors and colleagues, which made me recover quickly and come back again to achieve my goals.
   
   I thank Malaysia, my university, my supervisors and my colleagues, and I dedicate this achievement to all.

The Colorectal Cancer Awareness Virtual Run 2022, in conjunction with Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, will be held in March 2022. This inaugural event is organised by the Department of Clinical Oncology and Department of Surgery, Universiti Malaya, with the endorsement from the Malaysian Society of Colorectal Surgeons (MSCRS). This virtual event will kick off during the Coloproctology 2022 Conference on 4th March 2022, and will proceed throughout the entire month of March. The aim of this event is to promote colorectal cancer awareness and screening, to educate the public on colorectal cancer, as well as to promote an active lifestyle among the participants. This event will include 4 categories: 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km. Runners are allowed to complete the run one-off or cumulatively up to 5 splits. The top 5 runners of each category will be rewarded with a RM50 Grab voucher. Every successful submission will also be eligible for a lucky draw where the 20 lucky draw winners will be getting a RM30 Grab voucher.

Registration is open to the public at the following link: https://checkpointspot.asia/event/colorectal-cancer-vr

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastic health and socioeconomic impacts on all realms of society. It has also shed light on the important role of epidemiologists in the area of public health. Even before the pandemic, the growing ageing populations, longer life expectancies and increased number of individuals with chronic diseases pose challenges to the country and burden the public health system. In the ever-evolving field of medical science and the age of misinformation, the evidence-based, epidemiological approach is necessary to solve medical mysteries and make critical public health decisions quickly. The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics had predicted that epidemiology will be the fastest-growing career in the next 10 years, driven by a high demand following the COVID-19 pandemic.

To this end, the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine in Universiti Malaya is now offering a new Master program for those who are aspiring to work in the field of epidemiology at the local, national and international levels. The programme will serve as an initial stepping stone for those aiming to become a clinician-scientist, or an epidemiologist. On a more general note, postgraduate training in epidemiology will provide the opportunity to work in diverse settings including academia, government departments, international health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, non-governmental organizations, and contract research organizations.

Our Master of Epidemiology programme will soon be open for registration and offered in September 2022 in two concentrations to suit the needs of different disciplines; Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health Epidemiology. The programme has been designed for applicants with a background in health, epidemiology, or quantitative research, where it will provide a solid foundation in epidemiological, analytical, and critical appraisal skills for those who aim to develop their understanding of the epidemiological and biostatistical theories and methods that underpin clinical medical research and public health practice. Among the core specialisation modules that will be offered under this programme include Study Designs in Causal Research, Concepts and Methods in Causal Inferences, Statistical Methods for Health Data Analytics, Clinical Epidemiology, and Epidemiology in Public Health Practice.

For more information, please refer to the following website:

https://spm.um.edu.my/academic/master-of-epidemiology/. Interested applicants may also contact the program manager, Puan Shamsina Shamsuddin at shamsina@ummc.edu.my or +603 7967 6689 for further information.

The Department of Parasitology, at the Faculty of Medicine, is as old as the premier and prestigious Universiti Malaya. Over the years, the department has taught thousands of post-graduate students, over and above the training conferred to students by the expected medical and biomedical programs by very high calibre and distinguished Parasitologists. The Department has consistently been ranked among the top three departments for research and innovation at the Faculty of Medicine. In keeping with new knowledge, the department successfully launched a new Master program: Master in Parasitology and Entomology, a one-year course to commence from September 2022 which will be offered to all local and international students. When the program was proposed, there was a dire need for a comfortable and modest space to accommodate lectures and discussions. Presently, only two small seminar rooms are available in the department which double as meeting rooms, running various other programs such as the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, Bachelors in Pharmacy, Diploma and Bachelor in Nursing and other elective courses. In order to create this suitable space to nurture a new generation of parasitologists, a required sum of RM300k is needed to combine these two rooms into a decent sized lecture hall. It was this that led the department to embark on a donation drive to come up with this amount. The hall is named Dewan CP Ramachandran, a distinguished Professor who once walked along the corridors of our Department of Parasitology. Professor Emeritus Dato’ CP Ramachandran, among his endless accolades, was a founding member of the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (MSPTM).

In this dire time filled with constraints, it would be a challenge to seek your financial assistance. But we need to! Any amount to materialize Dewan CP Ramachandran – a space that will flower the potentials of seeds we are planting for Parasitology and Entomology in students globally which we are confident will grow into giant trees that will benefit many nations.

Kindly contact Professor Dr. Lau Yee Ling (lauyeeling@um.edu.my) for more details on how to donate.

Dr. Maznah Dahlui is a Public Health Medicine Specialist and a Professor from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM) in the Faculty of Medicine. She joined the department as a lecturer in 2003. Prior to joining University Malaya, Professor Dr. Maznah served several years with the Ministry of Health and was also an entrepreneur. She specialises in health economics with interest in health programs evaluations. Professor Dr. Maznah was also the Head of the Department of SPM from 2011-2016, and was subsequently appointed as the Deputy Dean (Development) in the faculty from 2016-2019. She has been the Regional Director of APACPH (Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health) since 2013 and is also the secretary of the largest public health consortium in the Asia Pacific. Prof Maznah headed and chaired many committees and offices such as the Chair for the National Clearinghouse for Adolescent Health in Malaysia and Chair of the Technical Committee of Health Technology Economic Evaluation (TACHTEE), Malaysia. Her expertise has also been acknowledged with the appointments as the Technical Advisor for the ASEAN University Network on Health Promotion, and as a Visiting Professor for University of Airlangga, Indonesia. Prof Maznah officially retired from UM on 12th February 2022.

1. How long have you been working in UM?
   I served UM for 19 years. 
    
2. What are the most memorable experiences throughout your service in UM?
   I have too many to select because I cherished many experiences. To me, every challenge is an opportunity to make myself better.
    
3. Any messages for your colleagues in FOM/students?
   Work hard with utmost sincerity and always be humble as everyone has their own strengths and you are no better than others. Be kind to everyone.
    
4. What do you look forward to doing upon your retirement?
   To continue contributing to society in various ways.
    

18th February 2022 was one of the most nostalgic days in the history of my life. I will retire from government service as an Assistant Science Officer in the Department of Molecular Medicine, Universiti Malaya.

I started working at the Universiti Malaya on April 19, 1993, serving a total of 29 years. I have gone through numerous grief-stricken experiences throughout my service yet all of that is a life I have accepted as an employee. I began working in the Department of Molecular Medicine when I was just a C17 Laboratory Assistant. However, after 15 years of my service in the Department, I was promoted to Laboratory Assistant C22 (KUP) on 1st July 2009. However, my personal advancement did not stop there. With the enthusiasm and support of lecturers and my colleagues, I decided to enroll in the Course Laboratory Assistant Transition Program where I was awarded a Diploma in Laboratory Technology in 2008. This enabled me to raise my rank as an Assistant Science Officer C29 on 9th August 2010. In addition, I was also given the Outstanding Service Award 3 times in 2001, 2004 and 2019 and Certificate of Outstanding Service in 2007 and 2013. This was an experience I will never forget throughout my service.

An organization will excel when all staff work together, helping each other in every task. My message to my comrades and students in the Department and Faculty is that when we have been entrusted with a task, do the task with sincerity, diligence and full discipline. God has created five fingers of different sizes, but they are quite perfect with their own functions. In the same way, we must always complement each other, each of us has advantages and disadvantages. Be united and tolerant among us so that we feel pleasure in working. In addition, respect the Head of Department, Supervisor, Lecturer, colleagues and students. Adhere to the principle of acting professionally, and always strive and be enthusiastic in working and learning so that the vision and mission of Universiti Malaya can be realized.

Finally, this retirement gives me more time for myself and family. I want to fill my retirement with spiritual knowledge such as attending recitation and religious classes and spending time with my family. Apart from that, I also want to do my hobby which is planting flowers, vegetables and herbs. At the same time, it will help me be more fit and active after retirement. Lastly, I also want to travel with my family at home and abroad.

The World Hearing Day (WHD) event, organised by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, took place over two days at Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). The first-day, held on 2nd March 2022, was a live broadcast of our 1st 3D ear surgery workshop. The Dean of FOM, Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani officiated the workshop for 50 healthcare professionals at the Lecture Hall, Medical Gallery (FOM). Professor Dato' Dr. Prepageran Narayanan performed the surgical demonstration with the support of UMMI Surgical for Karl Storz 2D and 3D equipment. The workshop was aimed to teach the surgical aspect of hearing rehabilitation to specialists from all over the country and budding ENT specialists.

The second-day (3rd March 2022) was a hybrid event dedicated to raising awareness and promoting ear and hearing care at a community and national level. The morning session consisted of a live webinar via Zoom (200 participants) and YouTube (for public) broadcast along the World Health Organization theme - 'To hear for life, listen with care'. The day started with speeches by the Director of UMMC, Professor Dr. Nazirah Hasnan, and chairman of WHD Associate Professor Dr. Jeyanthi Kulasegarah. The event was then officiated virtually by YABhg. Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Hj. Mohamad Ali, wife of ex-Prime Minister YABhg. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and one of our Cochlear Implant Programme founders. Throughout the morning, there were presentations by distinguished speakers and videos to highlight: 1. Safe listening tip for personal listening device users, 2. hearWHO mobile phone application and how to use it, and 3. Occupational Safety and Health (Noise Exposure) Regulations 2019 in Malaysia. Concurrently, a hearing screening was held for the public at Menara Timur, UMMC. In addition, vendors exhibited their products to bring awareness regarding available hearing rehabilitation devices in Malaysia.

Leading up to WHD, two media engagements raised awareness among Malaysians on hearing loss among teenagers and young adults. The first was a TV appearance on Selamat Pagi Malaysia (RTM 1) on 22nd February 2022 during the breakfast show. The second was a radio broadcast on TraXX FM on 28th February 2022 during the 'Health on TraXX FM' segment.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the committee members, our sponsors, and all those who worked very hard to make these events a success!

The Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya is very proud of our medical students who represented Malaysia and the Society of Malaysian Medical Association Medical Students (SMMAMS) at the recently held 71st General Assembly of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) - March Meeting 2022 (MM22). MM22 was one of 2 general assemblies held by IFMSA each year, the other in August, to gather delegates from over 120 National Member Organisations (NMOs) to come together, discuss important issues, attend workshops and training as well as make important decisions and changes to the federation.

The Malaysian delegation, which was headed by Woon Shi Sien (a fourth-year UM medical student and the current Chairperson of SMMAMS), comprised of the following UM medical students: Cheah Khai Hoe, Foo Ming Xian, Kok Fang Juin, Lim Qun Ya, Peter Tan Hao Yuan, Phoon Leon, Chan Zhen Khai, Ting Hui Chin and Yong Qing Hui.

RUBRICA had the privilege to talk to one of the delegates, Foo Ming Xian and here are the excerpts:

I had the great opportunity to be one of the online delegates for the Standing Committee of Professional Exchanges (SCOPE) Sessions. SCOPE is one of 6 standing committees under IFMSA that mainly facilitates the IFMSA medical student exchanges for clinical rotations. The SCOPE sessions lasted for 3 days (2nd to 5th). There were sessions held to capacity build, interact with others and make important changes. I would like to take this opportunity to list a few notable events.

IFMSA being led by Medical Students understood it would be rather uninteresting if everything was held formally, so they decided to introduce a unique twist to the Opening Ceremony and Introduction session, the “Speed Dating”. The online delegates were separated into groups of 4 and were added into breakout rooms. From there we had a set of ice-breaking questions and had to interact with Online Delegates from other countries, some even from the other side of the globe! I guess this was exciting to me since I think this represents one of the core values of IFMSA, specifically SCOPE, which is to connect medical students from different backgrounds with the same end goals in mind. I’ve met up to 20-30 online delegates and although I'm sure this was the first time I knew of their existence, we easily clicked and started talking about studies, current issues, and overall life in general.

The “Main Event”, the SCOPE Plenaries, which for those who might not be as familiar is a session where National Exchange Officers (NEOs), or their representatives from SCOPE-active NMOs come together to vote for amendments and regulation changes to the SCOPE regulations, which serves as the guiding document for the IFMSA Professional Exchange Programme. As a NEO for SMMAMS myself, I find this session the most exciting as previously mentioned, this was the first time SMMAMS received voting rights in the SCOPE plenary. The procedures of the plenary were done professionally, and discussions were made in regards to some of the more interesting proposals. This gave me a first-hand look into how IFMSA practices its value of transparency in its decision-making process and how to let everyone have a voice to be heard while maintaining a civil environment.

On day 5, to conclude the event we had a brief closing ceremony where participants and organising committees alike shared their thoughts and experience throughout the 4 days of the event. Of course, goodbyes are never happy but for us, the SCOPE Sessions ended with a bang with the infamous “Blue Party”. The Blue Party is a session hosted by both the exchange standing committees, and since both are color-coded with different shades of blue, hence the name “Blue Party”. To make sure everyone was included, it was held online but believe me it did not deduct any marks on how entertaining it was. There was music, dances, an entertaining host, and loads of reactions. For me, after 4 days of rather formal sessions, this was a breath of fresh air as in the end, we’re all still students and we’re all still enjoying the youth of life. Although being professional is expected of us, there’s no harm in having fun once in a while.

Of course, there are many more sessions that were hosted that I haven't delved into, such as the External Session: Medical Ethics within Student Mobilities, or The Exchange Leader: Team and Conflict Management. There’s also the coveted Exchange Fair that features exchange officers promoting their SCOPE-activated universities for Student Exchanges.

In short, being able to participate in MM22 is nothing short of a fruitful experience. The organizing team is really pleasant and polite, the delegates were also engaged and approachable and I even met some new friends there! I would like to thank the organizing team at IFMSA for the stellar experience as well as SMMAMS for giving me a chance to be a delegate to MM22. There is still an August Meeting this year, feel free to have a lookout for it if you’re interested!”

The Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society (LLRS)/Paediatric Orthopaedic unit under National Orthopaedic Center of Excellence for Research & Learning (NOCERAL) recently organized a LRS Correction for Varus Femur Workshop on 4th March 2022 (Friday). The aim of the workshop was for our medical practitioners and Master of Orthopedic Surgery (MORTHSURG) students to learn the theory and practical use of LRS implant in bone models. We hope the surgeons and students will acquire the relevant skills to offer comprehensive options for the management of their patients with deformities.

Eight of our Master students attended the workshop. The facilitators were from the Orthopaedic Surgery Department; Dr. Mohammed Ziyad Abduljabbar Albaker, Dr. Maria Shelynn Wong and Dr. Devarani Pancharatnam.

The Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya and Organization for Women in Science for Developing Countries (OWSD) Malaysian National Chapter (MNC) organized the Women in Science 2022 themed 'Harmonious Work-Life Alliance' in conjunction with International Women’s Day on 8th March 2022 to commemorate international efforts to reduce gender disparity and recognising imbalances with respect to the education system, political affiliation, and employment opportunities for women.

The virtual event was graced with an opening speech by our Dean, Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani followed by a welcoming remark by OWSD-MNC Chair, Professor Dr. Lim Yang Mooi. OWSD International Chair, Professor Dr. Jennifer Thomson also delivered her thoughts and aspirations virtually from Cape Town, South Africa and reiterated OWSD’s commitment to enhance opportunities and develop strategies for the participation of women across various platforms as well as to promote increased participation of women in science and technology to address national concerns at all levels of society. Professor Dr. Rofina Yasmin Othman (CEO, UMCB, Universiti Malaya), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hwang Siaw San (Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak) and Dr. Aina Fazlin Ibrahim Bajunid (Founder of Amazingly Fit, Amazingly Fit for Kids & Abundance Factor) shared their vast experiences and knowledge with participants on topics ranging from Women Entrepreneurship, Empowering Women in Science Career to Knowing One’s Priorities. The event received overwhelming positive feedback from all participants who remarked that it was relevant and helpful.

#BreakTheBias – celebrate women's achievement, raise awareness against bias and to act for equality.

In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2022, an interesting LIVE fireside chat with the women leaders on this topic was held on 8th March at 8pm. The educational fireside chat that was organised by the STAR media and supported by ZP Therapeutics, had Professor Nur Aishah Mohd Taib and A/P Dr Nirmala Bhoo-pathy as the keynote speakers. It is crucial for us as a society to be aware of the importance of early detection of breast cancer and how gender affects access to cancer care. One most important take home message is: Seek Treatment early, there is hope in Breast Cancer!

Here is the link of the recording in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMebaRhAej4

MERDU had the pleasure of hosting a Research Showcase featuring some of the recent 3.1 and 3.2 student elective posting projects. This spectacular group of students shared not only about their research projects, but the experiences and lessons learned during their postings.

The presenters represented large collaborative projects and small independent studies, and from projects that exceeded expectations, to those with managed challenges. Research interests ranged from medical indicators to financial implications, rare diseases to lifestyle factors, and of course the value of negative findings and surprises in unexpected places.

Hearty congratulations to all of the students who have recently completed their research elective posting and may they successfully continue on the windy path of research and discovery.

A recording has been made available for anyone who is interested and can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P4QrqnuVCRiRNagLj25bfedfHg13S2kp/view?usp=sharing

The Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, would like to congratulate our Dean of Medicine, Professor Dr April Camilla Roslani on her induction as an Honorary Fellow of the Philippine Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (PSCRS), the oldest colorectal surgical professional body in the ASEAN region, at a ceremony that was held during their 12th International Scientific Meeting on 11th March 2022. The PSCRS’s honorary fellowships are awarded to international colorectal surgeons of high standing who have contributed to the development of colorectal surgery both in their own countries and the Philippines.

Prof. April was also selected by the PSCRS’s Board of Trustees as this year’s Porfirio M. Recio Memorial Lecturer, in honour of Professor Porfirio Mayo Recio, who is regarded as the Father of Colorectal Surgery in the Philippines. The honour of delivering the Porfirio M. Recio Memorial Lecture is bestowed to a colorectal surgery practitioner who has made a significant impact and contribution to colorectal surgery in their home country and internationally. Past recipients include luminaries such as Stanley Goldberg, one of the pioneers of American colorectal surgery, Brendan Moran, who is a world authority on cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC, as well as Jun-Gi Kim, the father of Korean laparoscopic colorectal surgery. During her Porfirio M. Recio Memorial Lecture, Prof. April spoke on Crafting a Purpose-Fit National Surgical Training Programme – Trials, Tribulations and Silver Linings.

Prof. April is the first woman and the first Malaysian to be accorded both distinctions and her achievements has surely contributed to Universiti Malaya’s vision of impacting the world.

The Siriraj International Medical Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology Competition (SIMPIC) 2022, was held virtually from 12th - 13th March 2022. It was organized by the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. This year, a total of 80 teams participated in the event, consisting of 320 medical students from 41 medical schools, representing 14 different countries. Universiti Malaya was represented by three (3) teams of 12 UM medical students, as follows:

• Team 1: Lee Jia Cherng, Tiong Chiong Kian, Wong Xihan, Yen Hui Yi
• Team 2: Shee Loke Yuan, Ang Ruolin, Tai Hui Tian, Choy Yoong Miin
• Team 3: Lim Yee En, Annabel Yeo Yung Chen, Mabel Wong Tze Ying, Lim Yi Zhe

For the team category, Team 2 was listed in 6th place out of 80 teams in the qualifying round contest, and qualified to compete in the second round competition.

For the individual category, 30 medals (15 bronze, 10 silvers, and 5 golds) were awarded to students who attained the highest scores. Three of our students were awarded the bronze medal: Shee Loke Yuan, Tan Hui Tian, and Choy Yoong Miin.

Interview with the winners:

1. What is SIMPIC?
   SIMPIC stands for Siriraj International Medical Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology Competition. It is a prestigious international medical competition and it serves as a platform for medical students to challenge their limits, establish connections and seek inspiration. This year, SIMPIC 11th attracted the participation of 82 teams consisting of 328 medical students from 41 medical schools representing 14 different countries.
    
2. Can you tell us more about your team?
   This year, UM sent a total of three teams to SIMPIC 11th. Our team in particular consists of 4 second-year medical students, namely Shee Loke Yuan, Ang Ruolin, Choy Yoong Miin, and Tai Hui Tian. For the three of us, this is our first time participating in this prestigious competition while Loke Yuan had the opportunity to participate last year.
    
3. What was your feeling when the 3 of you were awarded the bronze medal?
   This competition was a challenging one, and we are truly honored to receive the bronze medals. We are grateful that the hard work has paid off. Most importantly, we would like to humbly thank our mentors who played a significant role in guiding us.
    
4. Can you briefly explain how your team worked together and prepare as a team for the competition?
   As a team, we kept each other updated on our study progress, shared quiz questions, and gave constructive feedback to each other. Besides, we also had training sessions among ourselves to solidify the knowledge learnt. These sessions were also opportunities to strengthen the bond between us and to foster the tacit understanding that we needed to face the upcoming competition. We are grateful to have each other as our support system, both practically and emotionally.
    
5. What was the most challenging aspect of this competition?
   The most challenging aspect of the competition was the preparation for it. During this phase, we had an extensive list of study materials to cover and an in-depth understanding of the content was required to build a strong foundation. Therefore, we devoted a significant amount of time and effort to learn this vast scope of knowledge, while trying to keep up with our Stage 2 studies.
   The other challenging aspect of this competition was the tense competition atmosphere. In the second round and elimination round, the competition intensified, and we had to answer the questions in a matter of seconds. It was truly challenging to maintain our level-headedness and composure.
    
6. What advice would you give other students who wants to compete in this kind of competition, as the representatives of the university?
   To the students who would like to represent the university in these competitions, our advice is to go for it. However, do keep in mind that time management is a crucial skill as you have to juggle between your studies and the extensive competition preparation. One has to be committed to the competition and strive their very best. No matter what the outcome is, it would be an invaluable learning experience.
    
7. Any words for the lecturers, trainers and volunteers, who coached and assisted all the 3 teams?
   We would like to express our utmost gratitude to the dedicated lecturers, trainers, and volunteers who contributed their time and expertise to coach and assist all 3 teams. We learned a lot from their generous sharing of knowledge. Their enthusiasm and encouragement really helped to lift our spirits and inspired us to strive harder. With their guidance and support, our SIMPIC journey was a memorable and meaningful one.
    

Many thanks to the academic staff, alumni, students as well as the UM Medical Society, represented by Tan Wei Zhen, the Liaison Officer of Academic Competition, who helped in various coordination tasks.

1. Dr. Amirah Amir (Department of Parasitology)
2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nadia Atiya (MMB)
3. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chandramathi Samudi Raju (MMB)
4. Dr. Maria Kahar Bador (MMB)
5. Dr. Rukumani Devi Velayuthan (MMB)
6. Dr. Nurhafiza Zainal (MMB)
7. Dr. Tang Soo Nee (MMB)
8. Dr. Lim Koo Koon (Microbiology Department, UMMC)
9. Dr. Teo Yik Pheng (house officer and SIMPIC alumni)
10. Dr. Lau Khai Siang (medical graduate and SIMPIC alumni)
11. Clara Wong Zi Yi (Medical Student Stage 3.3)
12. Leon Guo Jian (Medical Student Stage 3.2)

FOM is very pleased to support such activities that empower our students to explore their potential and benchmark themselves against the very best in the region.

On 16th March 2022, The Department of Parasitology’s Journal Club hosted a talk on “The Role of Single Cell Eukaryotes in the Host Gut Microbiome: Pathogen, Passenger or Probiotic?” The talk was presented by Associate Professor Dr. Kevin Tan Shyong-Wei and chaired by Dr. Lee Wenn Chyau.

Microbiota is required for normal health and development. Microbiome in the gut is predominantly prokaryotic in nature with a minor subset of eukaryotes. Assoc. Prof. Kevin Tan initiated the talk by explaining several terminologies in microbiome study. He also introduced some research and analytic tools applied in microbiome research. This was followed by the introduction of his parasite of interest, i.e., Blastocystis, the most prevalent protist in human guts. There are conflicting reports on the role of Blastocystis in the patho-physiology of gastrointestinal system. Some showed that it contributes to pathogenesis, whereas others revealed data suggestive of its association with healthier gut microbiome profile. Hence, the pathogenicity of Blastocystis is hypothesized to be subtype-dependent.

In this seminar, Prof. Kevin focused on two Blastocystis subtypes, i.e., subtype 4 (ST4) and subtype 7 (ST7). ST4 shows worldwide distribution. It is associated with higher bacterial diversity and healthy gut microbiota. On the other hand, ST7 is rarer, and more commonly found in Asian populations. It has higher prevalence in diarrhea patients, and those with gut dysbiosis. Assoc. Prof. Kevin and his team have been comparing the effects of Blastocystis ST4 and ST7 colonization on the intestinal microbiota profiles in mice. They investigated the effects of Blastocystis ST4 and ST7 on the pathological outcomes of Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. As of the time of this seminar, the study was the first comparative study of Blastocystis pathological effects at the subtype level under controlled conditions. The team found that Blastocystis ST4 and ST7 colonization by itself exerted no obvious pathological effect on normal healthy mice. Nevertheless, Blastocystis ST4-colonized mice revealed restructuring of the gut microbiome and prevented DSS-induced colitis by enhancing Treg responses. On the other hand, ST7 infection exacerbated the severity of DSS-induced colitis, probably via dysregulation of Th1 and Th17 cell differentiation. This study contributes supporting evidence of ST-dependent impacts on microbiome and immune responses of the host, subsequently contributing to the variations in pathological outcomes to the hosts when the gut microbiota homeostasis is disrupted.

The journal club was attended by 48 people virtually.

Speaker's background:

Associate Professor Kevin Tan Shyong-Wei has been appointed as Head, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine with effect from 1st August 2020. Assoc Prof Tan is currently the Vice-Dean (Graduate Studies) at NUS Medicine since 2019. He is also the Head of Innovation in Graduate Studies, National University Health System since 2015. He has been exploring creative ways of treating parasitic infection. His research covers broad range of parasite from hemoprotozoa to intestinal protozoa.

Website: https://medicine.um.edu.my/parasitology-department

A great success: The committee members of AIM 2022 celebrating the closure of the event with Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yazid Bin Jalaludin in the Faculty Room, generously provided by the Faculty of Medicine.

“A fiery passion helps fuel students to face the hardships of medical school, whereas an uncertain mind diminishes their desire to continue down the road.”

An Insight into Medicine (AIM) is one of the several annual programs held under the Baktisiswa project. Aside from the intention to raise funds for the medical volunteering program(s) of Baktisiswa, the purpose of this program stems from the arduous decision-making process pre-university students often go through before charting a course towards their future careers.

Hence, AIM was organized to allow students who are interested in studying medicine to be equipped with adequate information and knowledge about the profession, curriculum, and application process before making their final decision.

Officiated by Prof. Dr. April Camilla Roslani and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal Bin Tengku Dato’ Omar on the auspicious day of 19th March 2022, AIM achieved its objective by enlightening the minds of 250 participants via a series of seminars, forums and sharing sessions held on the virtual platform, Zoom. As a matter of fact, all sessions are proudly hosted by our very own medical students of Universiti Malaya alongside numerous noble medical professionals and lecturers, of whom include Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yazid Bin Jalaludin, Prof. Dr. Anna Marie D/O Nathan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nur Amani Binti Ahmad Tajuddin, Dr. Siti Nur Masyithah Binti Ma’arof, Dr. Sheriza Izwa Zainuddin, Dr. Mohd Hafyzuddin Bin Md Yusuf, Dr. Hong Wei-Han, Dr. Kelvin Siew Shenq Woei, and Dr. Nor Adriana Binti Muhammad Ridzuan Tan.

With bounteous positive and constructive feedback from the participants, AIM 2022 came to an end with great satisfaction from all parties, and are zealous to benefit a wider audience in the future.

To view our event booklet, use the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11xspMe3yhhIoKaIlQMnIaR38abaISiHV/view?usp=sharing

#We’ll help you AIM, so you won’t miss!

Listen, learn and interact: Participants feeling contented with the fruitful sessions they had throughout the day.

The Faculty of Medicine wishes a heartiest congratulation to Professor Liam Chong Kin and Professor Ng Kwan Hoong who were inaugurated as Emeritus Professors at the 61st Universiti Malaya Convocation Ceremony. An emeritus professorship is a lifetime award that is awarded to a professor who has retired from service but continues to contribute to their field of knowledge.

Professor Liam is a Professor of Medicine and a Senior Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers who helped transform respiratory medicine into an important sub-specialised discipline in Malaysia. Prof. Liam is also one of the founders of the Lung Foundation of Malaysia and previously served as President of the Malaysian Thoracic Society from 2001 to 2009.

Professor Ng is a Professor of Medical Physics at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya and a pioneer in medical physics in Malaysia. He was the recipient of the prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award in 2018 and the Merdeka Award under the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement category in 2020. He was appointed a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2021.

The Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society (LLRS)/Paediatric Orthopaedic unit under National Orthopaedic Center of Excellence for Research & Learning (NOCERAL) recently organized an Ilizarov External Fixator Correction for Varus Tibia Workshop on 18th March 2022 (Friday). The aim of the workshop was for our medical practitioner and Master of Orthopedic Surgery (MORTHSURG) students to learn the theory and practical application of IEF on bone models. We hope our surgeons and students will acquire the relevant skills to offer comprehensive options for the management of their patients with deformities.

Seven of our Master students attended the workshop. The facilitator involved in the workshop was Dr. Muhammad Lutfi Abdul Rashid from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

The Basic Microsurgery Course is a 5-day course conducted throughout the year at National Orthopaedics Center of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya. We aim to train the medical officers, masters students and surgeons on microanastomosis of arteries and veins as well as micro-coaptation of nerves. Our training modules start with 2 days of training with low fidelity models (latex sheet, artificial microtubes, chicken thigh and wings), followed by 3 days of training with anaesthetized live rats (femoral arteries, veins, sciatic nerves and tail arteries). The Microsurgery Training and Research Laboratory can accommodate 2 to 3 students to participate in each course. Instructional lectures/ videos and adequate practical sessions are prepared for participants.

In March, we organized 2 courses, attended by our masters students; former, Dr Eva Mahirah and Dr Tan Kah Sui, latter, Dr Hue Chee Chen and Dr Wong Wai Kit. The facilitators were Assoc. Prof. Dr Jayaletchumi and Dr Khoo Saw Sian. We wish them all the best and hope they will be competent to perform microsurgeries independently in the future.

As an administrative staff at the Dean’s Office serving for 17 years, Puan Siti Zaleha, was well-known and loved by the academic staff who are involved in the undergraduate programme. She officially retired on 16th March 2022. Puan Siti Zaleha was with the Faculty of Education from 1986 until 2005 before she was transferred to the Faculty of Medicine in 2005 until her retirement in 2022. In recognition of her dedication and excellence at work, Puan Siti Zaleha received the Outstanding Service Award 5 times; 2000, 2002, 2008, 2013 and 2016 and Certificate of Outstanding Service in 2012 and 2016.

Throughout her years of serving at the university, the most memorable experience she had was the opportunity to represent Universiti Malaya at the Inter-University sport held in Perlis. After retirement, she hopes to deepen her religious knowledge and to care for her elderly mother. Her parting words - “Always work in a team and tolerate each other”

Here are some of the messages by our lecturers to Puan Siti Zaleha

“Kak Zaleha has always been a mother figure to me. I have known her since after Kak Maizon and Kak Sarjit left the desk, and that one special desk was taken over by Kak Zaleha. The OSCE team has always relied on Kak Zaleha for executive tasks, without her (and of course a few more dean’s office staff plus Ashikin and Asma!), we wouldn't be able to conduct OSCE smoothly.

She was always calm and offers solution when needed, and of course gives us out of work advises!

May Allah bless you Kak Zaleha and grant you with health and happiness.”

- Associate Prof. Dr Nur Amani Tajuddin | OSCE Coordinator

I am sincerely grateful to Puan Siti Zaleha for all the years she has spent assisting the OSCE team. She is very nice, helpful, and hardworking. She was very dedicated to her work. She will ensure that all exam materials are properly and completely prepared, and if anything is missing, she will promptly address it. I recalled her helping us in the morning by counting and sealing all the exam materials that needed to be brought to the exam ward. Without her assistance, I believe we would have a difficult time ensuring that the OSCE exam went smoothly. We on the OSCE team will miss her now that she has retired, and I would like to wish her happiness and health in the coming years.

- Associate Prof. Dr Zulkarnain Jaafar | OSCE Coordinator

I have worked closely with Puan Siti Zaleha from 2005, when I was appointed as FOM’s OSCE coordinator. Being the new kid on the block then, she was instrumental in teaching me the ropes of the administrative aspect of running an OSCE exam. She was also part of the team that continuously improved on the OSCE processes.

I was later appointed the deputy dean from 2015-2021, and I then got to know Siti Zaleha better as a person, as we began to share personal stories while we worked, chatted, have lunches and celebrated birthdays together.

A very dependable and dedicated senior staff, Siti Zaleha is very committed, even when she is under the weather. The door to her office area was only closed during ‘confidential’ exam processes, otherwise it remained open. She is quiet by nature but would voice out her opinion if needed. I cherished the times when I got her to smile, chuckled and sometimes (though rarely) laugh.

I would like to ask for her forgiveness for any wrongdoings on my part (and for her to halalkan the snacks that I would pilfer from her room). All the best Puan SiTi Zaleha, may you have a wonderful rest, spending time with her family. You will be missed.”

- Prof. Dr Yang Faridah Abdul Aziz | Deputy Dean of Undergraduate 2015 – 2021, Former FOM’s OSCE Coordinator

The Faculty of Medicine, UM, would like to congratulate Dr. Wong Kah Hui from the Department of Anatomy on winning a Gold award, and Professor Dr. Moy Foong Ming from the Department of Social & Preventive Medicine on winning a silver award at the Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2022 - The 21st International Innovation Awards 2022!

Below are brief elaborations on their award winning projects.

Hericium erinaceus has been well adapted to the tropical climate of Malaysia for the past 22 years. NevGro® is a dietary supplement derived from the Hericium erinaceus mushroom, categorised under Dietary Supplements for Humans included in Class 5, and a registered trademark governed by Trade Marks 1976 and the Trade Marks Regulation 1997. It is formulated and developed in Malaysia by Ganofarm R&D Sdn. Bhd., targeting health maintenance. The researchers from Universiti Malaya and The University of Hong Kong tested the neuroprotective effects of NevGro® against oxidative stress in a cellular model mimicking depression induced by high-dose corticosterone. The findings suggest the ability of NevGro® in enhancing the mitochondrial metabolism by regulating the mitochondrial DNA transcription and translation, which is a complex coordinated process involving Tfam (transcription factor A) activated by mitochondrial biogenesis-associated transcription factors, namely, the NRF1 and NRF2 (nuclear respiratory factor 1 and 2). Reconstruction of the mitochondrial function contributes to the maintenance of cellular integrity through the regulation of exogenous antioxidant capacity and intracellular antioxidant defense mechanisms of superoxide dismutase and catalase, restoration of plasma membrane integrity, and the suppression of reactive oxygen species accumulation. Attenuation of high-dose corticosterone-mediated cytotoxicity is facilitated by bioactive compounds of NevGro®, namely the adenosine, herierin III and herierin IV that can be developed as mitochondria-targeted antioxidants. Therefore, NevGro® acts as a potent protector against oxidative stress-induced cell death, and could be a possible therapeutic for depression.

As a BioNexus-status company and recipient of Ikon Agro Selangor 2021, much emphasis is placed on building innovation-based collaborations between Ganofarm R&D with Universiti Malaya and the The University of Hong Kong, directed at fostering research and commercialisation. As of 30th April 2022, NevGro® has received 5 gold awards, 2 special awards and one silver award at various innovation competitions, documented in the Material Transfer Agreement between Universiti Malaya and the Corielle Institute for Medical Research, Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Agreement between Universiti Malaya and Ganofarm R&D Sdn Bhd, and was also featured in four scientific publications.

The project titled NevGro® for mighty mitochondria received a gold medal at the Malaysia Technology Expo 2022 (MTE2022) - The International Expo on Inventions & Innovations (Category: International Innovation Awards 2022) held virtually on 21st -25th March 2022. Innovation Title: NevGro® for Mighty Mitochondria

Project Leader: Dr. Wong Kah Hui (Dept of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, UM)

• Ms. Lew Sze Yuen (Dept of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, UM)
• Dr. Lim Siew Huah (Dept of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, UM)
• Madam Cheng Poh Guat (CEO, Ganofarm R&D Sdn Bhd)
• Asst. Prof. Dr. Lim Lee Wei (The University of Hong Kong)

MyDietCam, an Android-based diet application is a mobile food diary that monitors an individual’s food intake through image capture with artificial intelligence. By taking photos of what we eat, we can overcome the problem of recall bias as we may have difficulty remembering what and how much we ate previously. MyDietCam will compute the calories and nutrients of our meals, and through the graphic presentations, users will be able to gauge the quality of their diet instantly. An overall diet quality score will be generated based on the food intakes categorized in food groups.

Tracking daily food intake over time helps users to adjust the food quantities they eat and finally develop healthier eating habits. Weight management can also be conducted by monitoring one’s diet regularly.

MyDietCam was awarded with a Silver medal in the International Innovation Awards, Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2022. MyDietCam is the product of an Impact Oriented Interdisciplinary Research Grant (IIRG) with Professor Dr. Moy Foong Ming (Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine) as the Principal Investigators, and subprogram heads, Professor Dr. Loo Chu Keong (Department of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology) and Dr. Fadzilah Hanum binti Mohd Mydin (Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine).

Endoprosthesis is a type of implant replacement of a segment of a limb, including the joint in the body that has lost its functionality either through injury or disease. It is commonly used in Orthopaedic Surgery for limb reconstruction after the resection of bone tumour or a segmental bone loss following trauma.

The Orthopaedic Oncology Unit, UM has successfully organized a course and workshop in collaboration with Stryker Malaysia on 7th of April 2022 at the NOCERAL Building, Faculty of Medicine, UM. A total of 15 UM Orthopaedic Masters students, 5 Orthopaedic Oncology fellows from all over Malaysia, and 1 international fellow from Nepal joined the course and workshop. The aim was to learn the theory and practical applications on the use of implants on bone models and the system used for the procedure. We hope our surgeons and students will acquire the relevant skills to offer comprehensive options for the management of their patients with specific indications. The speakers and workshop instructors were from the Orthopaedic Oncology Unit in the UM Orthopaedic Surgery Department; Professor Dr. Vivek Ajit Singh, Associate Professor Dr. Nor Faissal Yasin and Associate Professor Dr. Azura Mansor.

The Faculty of Medicine, UM would like to congratulate Teh Yi Jun, our fourth-year medical student and a Society of Malaysian Medical Association Medical Students (SMMAMS) member on being selected to represent the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) at the 75th WHO World Health Assembly and Youth Pre-World Health Assembly 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland. She has also won a Youth Changemaker Scholarship to finance her trip to Geneva. Yi Jun will be representing 1.3 million medical students worldwide as an IFMSA delegate to the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of WHO.

The main function of the WHA is to determine the policies of the WHO, appoint the director-general, supervise financial policies, review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Youth PreWHA is an international capacity-building activity organised by IFMSA which aims to empower and strengthen the advocacy skills and leadership of future health professionals and enhance the voice of youth during global health negotiations. Delegates will also have the opportunity to join advocacy working groups that focus on urgent global health issues.

Universiti Malaya (UM), through the Faculty of Medicine, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 27th April 2022 with The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), United Kingdom, the Malaysian Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (MATCVS), and the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM). This MOU is to provide a 6-year structured training programme in cardiothoracic surgery in Malaysia, in which 28 candidates will be awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in the specialty of cardiothoracic surgery upon completion of their training.

The blueprint for this cardiothoracic surgery training programme was written by Associate Professor Dr. Sivakumar Krishnasamy (Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon from the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, UM) and his team. The National Curriculum in Cardiothoracic Surgery is an initiative of the Medical Deans’ Council of Malaysia and MATCVS. All cardiothoracic surgery training programmes in Malaysia will need to meet the requirements in the national curriculum to ensure that safe and competent cardiothoracic surgeons are produced.

The MOU was signed by the UM Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and International Affairs, the President of MATCVS, the Master of AMM, and the President of RCSEd, and this event was witnessed by the Director-General of Health of Malaysia and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, UM.

The UM Masterclass in Medicine 2022, is the 3rd series since its inception in 2020. When the nation and world was hit hard by the pandemic in 2020, the Department of Medicine, UM team realised that teaching and learning cannot stop. We had to find ways to incorporate teaching exam-based clinical skills and share the latest Evidenced-Based updates using the current new-norm, via webinars.

To give an in-depth understanding of each subspecialty, every year we focused on four important specialities while amalgamating important inspiring and enlightening life lessons i.e. career pathway, women in medicine, medicolegal awareness, bullying at the workplace and many more! Responses from the past two years have been overwhelming!

This year, embracing the current normalities, we have designed our Masterclass to be a hybrid one to cater for more participants. Knowing the void in the training of hands-on clinical skills, we have also added a pre-masterclass workshop on 29th July 2022 that will see more than 30 consultants, the best in their fields from UMMC, coming together to teach the important aspects in clinical examinations. This will allow students to be guided step-by-step in identifying subtle signs, as well as pitfalls to avoid during exams. This workshop will then be followed by the Masterclass in Medicine on 30th and 31st July 2022.

The specialties that will be explored in depth this year are rheumatology, palliative medicine, haematology and dermatology, each of which are super critical in our day-to-day lives as well as in exams – MMED and even MRCP! Our registration spots are filling up real fast! If you haven’t registered, contact us now at: at +603-79492421 or email medicupdates@um.edu.my , / jesindapaul@um.edu.my.

Some feedbacks from our previous participants : 
“Very informative subjects and talks, especially for those of us who don’t rotate into certain subspecialities”
“Can incorporate these knowledge into our daily clinical practices” 
“Good revision topic line up”
“How informative and concise it was, highlighting the important updates and evidence based journals”
“updated and accurate information. very concise and useful information . 30 mins of lecture is very good to save time than lengthy CMEs”
“I like the polling question to test the candidate knowledge pre and post of each topic”
“Concise ▪ Comprehensive and educative,the timing of the webinar which took half of the day instead of full day” 
“There's non-medical slot that is useful to us medical personnel as extra knowledge”

Associate Professor Dr. Aili Hanim was a consultant psychiatrist and dedicated educator from the Department of Psychological Medicine. Her areas of expertise are in Child & Adolescents Mental Health Difficulties, Parent Work & Family Therapy and School Mental Health Difficulties in Children. She uses psychodynamic psychotherapy understanding in assessment and management of individuals with mental health difficulties. Associate Professor Dr. Aili officially retired from UM on 2nd April 2022. 

1. How long have you been working in UM?
   - Long enough to retire soon! I came to UM first as a master’s student, doing psychiatry a long while ago. 
    
2. What are the most memorable experiences throughout your service in UM? 
   Scary ones:
   - The times sitting down during rounds and waiting for your turn to present. 
   - Hearing those boots and knowing your consultant is coming!
   - The sound of a bang and you know something is thrown…do we run, can we run??
   
   Happy ones:
   - Having rounds and discussions, and then teh tarik with my wonderful consultants: Prof Wolfgang Krahl, the late Prof. Subra, Prof. Sharma, Dr. Leela Ryan and the other masters trainees then (the late Hasanah and Mukesh and Lau, my wonderful batchmate: Kuin Lee, Chong, Zafri and Zuraidah). Thank you guys… I would not have made it without your support! 
   - The times spent with my countless masters trainees. These trainees are a wonderful breed of people. They spur me to do more. It’s worth coming to work, every day. There are so many of them, I cannot name them all, but thank you from the bottom of my heart!
    
3. Any messages for your colleagues in FOM/students? 
   - Be true to yourself, be kind to one another. The world has gone mental with so much envy, aggression, passive aggressiveness and insecurities. 
    
4. What do you look forward to doing upon your retirement? 
   - Having a cup of coffee, picking up the book that has been collecting dust for so long… and telling yourself… no more protocol or deadlines. CHILL. 

16th May 2022: Congratulations to Professor Dato' Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman on receiving the Inaugural ‘Women's Institute Of Management (Wim) Tan Sri Dato' Napsiah Omar Women Leaders Award 2022, (Category: Education).’ The award was presented by the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim. The award is named in honour of the late Tan Sri Datuk Napsiah Omar, former National Unity and Social Development Minister and founder of WIM, which recognises and acknowledges great women leaders serving in various sectors in the country.

The other winners include Dr. Jasmine Begum (Corporate Management), Rina Neoh (Entrepreneurship and Business), Datuk Dr. Narimah Khan (Public Service), Datuk Dr. Hartini Zainudin (Social and Community Service) and Ir. Professor Dr. Leong Wai Yie (Technology).

A health promotion program with the theme “Wanita Sihat, Keluarga Bahagia” was organized by the Master of Nursing Science students group, Cohort 15, in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the coursework, Health Promotion. This program was held in the Orang Asli settlement located at Kampung Panggen, Cameron Highlands on 20th May 2022, Pahang. The aim of this program was to increase the villagers’ awareness and knowledge on women and children health, as well as to improve the health status in this village through awareness talks.

The villagers were punctual to the time and the event started with registration, then afterwards, welcome door gifts as well as breakfast meals were distributed. Invited guests were ushered to the stage where welcome door gifts and simple tokens were given to them. Basic food aids, pre-owned clothes and toys from various donation resources were given to each family in this village. This event was officiated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chong Mei Chan (Head of Nursing Science Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya) and Tok Batin En. Kamarudin A/L Lakuman. According to Tok Batin, there are a total of 68 families residing in this village, and 71 participants who took part in this program.

Several activities were conducted in this program in accordance with its objectives. There were basic health screenings, for children’s growth and development, health talk on family planning, breast self-examination demonstration, oral hygiene for children, hand hygiene steps, as well as self-hygiene demonstrations. The event ran smoothly from 8.30 am to 12.00 pm in the afternoon.

Besides that, the participants were gathered for the lucky draw session where there were a total of 10 draws. The committee members were glad to see the villagers excited and happy receiving their lucky draws! There were a total of 68 boxes of essential foods and some donation items for the families in this village.

Last but not least, the committee members deserve a round of applause for having this program successfully conducted in the village with minimum obstacles. Thank you to all who participated.

The Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), together with the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL) organized a webinar on ‘Difficult Conversations: Open Disclosure following Adverse Events’ on the 21st May 2022. It was also a collaboration with the College of Anaesthesiologists, Academy of Medicine Malaysia, namely the Critical Care Section and the Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists.

Moderated by Grazele Jenarun, the 1½ hour webinar started off with an introduction to MedHEU by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Julia Patrick Engkasan, head of MedHEU. Professor Dr. Rafidah Atan then explored elements of open disclosure during adverse events involving medical treatments. She demonstrated two case scenarios on how open disclosure conversations may take place. The conversation was further analyzed from a linguistic perspective where Dr. Ayeshah Syed and Dr. Charity Lee showed how language can play a critical role in communication. The session was made even more exciting with clinical practice scenarios role-played by both Professor Dr. Rafidah Atan and Professor Dr. Nor’azim Mohd Yunos. Overall, the event garnered good support from about 130 participants. The team would like to express gratitude to all participants who joined the webinar.

The Gathering of the Great Minds (GOTGM) is an annual event organised by the Universiti Malaya Medical Society (UM MEDSOC). The event was held this year on 21st May 2022 at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya with the theme “The Next Epoch: A Multidisciplinary Approach”. The event was officiated by the Dean of Faculty of Medicine UM, Professor. Dr. April Camilla Roslani, featured a keynote speech from Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, as well as talks from other prominent figures from diverse fields and backgrounds including Professor Dr. Tunku Kamarul Zaman, the former UMMC Director. The goal of the event is to enlighten and broaden the horizons of the university students.

The organising committee was composed of our first-year and second-year UM Medical students, headed by the director of the event, Teo Bo En and his vice-directors, Shee Loke Yuan and Khairunnisa Khairuddin, as well as the project advisors, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal and Assoc. Prof. Dr Nadia Atiya.

The Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya celebrated Eid 2022 with a blast at Centrepoint, FOM on 25th May 2022 (11.30am – 3.00pm). The event was officiated by the Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Professor Dr. April Camilla, in the presence of the FOM Management Committee. The Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaya, YBhg. Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor, also made a special appearance to liven up the event. The event was emceed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fazril Razif (Department of Molecular Medicine) and ChM. Wan Melissa Diyana (Central Research Laboratories).

Everyone in attendance was truly in festive spirits, where academic and support staff, as well as medical students were able to mingle and savour the wide range of food and delicacies on offer. There was also a competition organised for the Best Decorated Stall, where each department was tasked to decorate their individual stalls in the most unique and creative manner.

The winners were:

1. Department of SPM and Trauma
2. Dean’s Office
3. Department of Molecular Medicine and  Anaesthesiology

Special thanks to members of the Dean’s Office and FOM Technical team who worked tirelessly for days prior to the event to ensure that the event setup was well-organised and in order for the occasion.

The 11th Inter-Varsity Medic Olympiad (IVMO) 2022, organised by the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sg. Buloh Campus, was held on 28th May 2022. IVMO is held annually to motivate medical students to strive for better understanding and deeper knowledge of the basic sciences within the pre-clinical syllabus.

For the individual category, Lee Jia Xuen (UMMP Stage 2) won FIRST PLACE, defeating 10 contestants from UiTM, SEGi University, Manipal University College Malaysia, IIUM and UM (her fellow teammates). Tan Wei Zhen (UMMP Stage 2) and Lee Jia Cherng (UMMP Stage 1) managed to get through to the Quarter Final Round.

For the Group Category, Owen Woo Tsen Wen (UMMP Stage 1), Nicholas Ng Jian Shen (UMMP Stage 1), Jeremy Christopher Fernandiz (UMMP Stage 1) and Goh You Chin (UMMP Stage 1) of Team B008; and Wong Khai Hsin (UMMP Stage 1), Pang Soong Earn (UMMP Stage 1), Eng Wendy (UMMP Stage 1) and Muhammad Toriq Akmal (UMMP Stage 2) of Team B009 also demonstrated their competitive spirits in the Semi-Final and Preliminary rounds, respectively.

Excellence is often achieved through dedication and focus. The students here have undergone virtual intensive training for 18 days with their preclinical and para-clinical lecturers.

The Faculty would also like to extend our gratitude to Lim Yi Zhe, the Liaison Officer of Academic Competitions, MedSoc who has been coordinating the student selections and training schedules.

Our academic staff who have guided these students are as follows:

• Dr. Wong Kah Hui (Department of Anatomy)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rosie Pamela David (Department of Anatomy)
• Dr Vidya Kushare (Department of Anatomy)
• Professor Dr. Azlina Abdul Aziz Department of Molecular Medicine)
• Professor Dr. Fung Shin Yee (Department of Molecular Medicine)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Puteri Shafinaz Akmar Abdul Rahman (Department of Molecular Medicine)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nurshamimi Nor Rashid (Department of Molecular Medicine)
• Dr Tang Soo Nee (Department of Microbiology)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dharmani Murugan (Department of Pharmacology)
• Dr. Elsa Haniffah Mejia Mohamed (Department of Pharmacology)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mun Kein Seong (Department of Pathology)
• Dr. Amirah Amir (Department of Parasitology)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoe See Ziau (Department of Physiology)
• Dr. Kyaimon Myint (Department of Physiology)

Healthcare professionals and undergraduates from the medical, dentistry, biomedical, pharmacy and nursing background gathered to exchange ideas and knowledge regarding lifelong learning. The three-phase event, which was held on 28th May 2022, had a total of 131 participants, and was organised by medical students of the Sixth Residential College, Universiti Malaya from MEDxUM.

With the theme “L for Learning”, the seminar aimed to provide students a different perspective of learning, while growing as an individual, said project director Lim Yue. Among the keynote speakers at the event include Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fazril Razif (Department of Molecular Medicine), Dr. Gagandeep Singh Mann (Department of Otorhinolaryngology), Professor Dr. Chan Yoke Fun (Head; Department of Medical Microbiology), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Firdaus Hariri (Consultant; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) and Dr. Che Chong Chin (Department of Nursing Science).

Through a series of forums, dialogues and reflection sessions, a wide range of topics were discussed such as stories of students who have found ways to incorporate learning amongst the many components of life into their daily routine, as well as methods to make learning more effective. Lim Yue mentioned, “The first part of L for Living was created in hopes of bringing out the idea that we do not need to give up on other passions just to pursue this course; but to learn how to manage our time and energy to do the things that make us, us.

“Part two: L for Listening was planned as a way for students from different healthcare fields to talk, share stories and encourage one another as I am a strong believer in the saying, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’.

“Part three: L for Lifelong was made to encourage our attendees to view learning as a lifelong journey and university is just a pit-stop on this long, long path.”

The overall event was a success and thoroughly insightful.

The Upper Limb and Reconstructive Microsurgery Unit (ULRMS) of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, in partnership with Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson), has successfully organised the 3rd UM Tendon Repair Workshop at the National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence in Research and Learning (NOCERAL) on 30th May 2022. This workshop runs every three months, and is specially tailored to cater for junior orthopaedic and plastic surgery trainees who wish to master good surgical skills and principles in basic tendon repair. This workshop usually only accepts eight participants at any one time to ensure a trainer-to-trainee ratio of 1:2. However, due to the overwhelming response, we have nine participants this time – 5 UM Orthopaedic trainees, 3 Orthopaedic medical officers from Hospital Ampang, and 1 Orthopaedic medical officer from Hospital Manjung.

The organising committee would like to congratulate all trainees for the successful completion of this training.

On 31st May 2022, the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU) organized a webinar titled ‘Medical Humanities: What Is It and Why Do We Teach It?’. It was presented by Professor Dr. Anthony Cummins, the former head of the Department of Family Medicine, Perdana University- Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. More than 50 participants attended the one-hour webinar where Professor Cummins shared his moving experience teaching the medical humanities syllabus to medical students. His lecture focused on the following aspects:

• Medical Humanities and its benefits in preparing doctors- in- training.
• Integrating Medical Humanities as a component into the undergraduate teaching.
• Topics and themes used in delivering Medical Humanities.
• The role of creative writing in teaching.
• Elements to ensure successful delivery of Medical Humanities teaching. 

Professor Cummins also recited a beautiful poem, Parental pressure in education: ‘Broken Becky’, which was heart-wrenching with a powerful message. We were also delighted to have Mr. Julian Mathews, a former journalist, trainer, and the Editor’s Prize Winner who recited a heart-rending poem, 1096 Nights. It tells the touching story of the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines MH370, commemorating the 3rd anniversary. The webinar received a very warm and positive response from its attendees with interest indicated in similar webinars in the future.

We would like to thank all participants for joining us in this webinar. To access the recording of the webinar, please click here.

World Cancer Day was initiated by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) on the 4th of February 2000 after the signing of the Charter of Paris Against Cancer. It was aimed at promoting awareness, research, ensuring equity in services, regardless of ethnicity and gender, and reducing the stigma surrounding the diagnosis of cancer. This date is observed the world over, and is an important hallmark event, often bolstered by multiple campaigns aimed at achieving these goals.

Organized by the Department of Clinical Oncology and endorsed by the Malaysian Oncological Society, World Cancer Day in Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) was a multi-department effort and involved the departments of Oncology, Radiotherapy, General Surgery, Oral Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, Nutrition and Dietetics and Sports Medicine. We had support from various industrial and pharmaceutical companies including Dr. Reddy’s, PhilosMed, Pfizer, Roche, DKSH, TRB, Frasenius Kabi, Amgen, Astra Zaneca, Eisai, Ninja Van and Reparil. The main aim of World Cancer Day Week was to pique public interest and awareness, particularly in taking active steps to undergo screening for cancer. Besides that, it is also to provide cancer patients and caregivers a support network and the tools to undergo their journey through cancer treatment.

The 2-week event kicked off with a poster exhibition which ran from 17th March 2022 until 25th March 2022 for the public which expanded on topics such as nutrition in cancer and cancer screening, radiotherapy and surgery.

This was followed by the World Cancer Day Forum 2022 on the 19th of March 2020, which saw 730 participants register and attend the online Zoom sessions, kickstarting half a day of talks and lectures geared towards the public to raise awareness about cancer. Several distinguished speakers who are at the forefront of their respective fields took up the task of educating the public, and cancer patients and their carers talk about the risks associated with developing cancer as well as the treatment options available to patients in this era. The topics chosen were based on the more common cancers in Malaysia, as well as addressing some popular and burning questions on nutrition, genetics, screening, and the importance of exercising. The role of cancer treatment, in conjunction with traditional and complementary medicine, were also addressed.

The speakers were chosen based on their expertise & experience in dealing with cancer care and were multidisciplinary from various departments: the Department of Clinical Oncology (Professor Dr. Ho Gwo Fuang, Assoc. Professor Dr. Marniza Saad, Dr. Nur Fadhlina Abdul Satar, and Dr. David Lee), Department of General Surgery, Division of Urology, (Professor Dr. Ong Teng Aik), and Division of Breast Surgery (Assoc. Prof. Dr. See Mee Hoong), Department of Medicine, Division of Respiratory (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pang Yong Kek), Department of Otorhinolaryngology (Professor Dr. Mohd Zulkiflee Abu Bakar), Department of Sports Medicine (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Nahar Azmi), Department of Dietetic (Mdm Nabiha Abdul Jalil) and Cancer Research Malaysia (Mdm Yoon Sook Yee). Of special mention was the talk delivered by Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani (Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Consultant Colorectal Surgeon from Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery) emphasizing the burden of colorectal cancer on the Malaysian healthcare and the need for regular screening to be undertaken by the public.

The highlight of the forum was the session of experience sharing among patients who were currently undergoing active cancer treatment, which covered among other things such as reducing the stigma associated with receiving cancer care and undergoing treatment. Their words of encouragement and positive outlook on their lives resonated with participants and speakers alike.

The World Cancer Day events concluded with a Fitness Marathon spanning over 4 hours on 20th February 2022, and was conducted by the Department of Sports Medicine under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nahar. The stage was set at the Dewan Tunku Canselor Universiti Malaya with technical support from the crew from Strategic Solution Division, Centre of Information technology, Universiti Malaya. Activities included several workout sessions encompassing multiple types of exercises including yoga, taichi, HIIT, kickboxing, Zumba and line dancing. Some of the sessions were conducted by the Exercise Support Group UMMC which included cancer patients, carers and survivors. Response to this event was overwhelming with almost 200 participants tuning in and exercising online via Zoom.

While the pandemic may have led to isolation, in the wake of the recovery phase, both events provided a much-needed distraction. It is our hope that the tradition of the World Cancer Day Forum and exercise marathon will continue to provide a support system and raise awareness for many years to come and become an event to be looked forward to. The committee wishes to express their gratitude to our panel of speakers, trainers, sponsors, participants and all crews for making this event a successful one.

Dr. Ngoi Soo Tein, a Postdoctoral Scientist from the Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, has been awarded the Institut Mérieux-MSIDC Young Investigator Award 2022 with a grant of €10,000. Institut Mérieux and its entities have been committed for many years in the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the improvement of antibiotic stewardship. In order to provide an incentive for promising young investigators working in the field of AMR, Institut Mérieux allocates several awards worldwide to researchers or clinicians at the beginning of their career in recognition of a major achievement having significant impact on the handling of AMR. To maximize the visibility of such an award and ensure proper selection of the candidates, Institut Mérieux relies on the expertise of well-established associations working in the field of AMR in each selected country.

The UM eHealth Unit hoped to showcase digital health case studies, cutting edge technologies, and educational and research awareness in Digital Health via the UM eHealth Digital Series.

On the 14th June 2022, UM eHealth invited Mr. Suliman Alomran from the Medical Informatics Unit, College of Medicine, King Saud University , Saudi of Arabia, to deliver a talk on eHealth Standards. The webinar was held during lunch hour and was well attended by faculty members and students, including partners from the industry. The session was moderated by Associate Professor Dr. Nasriah Zakaria.

Mr. Suliman started the talk with the definition of eHealth and gave an overview of the variety of eHealth standards used in healthcare today. He went on to explain the importance of Healthcare Standards and the various classifications, ontologies and code sets used in health. Mr. Suliman also shared with the audience on the challenges of clinical and financial standards used in health since there is no single standard code set or terminology that covers the broad spectrum of medical knowledge. In Saudi Arabia, he mentioned that initiatives have been taken to develop national minimum requirements as a guideline. He concluded that there should be a national initiative to unify coding standards used in any healthcare system.

The third Faculty of Medicine Inaugural Lecture for 2022 was by Professor Dr. Marzida Mansor, held on 21st June 2022. Dr. Marzida is a Professor at the Department of Anaesthesiology whose sub-specialty clinical and research interests are in the field of anaesthesiology, pain management and cardiothoracic anaesthesiology. The Virtual Inaugural Lecture titled "Pain Medicine : Progress and New Challenges" was live streamed via the Fakulti Perubatan Universiti Malaya YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/rPgGIXxw_qU

The Department of Medical Microbiology recently held their journal club seminar on the 22nd June 2022. Dr. Emily Nixon, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in infectious disease modelling, jointly appointed at the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford, UK, presented her research on SARS-CoV-2 infection among UK university students. She uses the mathematical models to both understand the fundamental epidemiological processes, and as predictive tools to improve global health and welfare within a “One Health” framework (the interconnection between humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment).

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, mathematical modelling has been used to understand more about the SARS-CoV-2 transmission and to inform policymakers on the potential impact of mitigation measures. As well as looking at questions on a nationwide scale, mathematical models have been used to look at more focused questions in particular settings with distinctive characteristics. The university setting is a unique environment for disease transmission due to factors such as the young age of university students, their high-density living arrangements and large numbers of social contacts. In the first nationwide lockdown in the UK in March 2020, most universities were closed and teaching moved online. Ahead of the new academic year in September 2020, they developed a stochastic compartmental model that was parameterised with social contact data to investigate the impact of mitigation measures that could be used if, and when students returned to university in person. They adapted the model to look at further questions as the pandemic progressed, such as the impact of asymptomatic testing, SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccination.

Her modelling has been used to inform the UK policy on Avian Flu and veterinary parasites, and she has won the Royal Society Rapid Assistance for Modelling the Pandemic (RAMP) Early Career Investigator Award for her work on COVID-19. She currently works with virologists at the Pandemic Sciences Centre to identify optimum strategies for vaccine delivery for future pandemic candidates.

The Clinical Ethics Grand Round Series is a bimonthly event that takes place on the last Thursday of that month between 1.00pm - 2.00pm. It is organized by the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), Faculty of Medicine. The session for this month discussed the controversies of abortion through the lens of ethics and law. The session was hosted by Dr. Chong Lee Ai, a Consultant Paediatric Palliative Care from the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), with the initial case presentation by Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G), Dr. Rahmah Saaid. About 50 participants attended the one-hour preliminary event to learn about the different arguments for and against abortive practices and discuss these issues from the perspectives of a neonatologist, paediatrician, and medical lawyer.

The Clinical Ethics Grand Rounds Series is a CME (Continuing Medical Education) initiative that offers a wide range of clinical ethics topics from a diverse group of esteemed and experienced speakers. It is not only to help keep up likeminded people with the current and latest advances in medicine but also to guide clinicals with everyday ethics dilemmas that healthcare professionals face every day. It also provides a forum for teaching participants to resolve cases based on the best ethical practices. All those interested, (for example, physicians, clinicians, biomedical researchers, nurses, ethicists, philosophers, other healthcare professionals including students) are welcomed to attend.

We would also like to invite clinical experts interested in presenting a case(s) in our next Clinical Ethics Grand Rounds Series. To get in touch with us email us at medheu@um.edu.my.

These are the dates / months involved with the Clinical Ethics Grand Rounds Series 2022:

1. 27th October 2022 (Thursday)
2. 29th December 2022 (Thursday)

I am honoured to be selected by the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom to participate in the prestigious Leaders in Innovation Fellowships Global Programme (LIFGlobal) of 2022. The LIFGlobal works with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Newton Fund to bring together emerging leaders from around the world who have engineering-based innovations that contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SGD), which impact the society through the commercialisation of these innovations. It was an immensely enriching experience for me to work with 70 international fellow innovators, which was facilitated by an amazing team of trainers, mentors and global partners. I am particularly privileged to learn about the innovator ecosystems of the University of Cambridge and Durham University.

Through the series of online workshops, one-to-one mentoring, and a 2-week residential in the UK, I have deep dived into the know-hows of pushing innovations to the market such as influencing, negotiation and pitching techniques, refining business models, understanding investor objectives, and investment techniques. I am also proud that my innovation, the SDen-Detect, a severe dengue diagnostic kit was selected as one of the six finalists out of 70 innovations for SDG Prize Pitch Competition at the Prince Philip House, Royal Academy of Engineering. I am particularly grateful for this opportunity to cultivate both local and global entrepreneurial and scientific networks, and aim to synergistically harness these relationships for the greater good of the scientific community.

The Faculty of Medicine is happy to announce that the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (APJPH) has achieved its highest impact factor of 2.270 this year. APJPH is ranked 153/210 in the “Public, Environmental & Occupational Health (SCIE)” category and 126/182 in “Public, Environmental & Occupational Health (SSCI)”. APJPH, the official journal of the Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) is indexed in ISI and Scopus.

The Faculty of Medicine, UM would like to congratulate the Editor-In-Chief, Professor Dr. Low Wah Yun, Editor Emeritus Professor Dr. Colin Binns (Curtin University, Australia), Associate Editors, Kuala Lumpur Editorial Office, and SAGE for their continuous hard work and dedication.

APJPH Associate Editors: Professor Dr. Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud, Professor Dr. Noran Naqiah Mohd Hairi, Professor Dr. Hazreen Abdul Majid, Professor Dr. Claire Choo Wan Yuen, Professor Dr. Jennifer Geraldine Doss, Professor Dr. Azirah Hashim, Professor Dr. Rosediani Muhamad, Dr. Noor Ani Ahmad, Professor Dr. Masamine Jimba, and Professor Dr. Emily Chan Yin Yang.

APJPH Editorial Officers: Bairave Shunnmugam and Tee Guat Hiong

APJPH welcomes manuscripts on all aspects of public health including global challenges in public health, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, health security, disaster management, chronic disease, implications for practical applications to professional education and services for public health and primary health care that are of concern and relevance to the Asia-Pacific region.

Please submit your manuscript at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/apjph
You may read APJPH articles here: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/aph

The fourth FOM Inaugural Lecture for 2022 was by Professor Dr. Lim Kheng Seang, held on 26th July 2022. Dr. Lim Kheng Seang is a Professor of Neurology from the Department of Medicine as well as a Consultant Neurologist specializing in epilepsy at the Universiti of Malaya Medical Centre and Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre, Malaysia. He has been trained at Universiti Malaya for his neurology subspecialty training (2008), followed by fellowship training in Melbourne (2011) and Cleveland (2017) for epilepsy. His research focus is on the psychosocial aspects of epilepsy, with clinical studies focused on epilepsy surgery and seizures in brain tumors, genetics in focal and familial epilepsies, pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics of antiepileptic drugs, quantitative EEG and quantitative MRI research, and artificial intelligence. The Virtual Inaugural Lecture titled "Pushing the Boundaries: Comprehensive Care and Global Network in Epilepsy'' was live streamed via the Fakulti Perubatan Universiti Malaya YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/m4StTGjY1jw

On 20th July 2022, Dr. Noraishah Mydin Abdul Aziz from the Department of Parasitology, FOM, Universiti Malaya, presented a webinar on the development of an invertebrate model for studying developmental neurobiology that is suitable for the Malaysian environment. Many issues were discussed, including animal husbandry, methods employed to develop a successful model, capabilities and infrastructure accessible in the laboratory, as well as experiments that had already been employed thus far.

Highlights included the documentation of the egg sac development and its correlation with embryonic staging. The gold standards of morphological and genitalia identification were employed in tandem with DNA Barcoding. Besides that, it was also observed that the Oxyopes macilentus requires 14 days of gestation inside the egg sac before it hatches and becomes spiderlings. Interestingly, N-cadherin protein was detected on the tenth day of Oxyopes macilentus embryo during their development. Her data strongly suggest that the Oxyopes macilentus embryo can be used as a potential invertebrate model in the field of neurobiology.

The webinar was streamed via Microsoft Teams.

The Faculty of Medicine Chemical Management Manual (FOMCMM) was introduced on February 8, 2022, and it was formally published on 27th December 2021. To enhance all processes, from purchasing to waste management related to chemicals, the FOMCMM is adopted throughout all departments at the Faculty of Medicine. A series of workshops organized by the Faculty of Medicine Task Force (Chemical Safety) lead by ChM. Wan Melissa Diyana Wan Normazlan has therefore been planned for 2022 to help FOM members better comprehend the implementation and content. The softcopy of FOMCMM can be found on the Faculty of Medicine’s website.

FOM Chemical Safety Task Force:

1. ChM. Wan Melissa Diyana bt Wan Normazlan
2. ChM. Nurul Farhan Ruslan
3. Ms. Noreena Mohd Nor
4. Mr. Muhammad Amri Salim
5. Mr. Richee Rudeen Yasib
6. Ms. Arni Suzana Abu Seman

The Universiti Malaya Inter PTj Staff Sports 2022 Appreciation Ceremony was held on 13th July 2022 at the Cube, FOM. In attendance were Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani (Dean of FOM), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Nahar Azmi Mohamed (Delegation Head of the Inter PTj Staff Sports 2022), Dr. Mohd Hazwan Ahmad Shushami (Deputy Head - Inter PTj Staff Sports 2022), Ms. Siti Zarihan Zambri (Secretariat - Inter PTj Staff Sports 2022) as well as the Deputy Deans of FOM. The ceremony proceeded with certificate presentations by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Nahar Azmi Mohamed, accompanied by the Dean, to the various team managers including Ms. Noor Aida Muhamad (Netball), Ms. Siti Zurina Bahari (Volleyball), Mr. Muhammad Iman Jihad Ismail (Volleyball), Mr. Mohd Huzairie Hasnan (Penalty Shootout), Ms. Nuramirah Ariffin (Penalty Shootout), Ms. Siti Noor Rabiatul Madia (Petanque), Mr. Malek Razuan (Petanque), Mr. Alief Muhaimin Asri (Sepak Takraw), Mr. Mohd Hatta Idris (Badminton), Mr. Abu Bakar Ahmad (Chess / Dam Aji), Mr. Mohamad Helmi Harun (Dart / Karom) and Mr. Chai Hann Juang (Table Tennis).

Below are the list of achievements by the staff of FOM:

A Teacher’s Toolkit Workshop Series: Essentials of Teaching and Learning held on 18-19th July 2022, was attended by 14 participants comprising clinicians and academic staff of the Faculty of Medicine. 6 facilitators of different backgrounds and specialties facilitated the two-day workshop.

The workshop attempts to provide participants with the essential skills required to effectively function as a facilitator of learning for undergraduate medical students in the context of the University of Malaya Medical Programme (UMMP). The delivery of the programme is in a workshop format with opportunities for interaction with experts in the field and sharing of expertise among the participants.

Upon completion of the learning activities, participants should be able to identify the roles and challenges of teachers, appreciate the curriculum structure, explain the use of the objectives, construct one objectives in each participant’s speciality, utilise the resources (SPeCTRUM) effectively for teaching and learning, ensure the use of appropriate assessment methods to enhance learning, align teaching-learning and assessment, demonstrate skills on facilitating learning in large and small groups, value the merits of reflection in practice and feedback in order to enhance teaching and learning.

The sessions were interactive in manner where the participants got to interact with each other online in small groups within the breakout rooms. One of the activities was acting out scenarios given to them and implementing what they have learned during the workshop in the presentation session that were allocated for the participants to deliver their interesting presentation that enabled effective imparting of the learning objectives. Not only was the workshop informative, but based on the feedback evaluation forms, the participants indicated that they had fun too involving themselves in the workshop activities.

The workshop was conducted online via Microsoft Teams.

Professor Dr. Saw Aik was a Professor and an orthopaedic surgeon from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, FOM, University Malaya. He retired on the 2nd July 2022 after serving UM for 25 years. Professor Dr. Saw Aik’s research interest and expertise include limb lengthening and reconstruction procedures, biomechanics, musculoskeletal tumour and paediatric trauma.

RUBRICA was honoured to have an opportunity to get up close and personal with Professor Dr. Saw Aik recently in an interview via email.

1. How long have you been working in UM? 
   After my houseman / medical officer posting in Kuantan and Kuala Lipis, I came to University Hospital Kuala Lumpur (UHKL) in 1992 to join the general surgical department.
   
   During my 25 years serving as an academic staff in University Malaya, I observed many changes in both the medical training and the hospital service of this institution. The work of the clinical department office at the beginning was mainly to prepare timetables for teaching undergraduate medical students (only the clinical years), and once we walked across the corridors to the hospital (UHKL: University Hospital Kuala Lumpur), we will be treating patients. Previously, academic staff were only responsible for teaching undergraduate medical students. Nowadays, the teachings also cover students from the nursing school, biomedical courses, and doctors in clinical master courses. However, it is equally amazing that some aspects have remained relatively similar over this period. 
   
   In the 90s, the Orthopaedic Department had about 60 adult beds in the wards managing mostly trauma patients and those with chronic bone and joint infections (wards Ortho 1 and Ortho 2). Nowadays, with a slight increase in the number of beds (90), we are managing more than two times the patient load under 8 clinical subspecialties, as a result of advancement in treatment strategies, improvements of implant designs, and intensive post-operative rehabilitation programs. (Figure 1)
   
   Improvements in telecommunication have made the world smaller. With the increasing number of budget airlines, it may be cheaper to visit our neighbouring countries than travelling to Sabah or Sarawak. Despite increasing long-distance patient referrals and increasing popularity of health tourism, many patients from less developed countries have no access to modern medical treatments. In some of our neighbouring countries, long bone fractures are being treated by general surgeons who also perform thoracic and abdominal surgeries. During the first decade of this millennium, inspired by a previous visit to serve in a Cambodian charity hospital by the late Professor Subir Sengupta, I started my visits to Angkor Hospital for children in Siem Reap, Cambodia to assist the local surgeons in managing paediatric Orthopaedic conditions.(Figures 2, 3) After a few years, some of these surgeons were sponsored to visit our hospital and attended some local and regional courses to improve their surgical skills. In 2016, we also started to conduct basic surgical skill workshops in Vientiane, Laos (Figure 4). Hopefully, these training and exposure to more modern hospital facilities will help to facilitate transformation of health and medical services in these countries. 
   
   In 2012, University Malaya started a body donation program for medical and surgical training. I was not actively involved in this program until 2016, but my subsequent participation in the team changed my perception of medical education. A patient who was receiving palliative therapy for an advanced malignancy may become a mentor who provides knowledge and surgical skills training to doctors. The decision to donate their bodies for medical education (Figure 5) reflects their will and intention to relieve the sufferings of others. Previously, this concept of teaching used to be the modus operandi purely of doctors. Many do not realise that patients are our greatest teachers, in this case, even after passing on. Few clinicians will argue that surgical skill training using the human body is one of the most effective methods to acquire new surgical skills for both basic and advanced procedures. With the increasing awareness of the Silent Mentor Program (SMP), I hope that more institutions will initiate this program to facilitate voluntary donation in every corner of this country and provide high quality education for our medical community.
    
2. What are the most memorable experiences throughout your service in UM?
   I am proud to have hosted the visiting team from Sayama Geriatric hospital from Japan to UMMC in 2008 (Figure 5). Through the collaboration with the Lions Club of Petaling Jaya and the Japan International Goodwill Foundation (JIGF), two nurses from the geriatric ward of UMMC were sponsored for a short visit to Sayama Goodwill Medical Care Facility Hospital in Japan every year since 2005 (Figure 6). The foundation also donated anti-TB medicine to our pharmacy for many years. The fellowship had been temporarily stopped due to Covid pandemic.
    
3. What messages would you like to leave for your colleagues and students in FOM?
   There are many other things that we can do in addition to teaching students and treating patients. Helping to train doctors or specialists from less developed countries is something that we can offer once we have acquired the expertise and resources to do so. We should also use our knowledge, connections, and innovations to preserve or improve our environment.
    
4. What do you look forward to doing upon your retirement?
   I plan to travel and visit my friends especially those from our neighbouring countries and try to help them to improve their clinical practice wherever and whenever it is possible (Figure 7).
    
5. Any wishes to share with our FOM community?
   My involvement in the Silent Mentor Program since 2016 showed me a totally different aspect of medicine where doctors are the recipient of contributions from the public (Figure 8). It is difficult to imagine that many people from various social levels, and cultural backgrounds willingly donate their bodies for us to learn and train, without expecting anything in return. I sincerely hope that the philosophy of this Silent Mentor Program can be promoted to all other medical institutions to improve the standard of medical training for the benefit of all. 

Fig1: Unit of Paediatric Orthopaedic and Limb Deformity Correction taken in 2013 with research assistants and a journal manager.	Fig 2: Examining a child with left elbow deformity following an injury many months earlier in a charity hospital. (2006)
Fig 3: A group of UM medical students were touring Siem Reap, Cambodia after their final MBBS examination. I invited them to visit Angkor Children Hospital.	Fig 4: Trainers of the first AO Alliance Foundation (AOAF) trauma course in Vientiane, Laos, demonstrating the correct method to split fibreglass cast. (2014)
Fig 5: Sayama Goodwill Medical Care Facility, Japan	Fig 6: Staff nurses from the Geriatric Ward of UMMC visited Sayama Hospital, Japan in 2005
Fig 7: Team of volunteer doctors from Malaysia and Singapore participating in TIMA health screening and surgery in Batam Island, Indonesia (2005)	Fig 8: Trainee surgeons performing orthopaedic procedures on silent mentors
Fig 9: Group photo of medical students after the cremation ceremony of their mentors	Fig 10: Brochure SMP of University Malaya 10th Anniversary event, with link for Facebook Live on 25th September 2022.

On the 3rd August 2022, the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with the Centre for Law and Ethics in Science and Technology (CELEST), Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya, organized its first-ever public lecture, presented by our esteemed speaker for the day, Professor Dr. Benjamin Gregg, PhD, from the University of Texas, Austin, USA.

The full-day programme began with two brilliantly presented lectures, delivered both virtually and physically here on campus by Professor Dr. Benjamin Gregg. In his first lecture on “A Human Right to Freedom from Genetic Disability”, Professor Dr. Gregg discussed the two forms of autonomy, the future being to possess the nature of personhood, and the parents’ procreative autonomy, challenged by the third form of autonomy, of what he attributes to the disabled person. The stances of the various notions brought upon by the disabled individuals and community with regards to the respect of autonomy were contended for prohibiting genetic selection, and thereby supporting freedom from genetic disability. The second rather thought-provoking lecture garnered an amazing mixed- response, both positive and food for thought from the audience, through a step-wise discussion on the “Genetic Engineering Where Severe Cognitive Disability is Indicated: Toward Enabling the Future Person’s Capacity for Participation in Political Community.”

Around 50 participants attended virtually, while 15 participants, from within and outside of UM, joined us physically, here in the Faculty of Medicine. A luncheon and a networking session followed suit thereafter with a “Meet the Expert” session with our distinguished guest on potential projects and collaborations, before ending the programme at about 3.00 pm.

MedHEU would like to thank all participants for their kind attendance and support in making this event a success. For more information or any potential lectures, please do not hesitate to contact us here at medheu@um.edu.my

On 16th August 2022, the UM eHealth unit organised an online webinar centred around the development and evolution of e-learning in the Medical Programme. Professor Dr. Jamuna Vadivelu (Head of the Medical Education and Research Development Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya) discussed how medical educators at Universiti Malaya pivoted to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and shared the various innovations and adaptations that were implemented during this period.

Transformation of clinical training in medical education was a necessity during the current COVID pandemic. The delivery of the curriculum was deconstructed while still achieving the desired competencies of the medical programme. The presentation included the processes that were undertaken to achieve this goal and the underlying sustainability measures taken.

Processes involved for implementation and improvement were faculty development and improvement of delivery, feedback, and evaluation. These strategies were developed based on the following assessments:

1. Need of end users to effectively use the facilities developed.
2. The objective to perform the training for asynchronous and synchronous instructional delivery.
3. Development of end user guides and training of staff on the instructional delivery modules.
4. Evaluation to improve the training of delivery as well as delivery methods developed.

Based on student feedbacks,

Based on these responses, we have highlighted various opportunities for improvement including

• Implementation of online and blended learning 
• long overdue, content with traditional method of teaching
• exploration of technology for learning 
• maximizing existing technology
• staff empowerment and capacity building
• explosion of webinars etc 

Challenges

• poor connectivity infrastructure
• switching mindset to the new norms
   

Sustainability to embrace competency-based medical education was met by focusing on outcomes, placing emphasis on abilities of students to embrace a de-emphasis on time-based training and promotion of learner-centredness. There was a shift to leverage on technology by ensuring a two-way communication with learners, maximising focus on available technologies for teaching and learning, and collaborating and sharing of resources.

To commemorate the 1st year since the inception of the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), the team put together a three-hour open-for-all virtual symposium, delivered by three wonderful and brilliant speakers from USA, Hong Kong, and India, discussing the different roles of visual arts, storytelling, narratives, and poetry in cultivating humanism.

The symposium was officiated and graced by none other than our Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani, who, through her inception of the idea, came about the establishment of the unit, on 4th August 2021. Professor Dr. April took this opportunity to encourage more futuristic aspirations and exploration of the field to meet the needs of a more holistic and humanistic doctor and congratulated the team for their hard work thus far.

The symposium then kicked- off with the first lecture, delivered by Professor Dr. Kristi L. Kirshner on ‘Ableism in Healthcare: A Disability Ethics Perspective’ where she shared her years of work experience within this field and the current ethical conundrums revolving around disability ethics. The 40 minute lecture drew many engaging discussions across the floor between attendees, each sharing a different view on Ableism, some even shared by medical students across the globe. Associate Professor Dr. Julie Y Chen, Director of the Medical Humanities and Ethics unit at the University of Hong Kong then shared her talk on ‘Seeing, Feeling and Connecting: The Role of Visual Arts in a Medical Curriculum’ and how she has, with her peers developed medical student professionalism and humanism in the medical education through the exploration of issues affecting both doctor and student health. The final lecture was a rather interactive, yet moving one, as Professor Dr. Upreet Dhaliwal shared her gravitation and experience in Medical Humanities through her lecture on ‘Storytelling, Narratives, and Poetry: Cultivating Critical Abilities in Healthcare Learners’. Attendees were allowed to recite different poems from her recently published book, InVerse Medicine, and analyze the pieces together.

The three-hour session received a great and positive review, before ending with a heartwarming outpour of congratulatory wishes dedicated to the MedHEU team for putting together a thoughtful session that morning and over the course of a year. Under the agility and visionary leadership of its Head, Associate Professor Dr. Julia Patrick Engkasan with her unique and diverse team, the unit has since organized various series of webinars, workshops, and events designed to boost and empower humanistic skills in medical humanities and ethics for the students and staff of FOMUM and the public.

MedHEU would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartiest gratitude to everyone for being a part of this memorable and joyous occasion and we will continue to strive to spearhead our vision of revolutionizing medicine through the values and principles of ethics and humanity.

After two years of webinars, online symposiums, and virtual collaborative research efforts, a team of senior delegates from NYCU led by Professor Chia-Ching Chang flew into Kuala Lumpur to visit the NYCU-UM Research Hub at the Faculty of Medicine (NYCU-UMRH FOM) and met up with our faculty members and fellow collaborators from UM.

Despite the pandemic, the UM-NYCU partnership through the NYCU-UMRH FOM is one of the most active research collaborations in the faculty; its quarterly webinar serves as a platform for both institutions to share their expertise to spark research conversation and partnership between the two institutions. One of their outstanding achievements that attracted media coverage was the development of biosensors for rapid anti-COVID19 drug screening in May 2021. This project was led by Associate Professor Dr. Kiew Lik Voon from the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, UM and Professor Dr. Chia-Ching Chang from the College of Biological Science and Technology, NYCU leading the Taiwanese team.

During this visit, the NYCU-UMRH FOM also took the opportunity to introduce the NYCU delegates to the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Science; and to jointly organise an onsite UM-NYCU research symposium on 17th August at the Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, FoM an effort to extend the benefits of the UM-NYCU partnership to other colleagues in UM.

The symposium aimed to bridge researchers from UM (across the faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and Science) and NYCU (Department of Biological Science & Technology and Institute of Molecular Medicine & Bioengineering), whereby the speakers from each institution were paired with their counterparts with similar research interests. A total of 4 and 3 speakers were selected for this round from UM and NYCU, respectively. It is hoped that this will facilitate the establishment of research collaborations between UM and NYCU, and shall be the practice for future symposiums.

As we advance, UM-NYCU is working together to establish a dual-PhD program. This will be the first dual PhD program offered by Malaysian and Taiwanese institutions. We hope that following this partnership, more fruitful collaborations will be fostered between FoM specifically and UM in general, with external institutions.

Vector-borne and parasitic diseases are a significant healthcare burden to many countries. The elimination of these infections has been the ultimate goal of every country. In fact, a number of parasitic infections are deemed close to complete eradication (i.e., dracunculiasis, malaria, and lymphatic filariasis). Nevertheless, doubts have been raised from time to time regarding the possibility of completely eradicating any of these infections. In addition, many parasitic infections are neglected diseases, resulting in inadequate understanding of these pathogens, hence the inability to control these pathogens, let alone a complete eradication. A thorough understanding of an infection is a prerequisite to the successful elimination of this infection. Hence, the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya organized the first International Conference of Medical Parasitology & Entomology (ICMPE) on 17th and 18th August 2022.

This conference aimed at providing a platform for researchers from different parts of the world, particularly scientists from the developing nations to share their knowledge on climate change and the trend of disease transmission, latest technologies in fundamental and translational research, economic issues and policies related to the control and prevention of parasitic and vector-borne diseases, planetary health/ one health, eco health, and big data/ geographic information system (GIS)/ artificial intelligence (AI). The conference successfully provided a platform for knowledge exchange and networking for participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Tanzania, Romania, United Kingdom, the United States, and Peru. Participants benefited from information sharing by the keynote speaker, Dr. Raman Velayudhan from the World Health Organization, as well as presentations by plenary speakers, Professor. Dr. Rita R. Colwell (the United States National Academy of Sciences), Professor. Dr. Cao Jun and Professor. Dr. Yang Kun (Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China), Dr. P’ng Loke (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA), Ir. Dr. Khairunnisa Hasikin (Universiti Malaya, Malaysia), and Dr. Fredros Okumu (Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania).

On 23rd August 2022, several leaders in Primary Care shared their invaluable experiences in the process of developing and enhancing the full potential of Primary Care Medicine. This webinar was organized in conjunction with the 35th-anniversary celebration of the Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. It focused on the discipline of Primary Care Medicine (or Family Medicine) in Malaysia which has grown tremendously over the past three decades, with the establishment of primary care in providing clinical services, educational training programmes (both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels) and research. We invited distinguished leaders in primary care to share their invaluable experiences in these developments to enhance the full potential of Primary Care Medicine. The topics highlighted were 1. Establishing Primary Care Medicine – Inspiring, Leading and Collaborating; and 2. Personal & Professional Development as A Leader in Primary Care Medicine.

Number of Participants: 80 participants from:

1. Klinik Kesihatan Melaka, Seremban, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak, Perak, Kedah 
2. Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah 
3. Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) 
4. Klinik Swasta 
5. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) 

On 19th August 2022, Professor Dato’ Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman was conferred the prestigious Merdeka Award 2022 for the Health, Science and Technology category, presented by Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, the royal patron and chairman of the Merdeka Award Trust (MAT). The MAT was established by Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) and Shell on 27th August 2007 to recognise and reward excellent individuals and organisations whose works and achievements have not only contributed to the nation’s growth, but have also inspired greatness in the people of Malaysia.

There were a total of six recipients across various categories: Education and Community; Environment; Health, Science and Technology; Outstanding Scholastic Achievement; Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia; and the Anugerah Harapan Merdeka award, which is a newly introduced category. The other winners for this year’s awards are Teach for Malaysia (Education and Community), Global Environment Centre (Environment), Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid (Outstanding Scholastic Achievement) and Datuk Dr. Annabel Teh Gallop (Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia). The inaugural recipient of the Anugerah Harapan Merdeka award was Samuel Isaiah for his contribution and commitment towards improving and uplifting the standard of education among Orang Asli children, alongside coaching teachers to elevate the overall quality of education for all. Currently, a total of 63 individuals and six organisations have received the Merdeka Award since 2008.

The World’s Congress of Surgery organised the biennial International Surgical Week 2022 at Hofburg, Vienna (Austria) on the 15th – 18th August 2022. This event, which focuses on global surgery, involved six integrated societies International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES), International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care (IATSIC), International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (IASMEN), Breast Surgery International (BSI), International Society for Digestive Surgery (ISDS) and the Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence (ASAP). Engaging and insightful, the International Surgical Week (ISW) 2022 provides a platform for scientific and clinical working groups where they can collaborate to establish the foundations for future diagnostic and surgical challenges, and discuss novel approaches and standards, facilitating progress towards real-time, patient-oriented solutions. This year’s event was attended by 888 participants, with 718 abstracts submitted and 103 Scientific Sessions. At the event, Professor Dr. April Camilla Roslani, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, was appointed as ISW’s Councillor-at-large, with Malaysia announced as the host of the next ISW in 2024.

The Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTS) UMMC organised the International Aortic Surgery Workshop from 15th - 20th August 2022. A unique feature of this year’s event was a live surgery broadcast from the operation theatre in Menara Selatan on 17th and 19th August 2022, led by UMMC’s experienced leading surgeons in performing complex aortic surgery. This live broadcast was viewable from the Clinical Auditorium, Faculty of Medicine, and in other health institutes in ASEAN countries. This free event was attended by various practicing surgeons, registrars, clinical practitioners, researchers, medical students, nurses, research associates, and other health professionals who were keen to obtain an insight on the tips and tricks in conducting aortic surgery.

Organiser: Department of Molecular Medicine
Contact person: Norazlina Abdul Aziz, norazlina@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Central Research Laboratories
Contact person: Noor Nadiah Ahmad Nasharuddin, crlfom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Central Research Laboratories
Contact person: Anis Haziqah Ayop, crlfom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Clinical Oncology Unit, UMM
Contact person: A/Prof Dr. Wan Zamaniah Wan Ishak, wzamaniah@ummc.edu.my

Organiser: MedHEU
Contact person: MedHEU, medheu@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Contact person: Ms. Nurullina Binti Hamdan, nurullina@ummc.edu.my
+603-7949 2814

Organiser: Department of Molecular Medicine
Contact person: Nur Latifah, nurlatifah@um.edu.my

Contact person: Assoc. Prof Dr. Zulkarnain Jaafar, zulkarnainj@um.edu.my

Registration Link: https://ummc-edu-my.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y3t42gy8QHWIXyd7bKeWwg

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Ms. Nurullina Binti Hamdan, nurullina@ummc.edu.my

Organiser: Research Training Unit, FOM
Contact person: Ms. Nurullina Binti Hamdan, rotraining@um.edu.my
03-7967 7515

Contact person: Ms Zulaikha/Mr Sufian, zueleykaleyka@yahoo.com.my
03-7967 7515

Organiser: Department of Parasitology
Contact person: Encik Awang Bukhari, awangbukhari@um.edu.my
03-7967 7515

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Research Training Unit FOM, rotraining@um.edu.my
03-7967 7515

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Research Training Unit, FOM
Contact person: Ms. Nurullina Binti Hamdan, rotraining@um.edu.my
03-7967 7515

Contact person: Dr. Nisha Shariff (nishams@ummc.edu.my), Dr. David Lee, Dr. Nur Fadhlina

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Organiser: Central Research Laboratories
Contact person: Nurul Syahida Abdul Rahman, crlfom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Pharmacology
Contact person: Assoc. Prof Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Mahdi Alshawsh, alshaweshmam@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Contact person: A/Prof Dr. Zulkarnain Jaafar, zulkarnainj@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Parasitology
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Lau Yee Ling, lauyeeling@um.edu.my

Contact person: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zulkarnain Jaafar, zulkarnainj@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Pharmacology
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Wong Pooi Fong, pfwong@ummc.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Nursing Science
Contact person: Nor Zehan Bt Ahmad, norzehan@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Parasitology
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Lau Yee Ling, yllau@ummc.edu.m | icmpe2022@gmail.com
For more information: CLICK HERE

Organiser: Department of Pharmacology
Contact person: A/Prof. Dr. Tan Choo Hock, tanch@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Parasitology
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Lau Yee Ling, lauyeeling@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Venue: Outside of UM (Location to be announced later)
Contact person: A/Prof. Dr. Zulkarnain Jaafar, zulkarnainj@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Pharmacology
Contact person: A/Prof. Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Mahdi Alshawsh, alshaweshmam@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Parasitology
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Lau Yee Ling, lauyeeling@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my

Organiser: Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology
Contact person: Norasikin binti Che Man, shikin_che_man@um.edu.my

Organiser: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU)
Contact person: Animal Experimental Unit (AEU), aeufom@um.edu.my