I am a Family Medicine Specialist who has a deep interest in research related to hypertension, respiratory diseases in primary care, and telemedicine. I am commited to the field of hypertension is evident through my active involvement in various activities and societies related to hypertension. I have a remarkable track record of active participation and leadership roles in organizations, which reflects my dedication to advancing the field. Since 2022, I served as a Council Member of the Malaysian Society of Hypertension (MSH), vice president of the Malaysian Society for World Action on Salt, Sugar, and Health (MyWASSH) since 2024.  One of my most significant achievements is my active participation in organizing hypertension-related screening campaigns, particularly in collaboration with the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and the May Measurement Month (MMM). I had been actively involved in hypertension screening campaigns in my hospital since 2015.  I serve as the key leader for the Asthma Right Care Initiatives, launched by the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG), which focuses on promoting appropriate asthma management by addressing SABA overreliance in our setting. Additionally, I lead the teleconsultation services in my clinic, where we have implemented quality improvement projects to ensure continuous enhancement of our overall services.

Started his research career in the think tank sector, Dr. Lee Chee Leong (Karl) is attracted to the rise of non-traditional diplomacy in the international order today. Such appeal has taken Dr. Lee into new research horizons that started with his Monash University's doctoral research on the Chinese sub-state diplomacy in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. With constructive supervision by Professor Helen Nesadurai and Associate Professor Kuik Cheng Chwee, Dr. Lee completed his doctoral thesis that unravels how a faraway and least developed sub-state of Guangxi managed to overcome its own hurdles, navigate the complexities within the Chinese state and become the frontline actor in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. Following his doctoral completion, Dr. Lee's research on non-traditional diplomacy has expanded into Taiwan’s quasi-state diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Such quest has led him spending at great length in comprehending the concept of soft power, a concept that finds its relevance to Taiwan, which has no official diplomatic with Southeast Asia but is heavily connected to the region and has to rely on soft power in its engagements with these Southeast Asian nations. Taking Malaysia as the first case study of Taiwan's soft power in the region, Dr. Lee is developing the third intervening variable correlating both Taiwanese soft power resources and outcomes, in his course of providing a dynamical explanation for such phenomenon. For the coming years, his research focus and publications will be on the different areas featuring Taiwan-Malaysia and Taiwan-Southeast Asia cooperation such as digital social innovation (DSI) for climate change, industry-based education/training programmes, smart cities, tourism, digital democracy, agriculture, public health and medicine, ornamental aquaculture and aquascape. To date, Dr. Lee was the recipient of several scholarships and fellowships in Malaysia and overseas: University of Malaya’s Graduate Fellowship (2010-2011); Monash University’s Merit Scholarship (2016-2019); Chinese Government Scholarship (2018-2019); and Taiwan Fellowship (2020). Prior to his appointment as Senior Lecturer at the Institute of China Studies (ICS), he was the Visiting Scholar at Guangxi University for Nationalities (GXUN) (2018-10992019), Taiwan Fellow at National Chengchi University (NCCU) (2020) and Associate Fellow at ICS UM (2016-2019).He welcomes any potential PhD candidate who would like to work on Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations, Taiwan's soft power in Southeast Asia and Taiwan-Malaysia DSI cooperation for climate change. He is also willing to discuss with potential doctoral candidates on proposals related to the Chinese sub-state (provincial) diplomacy toward ASEAN, China's soft power in ASEAN, Southeast Asian sub-state diplomacy, comparative cases of sub-state diplomacy around the world and conceptual innovation of sub-state diplomacy as well as soft power. 

Dr. Hemavathi Shanmugam is a psychiatrist and medical lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya. Her primary area of interest is non-invasive brain stimulation in psychiatry. She holds certification in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS; PULSES, USA) and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES; PlatoScience, Denmark). She is an active member of global neuromodulation networks, including the Clinical TMS Society and its Asian Special Interest Council (CTMSS). Clinically, Dr. Hemavathi led the implementation of the rTMS service for psychiatric disorders at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), a collaborative initiative with the Rehabilitation Medicine department, and has been formally credentialed and privileged by UMMC to perform TMS procedures. Her research interests lie in neuromodulation and health economics, with ongoing work in cost-of-illness analyses, real-world clinical outcomes, and the cost-effectiveness of rTMS in Malaysia, supported by a BKP research grant. Dr. Hemavathi is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate psychiatry education and contributes to the development and credentialing of neuromodulation services within her department. To strengthen her emerging focus in precision neuromodulation, she is undertaking an observership at the National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore, focusing on neuronavigation-guided and accelerated TMS protocols.