MEDIC@UMS BULLETIN If you can’t Fly, Then RUN, If you can’t RUN, then WALK, If you can’t WALK, then CRAWL, But by all means, KEEP MOVING -Martin Luther King Jr November 2019
Table of Contents Editorial Notes -Dean’s Message 01 Academic -The Mega Assembly 02 Internationalization -International Elective Student 03 Research & Innovation -First Innovation Talk 05 Public Health -IBPHC 2019 04 Clinical Service -2nd BQOL Conference 06 Student Affairs -The Annual Health Promotion 07 Administration & Managerial -Program Mutiara Kasih + New staff & Congratulations
Dean’s message Welcome to Volume 1 Issue 1 of Medic@UMS Bulletin! Over the years, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UMS has obtained various achievements to be recognised locally and internationally in teaching, learning, research and innovation. We have also widened our talent pool with excellent local and international lecturers and staffs in the faculty. We hope this bulletin can serve as a platform for us to showcase our achievements as well as to be used as documented proofs of significant events in the faculty. We welcome any suggestions on topics and articles that can be included in the future issues of Medic@UMS. Last but not least, I would also like to thank all the Editorial Board members and other faculty staffs for their time, energy and efforts in making this bulletin a reality. Prof Dr Mohammad Sa!ree Bin Je!ree, Dean of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Chief Editor Dr Eugene Wong Hung Chih ENT Specialist & Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, UMS [email protected] Editorial board members AP Dr Fairrul Bin Masnah@Kadir (Academic) Dr Wan Salman Bin Wan Saudi (Internationalization) Prof Dr John Arnold Urban D’Souza (Research & Innovation) Dr Constance Liew Sat Lin (Clinical Service) AP Dr Syed Sharizman Bin Abdul Rahim (Public Health) Dr Yeap Boon Tat (Student Affairs) Mr Hasmi Bin Hashim (Administration & Managerial) MEDIC@UMS BULLETIN Volume 1 | Issue 1 | November 2019
The UMS Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences have successfully organised our annual Mega Assembly on the 10th of September 2019 at the faculty’s Main Auditorium to welcome all the new students enrolled in various programs for the academic year of 2019/2020. The assembly was led by Professor Dr Mohammad Saffree Bin Jeffree, dean of the faculty, and was attended by 60 Diploma of Nursing students, 90 Doctor of Medicine students and 12 postgraduate students, mainly in Master of Public Health, as well as the faculty’s existing staffs and students. The dean welcomed all the new students in his opening speech and wished them great success as they embark their academic journey in UMS. He also encouraged all the current senior students to continue pursuing academic excellence and urged them to develop into holistic individuals. One of the highlights of the event was when the new students introduced themselves to the faculty and it was exhilarating to meet students coming from various parts of Malaysia and from different schools and institutions. The event was followed by a reading of the Hippocratic Oath by the Doctor of Medicine students and the Nightingale Pledge by the Diploma of Nursing students. AP Dr Fairrul Bin Masnah@Kadir Deputy Dean, Academic & International The Mega Assembly Annual Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences assembly “I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow” -Hippocratic Oath, 1964 ACADEMIC November 2019
Finally, a group photo and video session was held at the faculty’s main roundabout to mark the end of event. To find out more about our faculty’s programs, please visit us at http://www.ums.edu.my/fpsk/ Group photo session after the assembly ACADEMIC November 2019
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences recently welcomed our 51st international elective posting student, Miss Patricia Ting, a year 6 medical student (MBBS) from The University of Adelaide, Australia. Miss Ting completed her 4 weeks elective posting (from 12th August to 6th September 2019) under the supervision of AP Dr Mohd Firdaus Bin Mohd Hayati at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The aim of our elective program is to provide students with opportunities to observe and learn about the wide range of clinical diseases commonly affecting our local Sabahan community. We also hope to cultivate non-clinical skills among the students such as communication skills and teamwork, which are essential in order to provide the best healthcare for our patients. Besides that, we also want our international students to experience the local culture and food during their stay in Sabah. Dr Wan Salman Bin Wan Saudi International Elective Posting Coordinator International Elective Student Medical student from University of Adelaide, Australia INTERNATIONALIZATION November 2019
Student testimonial: What is your major degree and at which year you are now? “My name is Patricia Ting, I am a 6th year medical student (MBBS) #om The University of Adelaide”. Why did you choose this international mobility program from our faculty? “I chose to do a 4-week International Elective Posting via Universiti Malaysia Sabah because I wanted to gain some exposure to medical practice outside of Australia. Having done a% of my medical studies in Adelaide, my university encouraged students to do up to 8-weeks of electives overseas”. What did you learn from this program? “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to work and learn in a new environment with multicultural diversity. It was interesting to observe medical consultations being done in multiple languages as doctors here are a% multilingual. I have learnt some medical terms in both Malay and Chinese. I had the chance to see many conditions prevalent to the community but are less commonly seen in the Australian population. I have been constantly stimulated by fe%ow co%eagues to broaden and consolidate my medical knowledge. I have also been given lots of opportunity to learn and practice procedural ski%s. It wi% benefit to be proactive in seeking these opportunities”. What did you like the most during your stay here? “I enjoyed speaking to local doctors about their ways of practice and seeing how it differs compared to Australia whether it is due to cultural, socioeconomic, location or administrative factors. It is truly an eye opener for me to see the bi'er picture of medical practice around the world. Also, the variety of delicious and cheap food around town is a bonus”. What would you advise the other elective students joining our program in the future? “Be proactive in seeking opportunities to learn. Do not hesitate to ask questions, there are no stupid questions. Most important of a%, enjoy yourself ”. To find out more about our faculty’s elective program, please email us at [email protected] INTERNATIONALIZATION November 2019
The UMS Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences had the privilege of having Associate Professor Dr Jidon Adrian Janaun, a senior lecturer at the UMS Faculty of Engineering with 5 commercialised intellectual properties (IPs), to give us an informative talk on his successful experience in innovation on 23rd of August 2019 at the faculty’s Main Auditorium. This event was also broadcasted live to those who could not attend in person via our faculty’s official Facebook page (@Medic Ums) as we transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The aim of the talk was to provide an insight into the world of innovation, so that we can learn how to translate and transform an innovative idea into a patented and commercialised end product, and apply those valuable tips to our own innovative projects in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in the future. Dr Eugene Wong Faculty Innovation Coordinator Lecturer and clinical specialist in ENT First Innovation Talk From the Lab to the Factory-A testimony can be repeated RESEARCH AND INNOVATION November 2019
“Be ready to learn something new and move beyond your specialisation to meet the public demand” We learnt that it is crucial to think outside the box when it comes to innovation, where we should always be willing to move beyond our specialisation to meet the public demand. AP Dr Jidon also taught us various ways to secure grants, the key differences between publication and commercialisation and the importance of helping investors or companies see the potential in our projects and work closely with them to minimise any risks that may arise. Above all, we learnt that persistence and perseverance is essential in the field of innovation and we should always involve the university in every steps in order to go far. This talk has also further strengthened our work relationship with the Faculty of Engineering and provide us more opportunities for future collaborations with them. To find out more about our upcoming innovation talk or if you are interested in becoming a speaker, please contact me at [email protected] AP Dr Jidon Adrian Janaun explaining different ways of getting grants to fund an innovation RESEARCH AND INNOVATION November 2019
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) hosted the second Borneo Quality of Life Conference (BQOL) from 28th to 30th August 2019. This event was facilitated by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, with the support of other co-organisers, namely the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Heritage and the Sabah State Health Department. This conference brought every strata of society together: researchers, practitioners, professionals, students, retirees, statisticians, faculty, and people of all ages from all parts of the world, with an interest in exploring quality-of-life, happiness, and wellbeing. This was in line with the mission of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, which has been in existence since 1995. Keynote speakers included Prof Daniel Shek from Hong Kong, a pioneer in Chinese Quality of Life research and the chief editor of “Applied Research in Quality of Life”; Dr Nurhayati Ali, senior psychiatrist and national coordinator of MENTARI, which aims to improve outreach and reintegration of people with mental health problems; and our very own Ms Jannie Lasimbang, the Sabah Assistant Dr Nicholas Pang Deputy Chairperson, BQOL Lecturer and psychiatrist 2nd Borneo Quality of Life Conference Quality Rights for Quality of Life: Past, Present and Future CLINICAL SERVICE November 2019
Minister for Law and Native Affairs, who was a founding member of the PACOS trust, which supports the indigenous people of Sabah and has been a grassroots activist and campaigner for over 20 years. She was also the former Human Rights Commissioner of Malaysia. The event was closed by Datuk Frankie Poon, our own Sabah Minister of Health and People’s Wellbeing, who in his speech delivered his vision for Sabah healthcare, with a dream of quality mental health for all. During this event, a democratic process of soliciting ideas from the general public was done in 4 tracks: relationships and family life, empowerment and human rights, sustainable development, and QOL research directions. NGO workers, mental health advocates, academicians, healthcare workers, and members of the public with special interests, congregated each afternoon and discussed crowdsourced, viable measures to improve quality of life. A memorandum to improve QOL in Sabah was presented by Prof Helen Lasimbang, our chairperson, both verbally and physically, to the Minister for his further consideration and action. There were 5 documentaries interspersed throughout the programme, with themes ranging from race relations, monopoly of essential infectious disease medications, to equality in cleft lip palate repairs. Smile Train, an international NGO focusing on cleft palate repairs around the world, even came to host Smile Pinki, an Academy Award winning documentary about that issue. Also not forgetting every afternoon – when Preet Kalsi, music therapist at Jesselton Medical Centre, led a rousing drum circle performance to end the day. We look forward to hosting the 3rd BQOL next year, in preparation for ISQOLS 2022 – next year’s theme is “Quality of Life Across the Ages”, focusing on QoL in the youth and the elderly. Stay tuned for more Quality of Life, provisionally in September 2020! To find out more about the upcoming 3rd BQOL and ISQOLS 2022, please contact me at [email protected] Board games for brain fitness test at the conference CLINICAL SERVICE November 2019
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, together with the co-organisers, Infectious Disease Society Kota Kinabalu (IDSKK) and Persatuan Perubatan Desa (PERDESA), successfully hosted the 1st International Borneo Healthcare and Public Health Conference and the 4th Borneo Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Congress (IBPHC 2019) from 3rd to 5th September 2019. The event was officiated by the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, YBhg Prof Datuk Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin. IBPHC 2019 had put in place an interesting programme with renowned local and international speakers covering a wide range of topics including infectious diseases, communicable and non-communicable diseases, family health, mental health, occupational and environmental health. There were 2 keynote speeches, 2 plenaries and 36 symposium lectures during this event. This was the first time both clinical and public health professionals as well as members of local communities came AP Dr Syed Sharizman bin Abdul Rahim Lecturer and specialist in public health 1st International Borneo Healthcare & Public Health Conference and 4th Borneo Tropical Medicine & Infectious Disease Congress 2019 New Frontiers in Health: Expecting the Unexpected PUBLIC HEALTH November 2019
together for a combined conference in Borneo. Keynote speakers included Dr Jacqueline Lo Ying-Ru, the WHO Representative for Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore as well as Datuk Dr Christopher K C Lee, the Deputy Director General of Health (Research & Technical Support) from Ministry of Health in Malaysia. The pre-conference workshops offered four hands-on sessions from the experts including manuscript writing, basic statistical methods, R-programming, and qualitative approach in research. These topics were beneficial especially for the new researchers to improve their knowledge and skills. This conference also provided a stepping stone for more research collaborations in the future that will not only benefit the state of Sabah but the international arena as well. The abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference would also be published in the Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (MJMHS), which is indexed in SCOPUS. We were also honoured to host YB Datuk Dr Yusof bin Yacob, the Sabah’s Minister of Education and Innovation at the conference’s Gala Dinner. With the success of the 1st IBPHC 2019, the faculty is looking forward to organising the conference annually. This has been a great platform for convening experts, leaders, policy makers and young researchers to share ideas and discuss solutions to issues in the fields of public health and medicine. To find out more about the upcoming IBPHC 2020, please contact me at [email protected] Sabah’s Minister of Education and Innovation at the Gala Dinner PUBLIC HEALTH November 2019
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences organized the annual health promotion activity (EC 1773) from 19th to 29th August 2019. This event was participated by all the first year medical and nursing students with their accompanying supervisors, as part of their academic programme, to involve them in health promotion activities in the community. There were 160 students who were divided into 10 smaller groups according to different villages in Ranau and Kundasang. The villages that participated in this activity were Kampung Poring, Lohan, Mesilou, Sinisian, Bundu Tuhan, Sinisian, Kauluan, Kibbas, Kilimu, Lembah Permai and Togudon Baru. During this event, the students organized various health promotional activities such as health talks, teaching sessions on Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Self Breast Examination techniques (SBE) , basic health screening, hand washing and teeth brushing sessions to the school children. These activities were supported by various companies such as Dutch Lady Milk Industries that sponsored 60 cartons of fresh milk, Moma Water, Mart 99 and Pharmaniaga Bhd. Besides that, the students also conducted several communitybased researches, which were presented at the faculty level and sent for journal publications. Dr Yeap Boon Tat Deputy Dean for Student Affairs & Community Network The Annual Health Promotion Promoting good health in Ranau and Kundasang STUDENT AFFAIRS November 2019
Overall, the students were very happy that they were able to apply their basic medical knowledge to the villagers during this event. The students have all exhibited good leadership, cooperation and understanding among themselves, which made this event successful. We look forward to organising this annual event again in 2020 to continue playing our part in promoting health among villagers in rural parts of Sabah. Student testimonials: “ We enjoyed our stay in Kg Sinisian, Kundasang and were able to interact we! among the students and vi!agers. It was truly an eyeopener for us to be independent and experience the difficult lives of the rural vi!agers. It was also a good training for me as a group leader, to plan and lead my group we!. And luckily, a! my group members were cooperative and understanding,” -Mohd Nazmirruddin, Ipoh, Perak. “I love the scenic view of my Kg Kilimu, Ranau. It is so breath taking and $esh, $ee $om po!ution. In addition, the vi!agers were very cooperative and welcoming to us. They even sent us local $uits such as durians and rambutans daily!” -Ms Tracy, local Sabahan To find out more about the upcoming health promotion activities, please contact me at [email protected] CPR session during the health promotion event STUDENT AFFAIRS November 2019
A group of 135 volunteers from UMS comprising of staffs and students were involved in a community engagement at the island of Mantanani, Kota Belud, Sabah from 28th February to 3rd March 2019. This event, also known as Program Mutiara Kasih, was led by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences under the tutelage of the then Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) and the head of Program Mutiara Kasih, Prof Dr Shahrif Yusof, with collaboration from other government agencies such as TLDM, DBP Cawangan Sabah, APMM, PPD Kota Belud and IPD Kota Belud. Our faculty had provided 15 medical personnel and medical lecturers to support this program, which included specialists in various fields, senior nurses and senior medical and nursing students. This event was officiated by YB Datuk Dr Yusof bin Yacob, the Sabah’s Minister of Education & Innovation at the Solar Hall, SK Pulau Mantanani. The event was also attended by YB Pn Jennifer Lasimbang, Sabah’s Deputy Minister of Education & Innovation, Pn Aminah Awang Basar, Director of Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka Cawangan Sabah and around 300 village folks and students of SK Pulau Mantanani. Mr Hasmi Bin Hashim Program Mutiara Kasih coordinator Deputy Registrar, Administration and Finance UMS Community Engagement in Mantanani Island Program Mutiara Kasih ADMINISTRATION & MANAGERIAL November 2019
Many interactive activities were held during this event such as education talks on fish bombing by APMM, Basic Hospitality, Waste Management, health promotion and screening, beach cleanup program, tree planting session and a puppet workshop. About half of the participants also had the opportunity of their lifetime to board a TLDM warship called KD Selangor. The final activity was the Cultural Night led by Dr Mohd Puad Bebit, with various cultural dances, singing contests, poem reading, puppet show as well as a mini demonstration on “ecobricks”, a plastic bottle eco management education, by YB Pn Jennifer Lasimbang. It was pointed out by Prof Dr Shahril Yusof that this was the first community engagement collaborative project between UMS and several government agencies, especially the TLDM Eastern Fleet, on Sabah island. The Program Mutiara Kasih coordinator, Mr Hasmi Bin Hashim, expressed utmost gratitude to the TLDM Eastern Fleet and Marine Borneo Research Institute for making sure the sea journey of UMS staffs went smoothly as well as providing all participants with group insurance during this event. Similarly, Cikgu Yatan Binua, the Headmaster of SK Pulau Mantanani thanked UMS for organising this educational program in his school and hope for future collaboration between UMS and the people at the island again. To find out more about Program Mutiara Kasih, please contact me at [email protected] Sabah’s Minister of Education officiating the event
New Staff Welcome 1. Dr Pradip A/L Subramaniam • (1st July 2019: Internal Medicine) 2. Prof Dr Hamidah Hassan • (5th August 2019: Nursing) 3. Associate Prof Dr Nabil Ahmed Saleh Eid • (23rd August 2019: Biomedical Science & Therapeutic) 4. Mdm Jainuh Anda • (1st July 2019: Assistant Science Officer (C29)) Wedding Congratulations Dr Meryl Grace Lansing • (24th August 2019) ADMINISTRATION & MANAGERIAL November 2019