Towards the end of my Medical Biotechnology degree at IMU, I did a three-month long internship at the Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Centre (TIDREC) at Universiti Malaya (UM). My internship in TIDREC was under the supervision of Dr Adzzie Shazleen Binti Azman and we worked on a project relating to the antibacterial properties of bioactive compounds on various bacteria. I chose to do my internship at TIDREC as I was fascinated by their mission statement: “To advance knowledge by focusing on research in neglected tropical infectious diseases that have potential impact on the global community.” Upon reading it, I was motivated to play a part, no matter how small, in their journey.

Throughout my internship, I carried out various activities, ranging from lab maintenance to conducting multiple well diffusion and disc diffusion assays on several bacteria. The greatest challenge I faced during my internship was unrelated to lab work – even though I had not carried out well diffusion assay before, practical sessions in IMU had given me the confidence to learn a new skill. The challenge I faced was in training the new interns. Three weeks before I ended my internship, I was asked by my supervisor to train the new interns on what I had been doing so they could carry on the work after I left. Despite the lack of experience I had in teaching lab skills, I felt I was up to the task, thanks to the communication skills IMU had instilled in me, whereby, in practical sessions we would communicate with our group members in discussing the methods. More importantly, during our proposal and thesis presentation we had to explain our methods and defend our projects against the questions asked by the examiners. This prepared me to calmly teach the new interns and answer all their queries.

Written by Nawal Akbar Khan (MB1/16).

There is great variability in how universities plan and carry out the educational experiences required of the health professions students.  The reasons for these variability includes the regional and institutional education policy, the accreditation, healthcare needs, internationalisation, global migration, commodification and commercialisation.

The trends in educating the health profession is also evolving to keep in track with the changes in the science and technology globally and the society needs. The future changes in the professions, healthcare, curriculum development and assessments are making the educators in the health professions to face an increasingly challenging environment as they are required to ensure that the training of health professions will suffice the need and benefit future health professionals, society and health services.

Most health professional educators have little, if any, formal teaching training and there are many factors that will influence the health professional educators to seek for training either for professional development or formal qualification. These includes increasing time pressures faced by many teaching physicians and the lack of stable funding for health professional education that takes place outside of the teaching hospital or the institution itself.

At IMU, the Postgraduate Programmes in Health Professions Education (HPE) aims to graduate the health professions practitioners with an in-depth knowledge of educational principles, demonstrating values related to contemporary learning environments and practising internationally benchmarked assessment processes in order to produce leaders and scholars in health professions education. The educational objectives of this programme is to ensure that the graduates will have the opportunities to design and solve educational challenges at their own institution and achieve recognition of their initiatives at the national and regional levels. This programme is not only for healthcare professionals and educators but can be of value to educational managers or administrators who are involved in the many processes of providing better educational programmes at their institution.

This programme is offered both in part time and full time mode with three exit points; Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Master. A carefully designed blend between on-site learning during weekends and online learning provides full-time working adults with the options to plan and fit their studies around their work, family and other commitments.

What Do Our Graduates Think About the Programme?

Recent graduates of IMU Postgraduates Degrees in Health Professions Education stated that by joining this programme, they are now having better perspectives and understanding of educational processes. Therefore, they will ensure that the current practice of educational processes in their programme will conform to the best practice.

Mixture of teaching and learning activities, and the opportunity to engage with international experts in health professions education also provide valuable experience for the students.

The Postgraduate in Health Professions Education programmes are  Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) accredited Level 7. Being a 6* University under the SETARA rating in Malaysia for outstanding achievements, the programmes are periodically reviewed and restructured, keeping in lines with the global standard and need of the hour.

In the IMU BSc (Hons) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry programme, students are given the opportunity to undertake a three-month industrial training. This is a good opportunity for these students to hone their skills as well as to gain a new set of skills.

In 2019,  three students from this programme, Fa’iz Syahir, Lam Ki Yan and Farah Elina took this opportunity to undertake thier industrial training at Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) in Hat Yai, Thailand. These students were placed under the Department of Drug Delivery System Excellence Centre (DDSEC) and were supervised by two amazing, kind and knowledgeable associate professors, A/Prof Teerapol Srichana and A/Prof Chitchamai Ovatlarnporn.

Each of us were assigned to different projects.

The projects which involved recrystallisation were supervised by A/Prof Teerapol Srichana and co-supervised by A/Prof Saowanik Saithong whereas Ki Yan’s research project was supervised by A/Prof Chitchamai Ovatlarnporn.

As part of the learning process, the three students were also given opportunities to utilise the various analytical instruments in DDSEC, such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible light spectroscopy (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Other than that, they were also taught to make their own capillary thin layer chromatography spotters. It can be prepared by heating an old glass pipette and pulling it when it was hot enough and became pliable. This experience has given the students the opportunity to hone their analytical skills as well as gain a new set of skills that was never taught in lectures.

The students’ stay in Thailand was bound to be full of challenges. The most obvious one was the different culture. They needed to be always heedful of their actions as the norm practice in Thailand may be very different from Malaysia. At the same time, since the students were away from home, some of them experienced homesickness. While conducting the project, certain aspects of the project were also relatively new to them and thus, there were fears of jeopardising the entire research project. However, we were fortunate that the staff at the DDSEC would always be there to lend a helping hand when we had any difficulties in our research projects.

As time passes, the three students grew more comfortable being at the University  as members of the DDSEC were kind, helpful and always invited them to join their activities, making them feel like they are a part of the DDSEC team. They brought them to lunch, dinner and countless tours around Songkhla.

All in all, Fa’iz Syahir, Lam Ki Yan and Farah Elina will always feel grateful to be able to conduct their industrial training at Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand. Furthermore, they were able to meet amazing people there and build an unbroken bond with them. The students also acquired tremendous amount of knowledge from them and hope to be able to meet or maybe work with them again.

Their advice to juniors, who may want to undertake their industrial training overseas is to get yourself ready and be open to accept new challenges along the way. Do not be afraid because the people will help you and nurture you to be a better person.

Kuala Lumpur, 4 November 2019 – A humbling and inspiring experience during the acupuncture anatomy workshop at the Academy of Silent Mentor (SILENT MENTOR) that saw the teamwork between Chinese medicine practitioners and western medicine practitioners led to deeper discussions on a working relationship between the International Medical University (IMU) and the SILENT MENTOR. After six months of explorations, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the IMU and SILENT MENTOR that is fuelled by a mutual passion to contribute to the advancement of medical and healthcare treatments through research and exchange of knowledge and expertise.

IMU has partnered with the SILENT MENTOR over the years for its medical students to develop essential skills in performing certain life-saving procedures on the silent mentors and more importantly the acquiring the soft skill component of ‘empathy’. Having introduced the IMU Master of Science (MSc) in Acupuncture in 2018, the first and only postgraduate Acupuncture programme available in Malaysia, students were also given the opportunity to learn from the silent mentors.

In his speech at the signing of the MoU, Dr Ranjit De Alwis, Head of the Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, expressed his appreciation to the SILENT MENTOR on the valuable learning experience gained from working with their team. The Acupuncture programme aims to equip medical and health professionals including Chinese medicine practitioners with the safe practises of acupuncture and scientific investigations in using acupuncture in an integrated environment; be it in surgical or pain management and other healthcare treatments.

“This collaboration will allow us to train better qualified doctors and healthcare practitioners who will experience hands on procedures. This will build their confidence in treating real patients and ultimately contributing back to society by improving techniques and treatments for better care,” said Dr Alwis.

The Silent Mentor programme was launched in Malaysia in 2012 with Prof Chin Kin Fah as a founding director. He was also the Professor of Surgery in the Universiti Malaya. The progamme is a unique tool for medical education. Its vision is to make a difference to the provision of healthcare with the touch of humanism and liberal arts through the altruistic teachings of the Silent Mentors.

“In addition, the concurrent anatomy and basic surgical skills learning serves to contextualise and empower the students’ capacity to empathise with the donors and in addition, helps to bridge the divide between the hard sciences and soft humanities,” said Prof Chin. He also quoted Sir William Osler in his speech – “It is as important to know what kind of man has the disease, as it is to know what kind disease has the man”.

The programme showed that the students who joined the programme had shown that their empathy levels increased over time, independent of the origin of their Universities – one of the intrinsic skills that defines a great doctor.

Both institutions look forward to fostering closer tie for future development of their curriculum, in education, training and research.

Muhamad Faizzuddin Razali passed his SPM in 2011 with flying colours (9As) and received an offer to continue his higher education in the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, (MBBS) at Jordan University and Science Technology (JUST) Irbid. Unfortunately, he was unable to proceed to the second year of the degree due to his failure to maintain a minimum cGPA of 3.50.

Following this, he returned to Malaysia and decided to join the IMU Foundation in Science programme’s inaugural cohort in January 2014. Throughout, the foundation studies, IMU had provided him with multidisciplinary exposure in its teaching and learning activities such as classroom teaching, group discussions and lab work. During his foundation studies, Faizzuddin was very determined and frequently motivates his other friends to study effectively. In addition, Faizzuddin and the other students in this cohort were given the opportunity to observe some of the learning activities from different undergraduate programmes, including Medicine, Dentistry, Chiropractic, Nutrition and Dietetics and many others in the middle of their second semester. Upon completion of his foundation studies in December 2014, he received an offer to pursue his studies in the University’s Chiropractic programme in February 2015 and was thankful that he did not have to wait too long for his undergraduate studies.

Faizzuddin feels that, throughout his studies at IMU, the University environment had nurtured him to become a great leader. Sports and societies in IMU play an important role in shaping and training his leadership skills through the University’s own core values, TRUST. Trustworthiness, Responsiveness, Unity, Service and Tenacity.

During his University days, he served as President for Muslim Society (MSOC) in 2016/2017. He was also a member of the Malay Cultural Society (MCS). He participated in different types of sports for the IMU CUP including Touch Rugby, Swimming, Football, Futsal, Dodgeball and many more from 2016-2019. He proved to be a team player in all sports that he joined. During his leisure time, he enjoys cooking, reading, and swimming. Driven by his passion for cooking, he worked at IMU’s Pandan Serai Café as a cook. During his semester breaks, he will work and serve people in IMU with a delicious traditional Kelantanese Cuisine, Nasi Kerabu.

Upon completion of his studies at IMU in 2019, Faizzuddin received an offer from the then Head of Complementary Centre, Prof Michael Hanline, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof Peter Pook to continue his postgraduate studies while practicing as a Chiropractor in the IMU Healthcare‘s Chiropractic Clinic as well as taking on the role of a junior lecturer. Prior joining IMU, he worked in Craft Co-Wellness Center as a part-time staff.

Faizzuddin is currently appointed as a lecturer in the Chiropractic Division at IMU. He is also a practicing Chiropractor at the IMU Healthcare’s Chiropractic Centre. His professional interests focus on chiropractic care, neuroscience and people with physical disabilities. Currently pursuing his MSc in Medical and Health Sciences at IMU, he is conducting a research project on “Relationship of Biopsychosocial Factors between Functional Recovery Plateau among Post-Stroke Patients”. Apart from that, he was recently appointed as a member of the Beautiful Gait Foundation project where he and his team will be working with people with disabilities. He enjoys his contribution towards society and wish to continuously contribute to the society based on his expertise. He also serves as a Practicing Member for Association of Chiropractic Malaysia, (ACM) as well as a registered Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practitioner (No: P0550/2019).

In the future, he wants to become a good chiropractic scientist in Neuroscience as well as become a research fellow in Chiropractic worldwide.

It’s easy to list foods in our diet and say whether they’re good for us or not, right? But – is it true? Is good or not good true for all of us? And in what context, specifically? And, most importantly – WHY? As a population, we need to ask; how exactly is diet linked to disease? The growing relationship between chronic illness and food means that, increasingly, we are required to know how and why a person’s health needs to change. Modern thinking now suggests that striving to improve health is no longer as simple as “input versus output”. It is substantial to explore and understand the relationship between diets and diseases.

Featuring this, the Institute for Research, Development and Innovation (IRDI) in collaboration with the Centre for Transformative Nutrition and Health (CTNH) of the International Medical University (IMU) had successfully organised a Research Seminar titled UK Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS, 1995-2015): Harnessing Epidemiological Evidence for Diet-Disease Relationships on 3 February 2020 at the IMU Bukit Jalil campus.

The main objective of this seminar was to provide the audience an insight on how diets are actually linked to diseases, particularly cancers. The keynote speaker of this talk was Prof Janet Cade who is a nutritional epidemiologist and currently leading the Nutritional Epidemiology Group at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Also, two other speakers for this talk were Dr Hj Tahir Aris who is the Director of Institute for Public Health as well as Dr Sangeetha Shyam, Senior Lecturer of the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, IMU.

Dr Tahir kick-started the seminar by giving an overview on the nutritional epidemiology in Malaysia. Subsequently, Prof Janet who has been running the UK Women’s Cohort Study for over 20 years, highlighted some of the findings from the cohort study and her newly developed diet assessment methods and tools. Lastly, Dr Sangeetha deliberated on how different dietary patterns are linked to the risk for pancreatic cancer in the UKWCS. This analysis was facilitated by the Pancreatic Cancer Challenge Grant organised by the Centre for Cancer and Stem Cells, IRDI.

A collaborative project between IMU and University of Leeds, the project team consisted of researchers from IMU: Dr Sangeetha Shyam, Dr Tan Seok Shin, Dr Mai Chun Wai, members from the University of Leeds Prof Janet Cade and Dr Darren Greenwood and Malaysian collaborators Foong Ming Moy (UM) and AP Dr. Barakatun Nisak (UPM). The seminar was followed by a session to discuss on the potential collaborations between the ministries and researchers to have further studies on the associations of diets and disease.

The seminar was well-attended by representatives from the Institute for Public Health (IKU), Division of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), Ministry of Health (MOH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Cancer Research Malaysia (Carif), as well as researchers from other institutions including Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), UCSI University, Monash University, and IMU. Indeed, this seminar provided good insights on how diets could link to cancer risks.

Eight students made history on 2 November 2019 as IMU’s first cohort received the Postgraduate Certificate of Business Administration in Healthcare Management at a convocation ceremony. The programme can be studied in three levels and completing the Postgraduate Certificate is the first step before the eight graduands move on to their Postgraduate Diploma and finally Master of Business Administration (MBA).

The programme aims to equip managers with relevant skills to manage the healthcare industry by gaining firm understanding on how to critically assess health systems and healthcare structures, apply core principles of management in the healthcare setting, and to operate within prevailing legal frameworks. The availability of three programme levels (Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Master) allows multiple entry and multiple exit, in line with the mission and vision of the Ministry of Education to improve better access to lifelong learning.

To’ Puan Prof Safurah bt Ja’afar, Programme Director, Healthcare Management, IMU:

“The first cohort of students came from several backgrounds including nursing, quantitative surveyor, biochemist, doctors and management. Eight of the inaugural cohort have graduated with their postgraduate certificate and will seamlessly progress to the Master programme. The programme is working-adult friendly and offers the flexibility for those who want to accelerate their programme and complete the course within 15 months or stretch it out by doing part-time. What the students like is they are able to not only attend the classes virtually but even make their group presentations even if they are outstation or overseas,” said

During these 15 months programme, teaching and learning is delivered and supervised by highly qualified and experienced faculty members to give the rich experiences drawn from them. They will be complemented by industry experts to share their key to success. In this way, students will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from eminent guest lecturers with vast experience from various industries ranging from private hospitals, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas and etc.  Several industrial visits within and outside Malaysia were also organised to enhance knowledge and provide exposure to real business environment.

This programme has a flexible curriculum designed to fit into the working adult lifestyle. Students can choose to complete the programme in 15 months as a full-time student and 2.5 years as a part-time student. This programme uses a blended learning model which offers online study options that are more flexible for the professionals and those wishing for career advancement. With a constellation of teaching and learning activities including lectures, tutorials, case studies, written assignments, group project, presentations and discussion boards, students will be equipped with a rounded understanding of the subject and the issues allowing them to formulate intervention strategies both in class simulation or actual industry base intervention.

Upon receiving the MBA in Healthcare Management at the end of the programme, these graduands would have gained an advantage of not only getting into the business and management job market but with a speciality sought after by the high-demand market of healthcare industries.

Our lecturer, Dr Mai Chun Wai was interviewed twice by CITYPlusFM in February 2020. The first interview saw him sharing about the safe handling of medication, especially on how to store and how to dispose unwanted medication while in the second interview, he speaks about the role of animals in drug discovery and drug development.

Listen to the interviews by clicking on the photos below:

Safe Handling on Medication	Drug Discovery Using Animals

“A founder can carry an institution only so far, and then others have to step in, even the alumni. That’s how an institution becomes one”
Shiv Nadar, philanthropist.

A university campus is where many students have fond memories and experiences. In the process, these students would build a relationship with the university, a relationship that would grow into loyalty. For universities, the love and commitment of alumni members need to be maintained. At the International Medical University (IMU), such a relationship is very important. This has led to a number of activities organised annually for the alumni.

One of these activities is members of the alumni sharing their experiences studying at IMU and on the career of their choice during the University Open Day’s talks. For the first Open Day in 2020, more than 10 alumni were the co-speakers of these talks.

Open Day, 12 January 2020

Alumni Sharing at Lunch with the Deans, 12 January 2020

Alumni Relations Office (ARO) would like to thank the alumni who participated in alumni sharing session in two events last January.

For more news on IMU alumni, do follow our Facebook and Instagram.

Photos by Asyraf Zulkipli, Alumni Relations Office (ARO)

1 August -1 December 2019: International Medical University, Malaysia (IMU) welcomed a student from Thailand’s Prince of Songkla University, Apiwat, as an intern with the Medicinal Chemistry research team. This was the first inbound student to complete a whole semester in IMU. We managed to catch up with Apiwat and this is what he has to say about his experience.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Apiwat for taking his time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. IMU wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

Kuala Lumpur, 13 February 2020 – As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues, numerous information and messages has been seen flooding the digital space. A public forum on COVID-19 was organised by the International Medical University’s IMU Cares office to provide the IMU Community and surrounding communities an update of COVID-19, best practices and preventive measures to take.

The forum opened with an address by IMU’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdul Aziz Baba who welcomed everyone and reminded them in situations such as these, to stay calm and always refer to credible resources such as the Ministry of Health or governing authorities, be vigilant in maintaining good personal hygiene and cleanliness such as washing hands with soap and water or using sanitisers regularly.

The panel discussion was moderated by Prof Khoo Suan Phaik, Associate Dean, Community Engagement, IMU.

The forum started with Prof James Koh who animatedly shared his clinical perspective on COVID-19 infection, putting the audience at ease. He also shared anecdotes on previous case experiences and how such situations were well-managed by good governance and practices. This was followed by Dr Khebir Verasahib, who spoke from the Ministry of Health’s perspective on “What’s Happening on the Ground”. Reinforcing Prof Koh’s perspective, Dr Verasahib provided in-depth insights on all the steps and procedures put in place by the Malaysian Ministry of Health since the outbreak. To date, the Malaysian government has contained the situation and continues to take proactive measures where required. Prof Datuk Dr Lokman who also serves on the WHO Framework Advisory Group for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, expanded on the sharing from the perspective of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Malaysia.

The lively exchange of knowledge, experience and burning questions were addressed accordingly by the panel of speakers. Participants were grateful for the opportunity to understand better the COVID-19 situation and left the auditorium more informed.

Video of the forum: https://youtu.be/N4EXf0w1GmE.

Not everyone has the funds to see them through a medical degree. At International Medical University (IMU), scholarships and bursaries help deserving students to achieve their dreams and fly higher than they ever expected. Dr Chew Chien Yung (MBBS, 2003- 2008) shares how the IMU scholarship helped him start his journey to a fulfilling career and taught him to always give his best.

Now an Occupational Health Physician at PETRONAS Bhd, Dr Chew Chien Yung was born and raised in Sarawak where his father—the family’s sole breadwinner—was a secondary school teacher. Determined not to let his humble origins deter him from his dream of working in the medical field, Dr Chew (“Jack” to his friends) excelled in school and scored well in the STPM examinations, winning a place at a university in his home state to read Marine Biology.

“This was not what I wanted in life,” he says. “I was totally not interested in Marine Biology—not to mention the fact that I didn’t even know how to swim! I wanted to save lives and help people, especially the underprivileged. But because of my family’s own financial situation, I couldn’t enrol in a medical course at a private medical school, so I had to find another way to achieve my burning desire to be a doctor.”

Dr Chew scoured the internet and local newspapers for notices advertising scholarships and educational loans that would help him get into a medical school. Finally, he chanced on an advertisement for a scholarship at IMU in Peninsular Malaysia. “I talked to family friends who had children studying at IMU, and I learned that it was one of the best private medical schools in the country. I printed out the application forms and filled them up right there in my dormitory.”

The scholarship application process was divided into two stages. First, Dr Chew had to submit an essay stating why he wanted to study medicine. Only after this essay was shortlisted would he receive a call to face an interview panel consisting of IMU Deans of Faculty as well as various consultants.

“Frankly speaking, this was one of the toughest interviews I have ever had in my life. I was competing with 500 applicants, and the interview took two or three hours. I was questioned by the best minds at the IMU: Prof Peter Pook, Prof Dato’ Dr P Kandasami, Dr Mei Ling Young, Prof Dr Paul Chen, and others.

“When I was informed that I had been awarded a scholarship to study in IMU, it took me half a day to digest the news. I looked up at the sky and said ‘Oh God, what have I done to deserve this scholarship?’ It was unbelievable.”

Receiving the scholarship “changed my life forever,” Dr Chew said. “I learnt to treasure every moment of my life in achieving my goals. I knew that this scholarship was the best chance I would ever get to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor.” He quickly learnt exactly what planning he needed to do for his five years of study to stay on track until graduation, and by force of discipline he became good at managing his time and planning his activities.

“Overcoming the fear of losing my scholarship was one of the best things to happen during my student days.”

The life of a medical student then was much simpler than it is today, Dr Chew says. There was a strong focus on academic work balanced by many outdoor activities organised on campus. “We were encouraged to be involved in community service from the beginning of our student lives, and there wasn’t much distraction or screen-time compared to what students have today.”

Gaining a scholarship to study at IMU “brought out the best in me and made me a better person especially in terms of focus and results,” he says. “The hardships I faced during the scholarship application process made me learn that no matter how hard a situation is, keep focused and keep on going—keep on learning and appreciating what life has to offer, even in the smallest things. This mental resilience is what brings us far in our careers.

“My personal advice to prospective students seeking for scholarships from IMU is: research the field that you want to apply for. Have some basic understanding of what the field is all about. Secondly, be sincere and tell the story from your own perspective; and finally: give it your best shot as if your life depends on it. All the best!”