Associate Professor Dr Anand Sanmugam is the Deputy Dean (Postgraduate), Faculty of Medicine and a Consultant Paediatric and Neonatal Surgeon. He is also a dedicated leader in medical education and paediatric surgery. His journey in medicine began at Universiti Putra Malaysia, where he earned his Bachelor of Medical Sciences and Doctor in Medicine degrees in 2004. He became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland) in 2011. Anand trained in paediatric surgery under the Master of Paediatric Surgery programme at Universiti Malaya and further honed his expertise through a Clinical Fellowship in Paediatric Surgery at Perth Children’s Hospital in Western Australia. He has a special interest in Minimally Invasive Surgery for children. He holds a second Master’s degree in Medical Education, which he earned with distinction. He is the Programme (co-) Director of the Master of Paediatric Surgery Programme at Universiti Malaya and one of the core authors of the National Postgraduate Medical Curriculum for Paediatric Surgery. In his current leadership roles, Anand serves as a Malaysian Medical Council appointed Specialist Programme Evaluation Panel Member, the Co-Chair of the National Postgraduate Medical Curriculum Committee for Evaluation and Quality Assurance, and the Chair of the Specialty Subcommittee for Education (SSc Edu, Paediatric Surgery). Anand is a member of the Paediatric Surgery Specialty Conjoined Board, which oversees all aspects of paediatric surgical training in the country. Additionally, he is part of the faculty development team within the Medical Education and Research Development Unit (MERDU). He actively participates in the University Malaya Medical Programme, contributing to the Multiple Mini Interview (MBBS intake) taskforce and the Program Quality Assurance (ProAE) team for postgraduate studies within the Faculty of Medicine. He also chairs the Subspecialty Curriculum Review Committee for Universiti Malaya Medical Centre. Internationally, he chairs the Education Working Group for the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery. He is also a member of the ASEAN Collaborative Evaluation Quality Enhancement Task Force for medical schools. Anand’s research interests are diverse, spanning surgical conditions in children, patient reported outcomes, medical education and translational research in tissue engineering. Through his clinical, academic, and leadership roles, Dr Anand aspires to advance healthcare and medical education, ensuring a lasting impact on his field and beyond.

Associate Professor Dr. Alexander Loch obtained his medical degree from Schiller University, Germany in 2001 and then went on to do his training in internal medicine in London, United Kingdom where he obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 2006. He subsequently trained in advanced interventional cardiology at the University of Malaya. He did a fellowship in complex angioplasty for chronic total occlusions (CTO) in Japan at Tokyo Hospital with Professor Toshiya Muramatsu. Professor Loch specialises in a wide field of cardiology, including echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and cardiac devices. He leads the heart failure services at the University of Malaya Medical Centre and has developed a 24/7 cardiac catheterization service in the emergency department. He is also a Member of the College of Emergency Medicine, UK. A dedicated educator, he has trained many fellows in Cardiology and is a speaker at many international meetings. His current research projects include the role of anti-inflammatory drugs in acute myocardial infarction.

Dr. Mohd Khairi bin Ismail is a respected Malaysian economist, researcher, and academic who currently serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Terengganu. With over 15 years of experience in higher education and research, Dr. Khairi has made significant contributions in the fields of development economics, environmental economics, and poverty studies. He is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies (UAC), University of Malaya—an institution known for championing inclusive and sustainable development research. A First-Class Honours graduate in Economics from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Dr. Khairi later earned his PhD in Environment and Development (Economics) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to interdisciplinary research addressing socio-economic issues affecting the B40 community, urban poverty, and sustainable livelihoods. His scholarly work has been published in more than 60 journals, proceedings, and book chapters, with multiple publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS).  Dr. Khairi has received numerous recognitions and academic awards, including the best paper award and multiple gold medals for innovation in research and teaching. His policy-based research has received grants from national research bodies, especially in projects related to community well-being, Islamic social finance, and urban resilience. In addition, he is an editorial board member for SAGE Open and reviewer for several national and international journals. His expertise has also earned him frequent invitations to media appearances, both in print and broadcast. Dr. Khairi has been featured on RTM and RTM Radio, offering expert commentary on national issues such as the cost of living, national budget, SST vs GST, and inflation. He has also contributed opinion pieces and interviews to major newspapers including Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Sinar Harian, and The Star. His media engagements are characterized by a balanced, data-driven, and policy-relevant approach that bridges the gap between academia and the public.