2 May 2015 – More than one hundred people showed up for the health screening activities at Section 17/13, Petaling Jaya which was held in conjunction with AMSA-IMU Health Day 2015. The event was aimed at promoting awareness on non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes etc.

A group comprising 19 medical students, 5 dietetics with nutrition students, 1 dietitian and 4 medical doctors from International Medical University (IMU) volunteered on that day to measure blood pressure, blood glucose levels, body mass index, give dietetic advice, perform physical examinations, as well as educate the public regarding certain diseases. The four medical doctors from IMU were Dr Nyunt Wai, Dr Tun Yee, Dr Kumarswamy Kademane and Dr Arun Kumar (AMSA-Advisor).

A week prior to the event, volunteers did door-door information dissemination on the upcoming event. On the health screening day, AMSA-IMU volunteers visited a nearby market to encourage residents to participate in this event.

This was the first time AMSA IMU conducted health screening activity on the AMSA Health Day at Section 17, Petaling Jaya. Given the long weekend, the team was delighted (and surprised) to receive a great response from the residents as over a hundred people showed up! This was more than half of the expected residents from the locality.

This success would not have been possible without the hard work and effort of all the volunteers, dietitian and doctors. The team also greatly appreciate the support of the IMU Student Representative Council and Student Services Department in this event.

International Medical University (IMU) Medical Student, Yong Zen Zuan, had the opportunity to attend the Asian Medical Students’ Conference (AMSC) in Singapore. He recalls fondly his experience of attending the conference.

“After having gone through Asian Medical Students’ Conference (AMSC), I realised how much of the world has made me feel even smaller. Those few days have been both pleasant and mind boggling to the extend I was just speechless. It wasn’t just about the greater technological advancement in Singapore. I was already expecting the fact to be unwaveringly true, but it was the effort, planning and teamwork which filled me with amazement and awe.

The structure of the conference was thoroughly well planned out, there were barely any form of hiccups along the way and I reaffirm to this standing point that it was that they really took the time to expect the unexpected and to have backup plans which really made the whole conference run really well. If I were to elaborate on that, it was that we were never late. We never had to experience any form of inefficiency shown by many different conferences I had gone through in the past and I believe that this key value is what really makes the conference a whole.

The people throughout this whole conference that I have met and the experience that they have given me will always be engraved deep within my heart. Frankly speaking, I am an outgoing person. However, this group of comrades were the ones that really took my values out, and moulded them thoroughly throughout the entire conference. From my point of view, new friends will always give a fresher feeling, they tend to notice the good points in you first before progressing, and I have to admit that it is this quality which made me more enthusiastic in making new friends.

We will always have some kind of respect towards newly made friends, always trying to weigh the pros and cons before stating an actual fact or disagreement. It is through this that I can see will really help those who are behind the closet most of the time to come out and feel different. Our shyness and pessimistic attitude will always be our downfall, as medical caregivers, I believe that in time, we will have to tune in into different situations, and that will help us bring out the confidence and strength we need to carry on with our daily routine.

The above two are things which I would prefer to highlight as the qualities which should come within medical professions such as us, and we ought to learn the simple things as even an ant can teach us where true strength really lies.

The conference highlighted mainly on geriatric medicine. To be honest, anyone would feel a bore as it really does not sound appealing in the eyes of many. But NUS students have really done a good job in making me realise that this sort of thinking is really wrong. Noticing how well organised Singapore’s healthcare is as I was a part of it for the few days really gave me a new burning desire to aid these people. The smiles on the elderly was really the fruit of this conference. Though many would seem to look at caring for elderlies a burden, I really think of it as more of a responsibility and respect towards those who have already sacrificed part of their life for the future of their grandchildren.

I realised that life isn’t so simple after all, you may have all the clinics, doctors and technological advancement, but if the heart and mind-set does not change, it will really be the downfall of the healthcare. Singapore’s efforts to assist this is in fact remarkable. If only I was blessed with the opportunity of it, I would really love to stay on in Singapore and receive their information and never-ending ideas to improve and advance.

This conference has not only given me valuable information, but a much purer heart called ‘love’. We seem to always forget the minor things in life, that in the end, obstacles will then find ways to always breaks us down. But if we have this sort of mentality, I believe, we as medical students currently will be given new light to grow and further on receive the motivation, to be the role model and the best caregiver there is in the world.”

An IMU Alumnus, Dr Khoo Teck Kim is currently an Endocrinologist and Metabolism Specialist at the Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, Iowa, United States of America. He is also an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Endocrinology, Des Moines University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology (FACE) and Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD).

Dr Khoo started his foray in medicine when he joined the then International Medical College (now known as International Medical University – IMU) in 1996. He studied the first two and a half years at the University before transferring to University of Calgary, Canada, where he graduated in 2001 with his Doctor in Medicine (M.D.).

“IMC (it wasn’t a university yet when I left) was the stepping stone from which my medical curiosity and career took off, and provided me with friendships, physician friends with whom I still stay in touch.”

Upon graduation, Dr Khoo spent a few months teaching at IMU Bukit Jalil while preparing for interviews. He successfully obtained a placement in the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine for Internal Medicine in 2002. He then underwent his fellowship training in endocrinology and metabolism at the Mayo Clinic, which is ranked as the number 1 institution in the USA for the field of endocrinology.

“I like physiology and working things out in the mind. So, Endocrinology would be a natural choice – it is a very cerebral specialty with a lot of problem solving and not too much direct action. Also family time was important to me so this is also a specialty that allows for it.”

Dr Khoo has been active in volunteer work and helped establish the Salvation Army Free Diabetes Clinic in Rochester when he was a trainee. He was also involved in providing medical assistance in the post-Hurricane Katrina catastrophe as part of Mayo Clinic’s team to New Orleans as the healthcare infrastructure remained devastated even 1.5 years after the hurricane; this was one of the most fulfilling experiences of his career so far.

Dr Khoo tells us more in this interview.

What is your motivation to be so successful?
I don’t consider myself very successful at all – I’m doing OK, and I’m satisfied. But my motivations are simple: family, and my belief that life is short, and we should make a difference while we can. My parents always supported me though afar, and encouraged me to go as far as I possibly can and I would never be here if it wasn’t for them. And now, I have a wife who understands the needs of my job, and how I feel about my patients. The Mayo Clinic’s logo of the 3 shields represent patient care, research and education, and this has been a guiding principle for me even today, something that I try to remember even 7 years after graduation.

Indeed, Dr Mayo once said, “The best interest of the patient is the only interest to consider..”. It is something I strongly still believe in.

How do you think your time in IMC have helped you in this achievement?
It was the first of many steps; it provided the foundation to which more was added. It gave me confidence, that the unknown was not something to be feared, that we can always learn more, and we should not let that overwhelm us.

Your future plans
To be more involved in the training of our young doctors, and to be more scholarly active.

Your advice to those who are aspiring to be doctors
It’s a long journey. After all, if someone had told me when I started at IMC in 1996 that it would take 12 years before I would complete my training, I’d probably have found a different career altogether! However the key is to not look too hard at the big picture, but to take it one step at a time. It’s discouraging to think of things in terms of 5-10 years. But one day at a time, anyone can do it.

20-30 July 2015 – Accompanied by 4 Faculty members and 1 external volunteer, 30 students from IMU embarked on a 10-day community service mission to Myanmar. The Myanmar-IMU Collaborative Community Project (MICCP) is currently in its second year. The first two days were spent on preparations for mission work as well as University of Medicine 1 campus visits, followed by the 5 days of mission work, and ending with 3 days of sightseeing in Bagan.

MICCP participants donating school uniforms to the Wet Chaung village primary school children

The team comprised of 30 students of different nationalities from various programmes which included Medicine, Pharmacy, Dietetics and Nutrition, Chiropractic and Psychology. Faculty members who participated in this project included Dr Ni Ni Win, Dr Edward Crowther, Dr Htar Htar Aung as well as the recently retired Prof Hla Yee Yee who gladly joined us for our village work. We were also honoured to have 2 Burmese dentists from the Myanmar Dental Association joining us in our team.

We returned to Wet Chaung village located in Kyaunggone Township, Irrawaddy state, Myanmar this year. Extensive project planning and fundraising were implemented since March this year. Chosen student participants not only had to do preparation work for the planned activities, but also be heavily involved in pledge card fundraising, of which they had to collect donations outside of IMU. Thanks to their dedicated effort as well as generous donations from clubs and Faculty staff, we managed to raise an astounding RM18903.19. The money raised was used to buy milk powder for 110 elderly and 143 children below 5 years old, library furniture, books and first-aid items for the village school; a refrigerator as well as 1 solar panel for its electricity supply for the hospital; stationery and school uniforms for the school children; vitamin supplements for pregnant women; toothbrushes, mosquito nets, boots for the villagers; and miscellaneous items for the monastery.

IMU students interacting with University of Medicine 1 academic staff in the anatomy dissection practical session

We also allocated RM350 to be donated to University of Medicine 1’s anatomy dissection room, as well as funds to purchase dental screening kits to be used in our health screening event. IMU Cares supported us tremendously by lending us and sponsoring health screening equipment and health record cards, whilst we also received toothpaste from IMU Oral Health Centre and Zantel deworming medications from Dentsu.
Unlike last year’s pioneer committee where the primary challenge lied in obtaining approval for project implementation, this year’s committee’s even tougher responsibility was to meticulously plan for and execute mission work that were able to address the village’s needs and improve its welfare on a long-term basis. Our main objective, thus, was to build and expand on this project’s long-term feasibility, with a pioneering focus on educational resource provision for the village school, children’s general health and village community health education.

Upon the first day of arrival in Wet Chaung, the aforementioned library furniture and books were donated to the village school to cater to its lack of educational facility. We were also shown the solar panel donated to the institution by last year’s MICCP Committee. We taught the teachers there how to do book cataloguing and the manual borrow-return logbook system to allow for independent facility management.

IMU medical student doing colour vision test for a child

Myanmar Dental Association dentist doing a dental check for primary school children

On the subsequent day, we conducted a station-based nutritional assessment among the village schoolchildren to gauge their nutritional status, whereby BMI, blood pressure, colour blindness, vision acuity, general physical examinations and dental screening were carried out. Health screening for all adult villagers was held in the monastery on the next day. The student participants played an active role in administration in terms of crowd facilitation and ushering, as well as demonstration of basic clinical skills competencies. There was heart-warming interprofessional learning at play among the student participants, as those from other courses were actually implementing the clinical skills taught to them by their fellow medical teammates.

On the fourth day of our stay in the village, we conducted health education among the villagers in the village school. From last year’s health screening data compilation, we acknowledged that hypertension and diabetes are considerably prevalent among the villagers. Hence, these 2 conditions were among the topics for dissemination, along with hypercholesterolaemia, diarrhoea and cholera, oral cancer as well as general topics such as hand washing, food pyramid and teeth brushing. In the afternoon, two talks were conducted simultaneously in two different classrooms, of which first aid education were taught to high school students and teachers, and female health education strictly for female villagers. The latter was of particular interest, as the targeted audience was surprisingly receptive towards sensitive topics of self-breast examination, menopause and sexual health and family planning.

Chiropractic students providing musculoskeletal disorders assessment and treatment to villagers
The chiropractic programme at IMU sent a delegation of six chiropractic interns and one clinical supervisor. On the second day of the visit to the village, the chiropractic team set up a clinic at the community health centre. Over the next day, they provided assessment and treatment to over 175 villagers. Treatment was directed towards a wide variety of musculoskeletal complaints with positive response to treatment achieved in most cases. Villagers were provided education on effective self-management strategies to better help them manage their complaints. Detailed clinical records were generated for each villager who attended to provide a foundation for further care over the next few years’ visits by the team.

MICCP participants playing football with schoolchildren in the rain

MICCP participants planting teak around the village school compound

The project participants were also enthusiastically engaged in teaching English to the schoolchildren in a two-to-three hour session, as well as precious bonding moments with them through dances and song-singing in cultural exchange and the unforgettable football-playing in the heavy rain. Rudimentary Burmese words and phrases were also picked up along the way. We started a “Go Green Campaign” this year by planting teak around the school compound.

To be involved in this project for the second time as both participant and committee member is testimony itself to how enriching and eye-opening this project is. We were exposed to the overhanging reality of disparity between rural-to-urban population ratios and healthcare access. Furthermore, we experienced first-hand the limitations of community health interventions, and were given the opportunity to acquire and refine organisation, planning and leadership skills to attempt to overcome those limitations and maximise intervention efficacy under circumscribing circumstances.

Learning to work with others was among the few important qualities emphasised throughout. While ‘extending love beyond nations’ and making our small impact in the lives of those who are underprivileged, we received much more in return – an insightful exploration and development of ourselves, our capabilities and potential as future healthcare professionals through humanity.

This article is written by one of the participants, Tan Chia Ee (Jernell) on behalf of all IMU participants.

Related article: IMU Cares : A Myanmar – IMU Collaborative Community Project

5 November 2015 – IMU’s Dean, School of Medicine, YBhg Prof Dato’ Dr (Mrs) Kew Siang Tong was a panel member of the Consensus Roundtable Discussion at the 3rd Women’s Health Summit organised by Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

The Consensus Roundtable Discussion was chaired by YBhg Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz with the main focus to recommend policy innovations and to enhance healthcare coverage which is critical to address the issues plaguing the increasing number of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Among the issues discussed were funding / insurance for patients / survivors with breast cancer, including disease diagnosed at zero stage and prosthesis and re-construction surgery (which are currently not covered by insurance). Following this will be the submission of the Consensus report to the various policymakers and regulators to garner their commitment and support these issues. The ultimate goal is to help breast cancer survivors regain self-confidence and reintegrate back society.

The 3rd Women’s Health Summit, with special focus on Breast Cancer, saw participation from many experts, thought leaders and prominent women. Session topics at the summit included “Getting Those Zzzzzs: Sleep your way to better health” and “Dancing In The Rain, Reaching For the Rainbow” – on states of relaxation and self-hypnosis. The event also featured a fashion parade, themed “Walk with Courage” by Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA), supported by Pfizer and Zang Toi.

The Summit received an encouraging response from more than 280 participants from diverse backgrounds, with participation and support from various proponents of health including the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development; Ministry of Health; Medical Associations and Practitioners and the Civil Society. Organised at Eastin Hotel, Petaling Jaya, this year the Summit was officiated by Datuk Hajah Azizah Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Mohd Dun, Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community. A special Guide to Breast Awareness and Wear It Pink Mobile Application were launched to mark the event and to support the objectives of the Wear It Pink campaign.

31 October, 2015 – A state level celebration and awareness programme in conjunction with World Mental Health Day was organised by the Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban and the State Health Department of Negeri Sembilan. This programme, which was open to the public, was supported by IMU Cares and was conducted at the Club House, Seremban 2.

The objective of the event was to create better understanding of mental health issues with a focus on symptoms of mental illnesses and mental health preventive measures. Prof Philip George, Dr Shane Varman and Dr Selvi recruited International Medical University medical students for this event. These students prepared the flyers and pamphlets that were distributed at the event.

On the day of the event, we helped to distribute the pamphlets and also to usher and register participants. The event was also educational in terms of promoting awareness about the social stigma that people with mental illness face in their daily lives. Aside from educating the public about mental illness, the hospital helped promote healthy lifestyle measures pertinent to the prevention and also mangement of mental illnesses. There was also a programme to educate the members of the public with regards to the correct usage of medication as well as the importance of the use of certified medication.

A blood donation drive was also held and 3 of our volunteers signed up and donated blood. Overall, it was a beneficial event and helped to highlight an area of medicine that is often neglected. It was in keeping with the theme this year for World Mental Health Day which is Dignity in Mental Health.

28 October 2015 – Five Semester 3 IMU medical students volunteered to participate in a Reader’s Theatre Workshop at Sekolah Kebangsaan Methodist. The workshop was led by Crescentia Morais from IMU’s Language, Communication and Culture Department, who first taught these students about Reader’s Theatre.

“Each of us were assigned to a group consisting of Standard 6 students, who had just completed their UPSR. Each group was given a scripted story, for which they were assigned different characters, and given the opportunity to perform. We started off the event by doing vocal exercises with the students, followed by acting out one of the stories for them, to give them an idea of what Reader’s Theatre is about. A vocabulary quiz was then given at the end of their rehearsals, where they were introduced to new words that were included in their respective stories. The workshop started around 9am, and lasted till 1.30 pm, when the children had to leave in time for the school bus.”

“In general, my batchmates felt that the event went well, and that we learnt a lot from this workshop. This event has given us the opportunity to improve our communication skills, especially with children. At first, we were fearful that the children would not want to participate, but we were wrong. They seemed very enthusiastic about the workshop and it was not difficult to work with them. We also felt that the workshop has put our leadership skills to the test, as we had to encourage students who were shy to speak up, and guide the groups with confidence during their rehearsals.”

“Having students who were very timid and reserved to speak up and perform in a crowd would be the biggest accomplishment of this event. However, there were some shortcomings. We felt that we could have been more engaging towards them by being more mentally prepared, and that we needed to be more eloquent in Malay so that we could build a better rapport with Malay students who were not confident with their English. Also, some of us feel that conducting a drama workshop would be more interesting, and that we needed more time with the students, as the stories chosen were too long. In summation, the coaches agree that the objectives of the workshop was met, and we are glad to have been given the opportunity to take part in it.”

1 January 2016 – A new year, a new management.

As we usher in the New Year, it also marks an exciting new phase for the International Medical University (IMU). Officially taking office as Vice-Chancellor (CEO) of IMU Education is Prof Abdul Aziz Baba who was previously the Vice-President responsible for the Medical and Dental programmes. Prof Aziz joined IMU Education in July 2013.

Prof Aziz takes over from Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman whose term as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IMU Education ends on 31 December 2015. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar will remain as the President of IMU Health Sdn Bhd, the parent company overseeing IMU Education, IMC Education and IMU Healthcare.

During the handover ceremony on 16 December 2015, a simple but very meaningful event, Tan Sri was seen officially handing over the “baton” to Prof Aziz. In his speech, Tan Sri impressed upon the need to look forward to the future and to continue providing excellence in service. He also reinforced, that as a niche medical and healthcare university, both staff and students must value health and benefit the community by providing continuous health promotion and disease prevention. And as an educational institution, to strive for scholarship – the creation of knowledge and leaders.

Reflecting over the last 15 years under the leadership of Tan Sri as CEO of IMU Education, IMU saw exponential growth and development. This covers not only the expansion of the medical and dentistry programmes but looking at health in an integrated and holistic manner by establishing the Chiropractic (only one in Southeast Asia) and Chinese Medicine programmes as well as the Oral Health Centre and other clinics under IMU Healthcare. The IMU also used its physical space creatively with vibrant colours to reflect the teaching and learning activities that are carried out in an open concept, encouraging teamwork.

In Prof Aziz’s acceptance speech, he thanked the management and team for the honour given to him and he will strive to continue the leadership that Tan Sri had developed. He shared the vision on the various challenges and strategies to take IMU Education to the next level and the need to prepare our students to meet the changing landscape and needs of the medical and healthcare industry while nurturing ethical and caring professionals to deliver safe and effective healthcare in the communities we live in.

We congratulate Prof Aziz and all the other appointees taking up their new positions from 1 January 2016:

• Dr Mei Ling Young – Deputy Vice- Chancellor, International & Engagement
• Prof Peter Pook – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic
• Prof Victor Lim – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education
• Prof Mak Joon Wah – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research
• Prof Toh Chooi Gait – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Development
• Prof Winnie Chee – Dean, School of Health Sciences
• Prof Chin Beek Yoke – Associate Dean, School of Health Sciences
• A/Prof Tan Eng Lai – Acting Associate Dean (Admissions)
• A/Prof Stefan Kutzsche – Acting Director, IMU Centre for Education (ICE)
• Dr Wong Pei Se – Acting Dean, School of Pharmacy

Click here to read the profiles of Prof Aziz and the other appointees.

6 December 2015 – More than 30 IMU medical students from its Clinical School in Seremban participated as volunteers in the annual World AIDS Day (WAD) event at the Palm Mall Shopping Centre in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The annual event, in conjunction with the World AIDS Day on 1 December every year, was jointly organised by the Departments of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban (HTJS), and the Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical School, IMU. The event was also supported by various pharmaceutical companies, affiliated governmental agencies and non-governmental agencies active in HIV/AIDS work.

Activities during the event included a flash mob performed by IMU students, health screening, a Zumba session, exhibitions, coloring contest for children, blood donation campaign and lucky draws. IMU students were involved in the health screening and distribution of pamphlets with information about HIV and AIDs to the public. By the end of the day, more than 400 members of the public have been reached for health screening and more than 50 people donated blood.

The theme for the event was ‘Getting to Zero’, which is the UNAIDS Strategy for 2011 – 2015, namely to achieve zero new infections, zero AIDS-related death and zero discrimination. The event was graced by the State Health Director, Dr Abdul Rahim b Abdullah and the head of Department of Medicine, HTJS, Dato’ Dr Gun Suk Chyn.

Third year IMU medical student, Andy Chuang, had the opportunity to undergo a 4-week medical elective at Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Here, he relates to us his experience in Taiwan.

Healthcare in Taiwan is different as compared to Malaysia or the UK. General Practice (GP) sector is nowhere to be seen in Taiwan therefore due to the lack of filter, anyone with any medical condition can present themselves and demand for medical treatment at the hospital. Most of these cases were referred to the Outpatient Clinic located at the Accident & Emergency Department.

In addition, Taiwan has its own integrated National Health Insurance (NHI). It was founded based on the concept of mutual assistance and depends on the insured paying their premiums according to regulations. By law, every Taiwanese citizen with official residency or foreign nationals living in Taiwan with a resident certificate, regardless of age, gender, or employment status, must enroll into the programme. When people fall ill, the government uses the premiums it receives to help patients pay part of their medical and medication costs to the contracted healthcare institutions.

Although born a Taiwanese, I never had the chance to expose myself to the healthcare system in Taiwan. While waiting for my transfer to University of Dundee UK, I had the privilege to spend a total of four weeks at the Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Hepatobiliary, Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital under the Faculty of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University. The Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital is currently the largest medical center and considered as the most prestigious institution of medical education in the Southern region of Taiwan.

It was a great honor for me to learn at their institution and gain new experiences that I have never encountered before.

Work started at 7:30am every day, where I would join the clerk, intern and resident doctors for a meeting. Each morning one or two patient’s case would be discussed by the patient’s doctor in charge. To make the session more exciting, the presenting doctor would sometimes throw questions to the audiences (targeting the young doctors and clerk mainly). This is where I obtained a lot of clinical knowledge and take home messages. Besides ward work and following my mentor, I was able to join lectures and tutorials with medical students from the Faculty of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University.

All consultations with patients and ward round discussions were conducted in Chinese and Hokkien, which I took some time to adapt myself to an ‘all Chinese’ healthcare environment. Patients’ records were all in English and stored in a computer system which can be easily accessed by doctors using any computers within the hospital. This was extremely convenient, as a patient can be sent from one department to another, doctor from another department can immediately look into the case. Another good thing about this system was that, clerks like us were able to access the database as well hence it facilitated our learning. We can also refer to reports recorded by doctors.

During my two weeks attachment at the Department of Gastroenterology, I had the opportunity to expose myself to many gastrointestinal diseases including diseases I’ve never seen before during my past attachments. Given a role as a clerk, I was assigned to a patient whom I had to keep track of his/her progress until discharge. In addition, I was fortunate to see many esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) procedures and even performing it onto a dummy model during teaching sessions. Together with EGD, I have also observed procedures like esophageal variceal banding, argon plasma coagulation and local injection of hyaline saline-epinephrine.

Dr Wu was my mentor at the Department of Gastroenterology. During the two weeks attachment in this department, Dr Wu took a keen interest in my progress. Having an unsatisfactory amount of clinical knowledge in me, she was still very patient and would explain each patient’s case before the patient walks in and treatment option when the patient walks out. She understood the difficulties I was facing; having studied in an environment that had a different language. Showing genuine care for her patients and being enthusiastic to colleagues, Dr Wu had earned much respect and took pride in her chosen profession.

It was also Dr Wu that gave me the opportunity to join the weekly departmental meetings and the monthly Southern District Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Preservation Society Meeting that was attended by consultants, surgeons and professors from foreign countries like Japan and USA. Difficult cases were discussed in the meeting, giving me the chance to witness how the closest possible diagnosis and differentials were made through logical clinical reasoning.

Dr Yeh was my mentor at the Department of Hepatobiliary in the remaining two weeks. On the first meet up, Dr. Yeh helped me familiarise myself with the most encountered diseases in the Hepatobiliary department, in particular revising the knowledge I have on viral hepatitis infection, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that is all of high prevalence in Taiwan. I felt really comfortable learning beside Dr Yeh because of his easy-going personality and was incredibly approachable and keen to teach.

I was given the chance to see many ultrasonography procedures when I was with Dr Yeh. With no prior education in ultrasonography, I found it difficult to interpret the images. Fortunately, with proper guidance from Dr Yeh and self-directed learning, I have learnt the basics of interpretation of abdominal ultrasonography images within 2 weeks. With the need of ultrasonography for guidance, I have assisted in simple procedures like paracentesis and observe treatment procedures like percutaneous ethanol injection therapy and radiofrequency tumor ablation.

I have gained so much invaluable experiences through the exploration of the principles of healthcare beyond those in Malaysia. I have to admit that it was not easy for a young Year 3 student to attempt a clinical elective. It was the eagerness to learn that had kept me going through the four weeks. Many unfamiliar things were jotted down right on the spot and studied immediately through the internet and Pocket Medicine in the evening after working hours, in order to keep up with case discussions and not let my mentor down. All I wanted was to get better and better each day.

In conclusion, I would like to thank IMU who gave me a stable foundation in pre-clinical knowledge as well as everyone who I had the good fortune to briefly cross paths with during this elective programme.

26 March 2016 – A second follow-up visit for 2016 under the IMU Cares Malaysian Association of Blind (MAB) Project was successfully conducted at the MAB Kompleks at Brickfields. The project is led by IMU‘s School of Dentistry in collaboration with its Division of Nutrition and Dietetics (N&D), School of Health Sciences and Division of Human Biology, School of Medicine. Various activities were carried out simultaneously by students and staff of these three Schools at different booths on that day.

Fifteen  Dentistry students from Semesters 7, 5 and 3, a faculty member and three staff participated in the dental-related activities. These include screening for dental diseases, one-on-one oral hygiene instructions and hands-on training.

Service learning is part of the curriculum for Semester 7 students under the Community Oral Health – 2 Module. At this community project, the Semester 7 Dentistry students provided a short training to their juniors on how to communicate with visually impaired patients. Such an activity is a good example of peer assisted learning.

Represented by a team of faculty and students from Semesters 4 and 6, the N&D team assessed the MAB participants’ nutrition status using anthropometric measurements and dietary assessment. This was then followed by a one-on-one diet counselling session to provide nutrition education tailored to the MAB participant’s individual nutrition concerns.

At the same event, the faculty and staff from School of Medicine provided health screening and counselling to the MAB participants. A faculty member from School of Pharmacy also joined the team as an observer to identify opportunities for future collaboration.

Dr Ng Su Ann started her foray in medicine in September 1996 after she completed her undergraduate degree in Winthrop University, South Carolina USA. She was interested in doing something new and since there were no doctors in her family at that time, Su Ann decided to pursue a career in medicine.

With the intention of obtaining her medical degree from USA, she started her medical studies in 1996 at a private medical college in Malaysia (now known as International Medical University) and transferred to Thomas Jefferson University – Jefferson Medical College (TJ) (now known as Sidney-Kimmel Medical College) in February 1999. She then graduated with her degree from TJ in 2001.

Upon completion of her studies, Su Ann obtained an internship position in Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia. After several years as a general diagnostic radiologist, Su Ann decided to return back to academics and completed a fellowship in Neuroradiology at Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC. During her training at Yale and Mount Sinai, Su Ann had the pleasure of learning from many highly respected and well recognised radiologists.

She has not regretted her decision to pursue a career in medicine and is currently working as a Consultant Radiologist at the Neuroradiology, ER and General Radiology Department, Sanford Health System, North Dakota, USA. She thoroughly enjoys her work as a Radiologist and currently performs all modalities in radiology including interpretation of MR and CT studies.

Speaking enthusiastically about her profession, Su Ann said, “I love my job. If given the choice. I might add some teaching posts in the future depending on where my career takes me. As for now, I plan to stick to this rewarding career indefinitely.”

Her advice to students who aspire to be doctors and wish to pursue a career in medicine is “This is a lifelong commitment to yourself and your patients. It can be very challenging at times. At times it can be physically challenging particularly during the course of intense clinical training. It may not seem like it at first but the reward is tenfold. Stick to this path, you will never regret it. Remember however that your future success is not achieved alone. The support from family, friends and colleagues also plays an important role. “

Dr Ng Su Ann returned to the University in March 2016 to give a talk on “Relevance of Radiology in Patient Management – A Case Based Approach”. The talk was chaired by our senior lecturer in Department of Radiology, Dr Nalani Somavera.

Md Fahamy Iskandar started studying for his medical degree in IMU, Malaysia and then transferred to University of Queensland, Australia for completion of his medical degree. This Singaporean student graduated with a medical degree from the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia in March 2016 and will be starting his housemanship in Singapore in September 2016   He relates to us his experience in UQ.

“Studies was challenging in UQ (any field of study has its challenges). They do not have study breaks. So one day we can be in hospitals until 11pm and the next day is final exams. That was the case for us in UQ. After every 8 weeks is a major end of rotation exam. Glad that this is over.”

“However, one thing I really appreciate about studying in Australia is the friendliness of the senior doctors and patients. Everyone was welcoming and pro teaching! If you don’t know things, they would not shoot you down but instead give you positive encouragement. They will take you by the shoulder and discuss things. Let you assist in surgeries (I had assisted many emergency C-sections where it was only me and one senior doctor available). There are a lot of hands on experience. From the simple blood drawing to the more invasive procedures on real patients.”

Fahamy commended IMU on its early patient exposure and the inclusion of hospital experience in Semester 5. “Medicine is both theoretical and technical. No point in having encyclopedic knowledge but one can’t communicate or is nervous with patients. Both IQ and EQ are vital in medicine. Really hats off to the good and early exposure/experience with patients. If not, I would be less confident in my communications. Plus patients in Australia love to chat.”

“At UQ, every morning, the students are on vampire duty, going around the wards drawing bloods etc. In the Emergency Department, we are expected to function as a junior doctor, see category 4-5 patients independently, formulate investigations, differentials and management and present to our supervisors. If he/she is agreeable to everything, he/she will see the patient with you again quickly and then you do everything else yourself, like setting plugs, ordering relevant imaging etc. It was a great experience“

Fahamy’s advice to juniors transferring to Australia are:
1) Don’t be shy, practice talking a lot
2) Revise your basic sciences and clinical skills (Use Tally’s clinical exam book)
3) Read up more on skin cancer such as SCC, BCC, melanoma. Skin cancer is a big thing in Australia.

14 May 2016 brought together members of the International Medical University’s alumni in Penang. 35 members of the alumni comprising of graduates from the Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing Science and Nutrition and Dietetics programmes took the time off their busy schedules to get together at City Bayview Penang for an opportunity to meet up and reminisce about times gone by.

The alumni gathering was organised by the IMU Alumni Office with the intention of catching up with the alumni, getting their feedback on our programmes, involving them in our community service projects via IMU Cares and finding out what IMU as their alma mater can do for them. Feedback from the alumni indicated that they welcome such gatherings.

The evening started with Prof Ong Kok Hai, IMU’s Director of External Affairs extending a warm and hearty welcome to the alumni. This was followed by a breakout session where each faculty took this great opportunity to have an in-depth discussion and sharing with our alumni on their thoughts and opinions about our programmes. From these sessions, the faculty members had good feedback from the alumni. A recruitment company, Oxley Management Consultants Pte Ltd was also present to speak to our medicine alumni, telling them about potential vacancies with a new hospital in Singapore.

The alumni were all very excited and happy to attend such a gathering. One of them said that it felt like a mother welcoming her child back when IMU reached out to her about this gathering while another alumni travelled all the way from Ipoh just for this, promising to bring more alumni to the gathering in Ipoh when we head there in July. An alumni also reached out to Prof Ong and wanted to know more about the IMU Cares community projects in Penang.

More feedback from our alumni:
o Good evening of sharing (Yanaseikaran, NS 4/11)
o Thank you for the warm dinner (Tye Kar Yee, BP1/11)
o Really appreciate IMU and all the lecturers for guiding us to where we are today! (Geraldine Lee, ME2/10)
o Keep up the good work IMU! (Yew Chun Kai, ME 1/10)
o Organise more alumni events. Keep up the good work! (Goh Keng Yuen, ME 1/10)

The gathering concluded with a dinner. It was fantastic to see our alumni from various IMU programmes together at this gathering.

IMU alumnus and lecturer, Dr Erwin Khoo Jiayuan recently obtained a certification in pediatric bioethics from the Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center, Missouri in affiliation with the University of Missouri – Kansas City, School of Medicine. Dr Erwin was one of only two Malaysians to be certified as Paediatric Bioethicist.

While completing this 2015/16 certification programme, he was granted the United States Claire Giannini Trust Scholarship which provides a full scholarship award for the year 2015/16 that includes accommodation and travel to Children’s Mercy Hospital, Missouri. Claire Giannini Fund supports and promotes the health and well-being of young people under 18.

The Children’s Mercy Pediatric Bioethics Certificate Programme addressed many controversial issues related to child health policy, research ethics involving minors, and paediatric clinical ethics consult. Recently, these include the proposals to do genomic screening in all newborns, the calls to ban American high school football, the controversial judgement against Wally Carlo and the SUPPORT study investigators, and a study in the New England Journal that showed 25% of NICUs attempt resuscitation on all babies born at 22 weeks of gestation among others. This programme also gave him the opportunity to interact with like-minded individuals from 10 countries who joined the 2015/16 programme.

Another IMU staff who is a certified Pediatric Bioethicist from the group year 2011/12 is A/Prof Stefan Kutzsche, Acting Director, IMU Centre for Education (ICE).

As professionalism, ethics and personal development is one of the components of the 8 learning outcome domains of International Medical University (IMU), an intercampus debate about bioethics is organised biannually by the final semester medical students in order to facilitate discussions regarding ethical issues in an interactive way.

This year, the long-awaited debate was organised by the students of IMU Batu Pahat Clinical School, putting the focus on the theme – Environmental Health Protection and Sustainable Development. The theme was selected in accordance with the bioethics core curriculum by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). We were mainly engaged in the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, Article 17 – Protection of the environment, the biosphere and biodiversity, with emphasis on the importance of appropriate access and utilisation of biological and genetic resources, respect for traditional knowledge and the role of human beings in the protection of the environment, the biosphere and biodiversity.

The event was carried out on 1 June 2016 at the IMU Batu Pahat Clinical School, under the guidance of the Advisor, Prof Dato’ Dr Sivalingam Nalliah and Chairperson, Dr Hussein Akl.

The event commenced at 9 am with an insightful opening speech by Dr Hussein Akl, who was happy that this event was organised by fellow students. This was followed by the first debate with three representatives from each clinical school, Goh Yew Yip, Lim Sean Yee and Shereen Kaur Manocha from IMU Batu Pahat Clinical School defending the motion and Chan Yi Min, Moo Yong Hoong Foong and Valerie Chew Sze Yen of IMU Kluang Clinical School taking the opposition stand. The motion was This House Believes That Developed Countries Have a Higher Obligation to Combat Climate Change as Compared to Developing Countries.

It only took a short time for the debate to escalate into an impressive exchange of points of information and statements supported with facts and fundaments of climate change. The well-fought battle was followed by feedback from the judges, A/Prof Ramji Narayanan and Dr Vijayaraghavan Ramanathan which saw IMU Batu Pahat Clinical School government team emerging as the eventual winners.

The second debate saw students from IMU Kluang Clinical School, Eve Ng York Hang, Heng Hian Ee and Reena Priya Ramasamy pushing support for the motion This House Regrets Parents Who Opt for Designer Babies. Another three remarkable speakers from IMU Batu Pahat Clinical School, Lai Zhi Jun, Nirmal A/L Sukumaran and Syed Ameer bin Syed Azman, formed the opposition team.

It was a witty and intense contest which left the audience thoroughly amused. The judges, Prof Mohamed Rifdy Mohideen and Dr Hussein Akl admitted that it was a challenging decision but the triumph eventually went to IMU Kluang Clinical School.

Following the thought-provoking debates, Mr Zuhairi bin Said, from the Johor Department of Environment gave an enlightening speech on Environmental Quality Act 1974, which highlighted the importance of the law, authorities as well as public in protecting our Mother Nature. In addition to that, a booth supplemented with leaflets and educational displays was set up at the venue to raise awareness in environmental conservation in Malaysia.

Furthermore, members of the audience were not left out of the fun as they actively engaged in an interactive multiplayer classroom quizzes generated with ©Quizizz, which assessed their general knowledge in relation to our theme in an intriguing approach, using their mobile devices.

Prizes were given to all the speakers who took part in the event. The closing speech was delivered by Dr Hussein Akl and Prof Lum Siew Kheong, congratulating all the speakers for their notable performance. Chairperson, Dr Hussein Akl expressed his gratitude to all staff who attended the event, student organisers and Johor Department of Environment for making the event a success.

This article is written by Khoo Hui Ping, IMU Medical Ethics and Environment Debate Student Coordinator

Related articles: A Lively and Informative Debate Among IMU Medical Students

Dr Che Mohd Nashreen has been working in Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail, Batu Pahat, one of the University’s teaching hospital since he graduated from International Medical University (IMU) with his medical degree, initially as a Houseman and later as a Medical Officer. Inspired by the Head of Department of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Hospital when he was a houseman, Dr Che Mohd Nashreen decided to specialise in this area and has completed the first part of his MRCOG.

As a doctor in the hospital, he has to carry out his clinical duties as well as teach and supervise the housemen. Dr Nashreen felt that IMU has prepared him well and IMU students who are undergoing their last semester at the Hospital are good students who are friendly.

Speaking of the IMU graduates, Dr Che Mohd Nashreen said, “IMU graduates are most equipped knowledge wise compared to graduates from other local universities. All the specialists that I worked with feel that IMU graduates make the best house officers. These specialists appreciate the knowledge and attitude that these graduates have. A consultant at the Hospital also said the same thing to me.’

“Compared to graduates from local public universities, IMU graduates are more keen to get more work experience and more extroverted. They also have better communication skills.”

Dr Che Mohd Nashreen returned to the Seremban Clinical School on 10 May 2016 to give a talk to our clinical school students. He shared with the audience his journey since he completed his studies at IMU.

Our Students’ Comments on this Talk

“The talk was simple, entertaining and most importantly beneficial for me. I learned a few things from his personal experience that he shared with us. It is interesting to learn that not everyone’s journey is the same and there is no shortcut to success. I learned a lot from this talk and hopes that IMU will have more of this kind of talk.” Liyafizzira

“From this talk, I learnt that it’s good to be confident, but not overconfident. Always look for opportunities and guidance from the Medical Officers and Specialist. To gain experience during House Officers, is all about grabbing opportunities. “Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” Siti Nur Aliah Binti Rosly

“Dr Che Mohd Nashreen pointed out about how the right selection for your postings during housemanship could decide how your journey as a houseman might turn out to be. I believe that medical students from IMU who would eventually practice within Malaysia would certainly benefit from the talk.” Sahan.

“I found the session to be worthwhile as there isn’t any other better opportunity than to have a senior to come back and share his medical journey. Perseverance is definitely what makes a person.” Vinoshini Devi A/P Kailaivasan.

IMU Medical Alumnus, Ng Ka Ting, had the opportunity to be involved in a study that measures the isoflurane concentration in coronary sinus blood. This project won the Anaesthesia Student Essay Prize from the Royal Society of Medicine (Annual Anaesthesia Section Meeting) on 3 June 2016. The anaesthesia project had been accepted for oral presentation in many conferences, such as Edinburgh and East of Scotland Society of Anaesthetists’ Member Night, EACTA Annual Congress 2016, Royal Society of Medicine Anaesthesia Meeting and World Congress of Anaesthesiology.

“I was fortunate to have Dr Peter Alston as my Year 4 project’s supervisor, who was really thoughtful about my financial situation. He used his grant’s funding to fully support my attendance to those conferences in order to maximise my learning opportunities.”

Speaking on his experience presenting at the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology Annual Congress at Basel, Switzerland, Ka Ting said, “It was an amazing and meaningful experience to give an oral presentation in front of all cardiothoracic anaesthetists at the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology (EACTA) Annual Congress 2016 in Basel, Switzerland. I was grateful to be invited by my consultant, Dr Peter Alston to socialise with all the participants for a cruise dinner. I made so many contacts and got to know all the famous authors that I cited for my research paper.”

“Nevertheless, I have developed confidence to deliver the presentation in a big auditorium and was able to handle questions from audience precisely and calmly. My consultant was really supportive and was with me during my presentations. He expressed his kindness to help me out if there are any hard questions that I can’t handle.”

“Initially, I felt quite pressured and inferior as I was the youngest speaker among them with limited knowledge regarding anaesthesiology. However, perseverance and practice did help me to appreciate the clinical significance of my research project in delivering the oral presentation”

A JPA-sponsored student from humble beginnings, Ka Ting started studying for his medical degree at IMU and transferred to University of Edinburgh, UK for the completion of his degree. He is currently a fifth year medical student at University of Edinburgh.

“Studying in Edinburgh is fun and exciting where clinical and research opportunities are everywhere. Consultants, lecturers and friends are really helpful and keen to lend a hand if you need help. Being able to balance up the commitment of academic and research along with my personal life is essential in contributing to my learning curve in University of Edinburgh.”

“I enjoyed mixing with all my friends (Clare, Deep, Ian, Abhi, Cecilia and others) who taught me valuable communication skills and shared their opinions to assist my learning process. The fun of playing golf or curry night with them in Edinburgh was memorable to me.”

Having chosen University of Edinburgh as the university to transfer to, upon the guidance of his IMU mentor, Dr Sow Chew Fei, Ka Ting said, “Good academic teachings, kind clinical patients, peer tutoring our Malaysian juniors, golf skills, and of course travelling around Scotland gave me many memorable moments at University of Edinburgh. While at IMU, it was mainly the great support system, SRC election and IMU Cup (basketball, volleyball, table tennis, Frisbee, cheerleading)”

His mentor, Dr Sow, said, “I am honoured and proud of Ka Ting, who has been one of our finest, most well-rounded undergraduates. He is a self-motivated, tenacious, responsible student and always cheerful, which bring smiles to the people around him. He is a valuable asset to any organisation as I have no hesitation he will measure up to the expected standard!”

Ka Ting feels that IMU has prepared its students very well for transition to their partner medical school, including University of Edinburgh. “A strong foundation of core knowledge among IMU students allows them to apply the knowledge on to real patients during their clinical years in Edinburgh. However, you will experience a new set of communication skills from the University of Edinburgh to approach your future patients by expressing empathy and respect. It is of clinical significance to exhibit the quality of doctors being caring and listening to patients.”

During his studies in the UK, Ka Ting was awarded a scholarship to work in one of the most prestigious research lab, the Queen Margaret Research Institute to investigate on the role of hepatic stellate cells β8 integrin in liver cirrhosis.

His advice to students aspiring to be doctors is “Studying is a process for us to enjoy but not to follow strictly. Perseverance and strong determination play an important role in achieving our goal. Failure is learning process, whilst success marks a victory of learning process. Hence, keep learning and never give up until you nail it.”

Ng Ka Ting returned to the University to give a talk on his research to our students at the Seremban Clinical School.View the photos here.

24 – 25 June 2016 – Postgraduate and undergraduate students from International Medical University’s five Schools celebrated their achievements at two degree conferment ceremonies today. 405 students were joined by their family members to celebrate their success at the auditorium of the University’s Bukit Jalil campus. Live broadcast of the ceremony as it unfolds inside the auditorium was made available at other lecture theatres in the University, providing an option for those who are not in the auditorium the opportunity to witness this very special event.

Chancellor’s speech

Vice-Chancellor’s Speech

The half-day event was held over two sessions to cater for the large number of graduates and the mood was one of enthusiasm and joy. The degree conferment ceremonies on 25 June 2016 are part of the graduation ceremonies that were conducted over two days.

The University kicked off the convocation celebrations with a Prize Presentation Ceremony on 24 June 2016 to celebrate the academic excellence of the University’s outstanding students.

Among the high achievers awarded at this ceremony was Ho Yan Le. Driven by a desire to help the needy and aid the poor, Yan Le strived to be the best. His hard work was rewarded when he was awarded the Dr John Joseph Bosco Memorial Gold Medal for being the top medical student in his class. His outstanding academic performance at IMU also gained him several other awards, including Prof Guan Chong Book Prize in Surgery for high achievement in surgery, the prestigious Dr Saidi Hashim Memorial Gold Medal for the highest achievement, Distinction Award in his final examinations, the Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Award (MSEA) and first prize in the 2011 AMSA Medical Challenge.

“I felt very honoured and grateful to receive the news that I am a recipient of the Dr John Joseph Bosco Memorial Gold Medal. This certainly has given me a lot of encouragement to search for better achievements and excellence in my future career path. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to my family, mentors, professors and fellow friends for their guidance and support throughout the years.”

“I spent the last 6 months of my clinical years in Batu Pahat, a small town in Johor. It was indeed one of the most memorable experiences in the medical school. Besides having a group of friendly and helpful clinical school staff, the faculty members were also supportive and responsible, not forgetting the approachable hospital staff. As a shadowing house officer, the faculty staff treated us as doctors but at the same time, guiding and tutoring us throughout the last 6-month journey, with full passion and enthusiasm, ensuring whoever comes out from the school is truly competent and professional. Being a shadowing house officer in a district hospital, I had performed a lot of hands-on procedures under proper guidance, involving myself in the management of the patients”

Another prize winner, Jordy Wong, a pharmacy student who hails from Sibu, said, “I was very surprised when I was informed that I am the recipient of the Board of Governors Gold Medal. My most memorable time in IMU was when I was an IMU Student Ambassador. Interacting with students from other programmes, helping in multi-mini interviews (MMI), attending training camps and workshops with other student ambassadors, aiding in teaching and learning workshops as well as volunteering in events together with other students ambassadors really made my second year a fruitful year. That was the year that actually pushed me to the maximum by putting all of us (the student ambassadors) with leading roles and heavy responsibilities. But that was definitely one of the best moment I had in IMU. I had many opportunities to make a lot of new friends and attend something that I had never thought about it (eg. leadership camp, helping during Open Day).”’

Many more high achievers from the five Schools received their awards at the Ceremony, including those from the dentistry, chiropractic and psychology programmes.

More photos 

Having spent a lot of time with cousins who are doctors coupled with a desire to help the needy and aid the poor fueled Ho Yan Le’s dream of studying medicine and becoming a doctor. His parents have motivated and supported him in his pursuit of this dream. All the hard work was worth the effort when Yan Le graduated with his MBBS (IMU) in June 2016.

His outstanding academic performance at IMU gained him several awards, including Prof Guan Chong Book Prize in Surgery for high achievement in surgery, the prestigious Dr Saidi Hashim Memorial Gold Medal for the highest achievement, Distinction Award in his final examinations, the Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Award (MSEA) and first prize in the 2011 AMSA Medical Challenge. He was also one of the winners of the medical selective and electives programme of his cohort.

Yan Le has always managed to balance his academic excellence withan exemplary record of leadership and service on and off campus. Apart from that, Yan Le is dedicated and passionate about serving the community, participating in various health screening programmes. We met up with Yan Le for an interview.

Why did you decide to study medicine at IMU?

IMU is an institution of higher learning that offers the best qualities of education and medical training for future healthcare practitioners. I believe in self-directed and life-long learning, which is highly emphasised and deeply encompassed in IMU’s student-centered curriculum. Besides that, the university provides vast teaching resources as well as comprises of exceptionally skilled and learned professors, both in the Bukit Jalil campus and the Clinical Schools in Seremban and Batu Pahat. The curriculum has trained me to become an independent learner, and prepared me to face the challenges ahead when I step into the medical profession.

How did you feel when you knew that you are the gold medallist/top of the class?

I was informed by Dato’ Kew, the Dean of Medical School that I am the recipient of this prestigious award. I felt very honoured and grateful to receive this special news. I was extremely excited and elated as I felt the efforts put into my studies have paid off. It certainly has given me a lot of encouragement to search for better achievement and excellence in my future career path.

I also informed my parents regarding this and expressed my gratitude to them. Of course, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and thankfulness to my mentors, professors and fellow friends for their guidance and support throughout the years.

What is your motivation to achieve success in your studies consistently?

I always have clear objectives and goals in mind, be it studying or doing clinical work, balancing both work and play. Determination and self-discipline is the key to achieve my concrete goals. Drawing out plans and managing my time certainly help to achieve them. Having a role model would be great as a motivation but ultimately, having faith in myself is the most important virtue as in the end I am the only one who knows what is best for myself and what I really want to achieve.

I have always reminded myself to be self-confident and do not ever underestimate my own potential ability; to stay positive and calm during hard times, and always remember the passion and enthusiasm I have at the beginning of the journey. At the same time, being humble and modest is crucial, to be able to switch role between a leader and a team-player when necessary. Be open-minded to accept criticism and advice, only then one can improve himself to be better. Lastly, I believe in continuous work and perseverance in achieving my dreams.

Pele, a famous footballer once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do”.

How do you manage to have a balance in your studies and other activities?

Perseverance, time management and self-discipline are the key in balancing between the studies and other activities. Sometimes I would draw out a schedule and make plans for the events and activities that I intend to do. Setting achievable goals and aims every day is necessary to achieve a well-balanced work-play schedule. Of course, the most crucial part is to be able to prioritise the tasks and activities accordingly, and be flexible in managing time, studies and other tasks.

Describe your most memorable time in IMU

Countless of memorable moments during my time in IMU. Among which was the presentation for my selective and elective programme which I underwent in Semester 8. I travelled to Taiwan for my selective, in which I joined the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Department of Neurosurgery, before I embarked on my 1-month backpack journey in Eastern Europe, crossing 4 countries and more than 13 cities. Thanks to my mentor, I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the presenters for this programme, as to provide the juniors a rough idea on how to conduct this programme.

To capture their attention and convey my idea more effectively, I made a video for my backpack trip to Europe, and a slide presentation for my posting in Taiwan. Although it was just a short 20 minutes presentation, I enjoyed every bit of it, sharing my experiences and opinions regarding my trips and the programme, advising my juniors as to utilise this opportunity as much as possible in order to enrich their students’ lives. The presentation went well with lots of jokes and laughter. In the end, with the support from my mentor, the judges and friends, I was awarded the top 5 presenter of the programme.

Describe your experience during your Semester 10

I spent the last 6 months of my clinical years in Batu Pahat, a small town in Johor. It was indeed one of the most memorable experiences in the medical school. Besides having a group of friendly and helpful clinical school staffs, the faculty members were also supportive and responsible, not forgetting the approachable hospital staff.

As a shadowing house officer, the faculty staffs treated us as doctors but at the same time, guiding and tutoring us throughout the last 6-month journey, with full passion and enthusiasm, ensuring whoever comes out from the school is truly competent and professional. Being a shadowing house officer in a district hospital, I had performed a lot of hands-on procedures under proper guidance, involving myself in the management of the patients. Of course, these amazing experiences were complemented by the leisure times spent with friends on the football field, the basketball court and road trips.

Describe your experience in the more notable extra-curricular activities in IMU

I joined and participated in various extra-curricular activities in IMU, from being the Secretary of Badminton Club, the President of First Aid Club, to the Student Ambassador, Student Representative Council in Clinical School and Student Leader for the International Medical Education Conference (IMEC). However, one of the most memorable experiences was the IMU Cares Project (ICP) in Kampung Lapis during my Semester 10 in Batu Pahat.

I was the student leader of this project, and being the project leader, I was involved in all the meetings and planning with the professors, the committee of the kampong, the headmaster of the school and of course, the villagers. Planning ranges from giving out flyers and putting up posters, to liaise with school and ketua kampong as well as preparing meals.

It was definitely not an easy task, considering the need to rush my assignments (portfolios) and handle exams at the same time, but thanks to the committed and supportive Professors and Sisters (nurses), as well as my dedicated committee members, the event was a success with almost full attendance from the villagers. I have learnt a great deal of experiences from the event. In fact, I believe most of us did.

Describe your experience in serving the community

I always believed in community service and helping others, and that was part of the reason why I have chosen this path of life – to serve the community. Since young, I had been to various trips and visits to centres for underprivileged children and old folks homes as a boy scout, and these services continued when I joined the UNICEF society in my college, where we collaborated with other universities.

As a medical student, I engaged in some charity organisations for free clinics, and participated in the MAPCU organ donation campaign as a committee member. During my Paediatric posting, I had the opportunity to visit a centre for children with autism and special needs in Port Dickson with my lecturer.

Furthermore, with a group of college friends, we helped out and assisted the staff in the School for Refugees in Kepong and paying visit to orphanages’ homes in Cheras and Ampang during Christmas. Being the president of First Aid Club and trainer of Basic Life Support, I have provided basic and advanced first aid training as well as CPR training to the public, emphasising the importance of these timely life-saving procedures. Lastly, I have participated in the Kuala Krai Flood Relief Programme when the major flood occurred last year (2015), apart from organising numerous kampong angkat projects as well as being the project leader for ICP Kampung Lapis.

Your future plans

Looking at myself upon completing 2 years of housemanship, I would like to engage myself in the specialty of surgery as I have much interest and passion in this field. I will consider taking the exam during my houseman years if I have the opportunity, and I will definitely prepare for it. Of course, there are lots of uncertainties out there in this career and thus, it is wiser to keep my options open. However, I will try my very best, to pursue my dream and achieve my goals. After all it was the ever-challenging nature of medicine and surgery that made me embark on my journey in medical school. One thing for sure, it is going to be a lifelong learning, just as how Hippocrates described medicine “the life so short, the craft so long to learn”.

Your advice to those who are aspiring to be doctors

Well, it is very noble of you to be ready to take up this challenging yet exciting profession. However, be sure that it is the sheer passion, interest and desire to help the needy and the sick to end their suffering, if not, to relieve their pain that motivates you to study medicine, not anything else, as these are strong motivations to drive you through the hardship that you will face. Talk to someone in the medical field or apply for an attachment in a hospital, as this may help you to get a clearer and more realistic idea of what is being like to be a doctor.

And of course, being empathic and sympathetic to patients are the two most important attitudes as you cannot be a good doctor without compassion, and always be humble and willing to take criticism. Just remember, no doctor knows everything, there’s a reason why it’s called “practicing” medicine. Lastly, of course, to be a good and professional doctor, you got to have the right attitudes, a kind heart, a strong passion and a love to medicine.

Just like what Hippocrates once said, “Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity”.