Dr. Wong Won Fen is a faculty member at the Department of Medical Microbiology, Universiti Malaya, where she has served since 2012. She is an accomplished immunologist whose research focuses on host–pathogen interactions, immune regulation, and inflammation, particularly the immunopathogenesis of sexually transmitted infections. Her work seeks to elucidate immune dynamics and develop strategies to improve disease prognosis while advancing vaccine design and immunotherapeutic interventions. Dr. Wong received her early scientific training at Tohoku University, Japan, and has since published 112 peer-reviewed articles, achieving an h-index of 37 with over 5,700 citations. Her research excellence has been recognized through several international honours, including the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship, the Fulbright Fellowship, and the Institut Mérieux Young Investigator Award. At Universiti Malaya, Dr. Wong serves as the Faculty Ph.D. Programme Coordinator and a member of the Faculty Postgraduate Committee (JKIT). She also coordinates courses in Immunology and Advanced Medical Microbiology and contributes to institutional quality initiatives as a Quality Management System (QMS) committee member and internal auditor.

Professor Dr THONG Meow Keong studied medicine and trained in Paediatrics at the University of Malaya. He received genetics training in Singapore and was a Fellow in Clinical Genetics at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide and as a Senior Fellow at the renowned Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He was recognized as the first board-certified clinical geneticist in Malaysia and helped established Clinical Genetics as a subspecialty in the National Specialist Register Malaysia. He established the first Genetics clinic with genetic counselling service at the University Hospital Kuala Lumpur in 1995 and headed the Genetics & Metabolism Unit at the Department of Paediatrics. He received a Doctorate in Medicine from University of Malaya in 2004, for research on the molecular genetics of beta thalassaemia and discovering the molecular basis of beta thalassaemia in the Kadazandusuns in Sabah.   Professor Thong was a Fulbright scholar at the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA and a past recipient of the 8th Royal College of Physicians of London and Academy of Medicine of Malaysia Annual Research Award, Australia-Malaysia Fellowship in Research Excellence, the Travel Award by the Asian Society for Pediatric Research Japan, University of Malaya Distinguished Service awards. He also won three gold medals in ITEX and Biotechnology Asia invention and innovation competitions. In 2019, he received the Minister of Education of Malaysia Award for Curriculum Design and Innovation as well as University of Malaya's Excellence Award for 'Distinguished Research in Science'. He was also the recipient for the prestigious American Society of Human Genetics Advocacy Award 2022 and the Star Golden Hearts Award in 2024 in recognition of efforts in developing genetic and genomic healthcare for all. Professor Thong has published over 120 peer-reviewed publications on research work done on genetic disorders that hitherto have not been well documented in the various Asian subpopulations. He co-authored 8 books, including Handbook of Hospital Paediatrics (2nd edition), Problem-based Learning in Medical Sciences and Rare Journeys of Love and 15 book chapters, including a chapter in the prestigious Oxford monograph Genomics and Health in the Developing World and presented in many national and international conferences, including 200 proceedings and 10 keynote / plenary lectures. His h-index for Web Of Science / Scopus / Google Scholar was 26 / 29 / 36, respectively with over 2600 citations (Scopus). He worked closely with the Ministry of Health Malaysia in developing the counselling module for thalassaemia and other clinical practice guidelines. He collaborated with the World Health Organization and March of Dimes in preparing a document on management of birth defects and haemoglobinopathies as well as rare diseases. He was the lead author for two policy papers, including a White Paper on 'Rare Diseases in Malaysia' written in conjunction with the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and helped developed the National Policy on Rare Diseaes in Malaysia in 2025 He was the past President of the Asia-Pacific Society of Human Genetics, founding Vice President of the Medical Genetics Society of Malaysia, Chairman of the Clinical Genetics sub-speciality committee of the National Specialist Register Malaysia, appointed member of the Education committee member in Paediatrics by the Malaysian Medical Council and President of the College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia. He was the Head, Department of Paediatrics, University of Malaya from 2009 – 2011 with the notable achievement of overseeing the successful transition of the Department of Paediatrics to the new Women’s and Children’s Health Complex of UMMC. He was also appointed as the founding Head, Genetic Medicine unit of the University Malaya Medial Centre. He was elected as a Fellow of Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, Academy of Medicine Singapore, Academy of Sciences Malaysia and ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology. He was elected a steering committee member of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC) in 2022. Professor Thong is also a reviewer for international journal manuscripts, research grant applications as well as an examiner for national and international medical examinations in Sydney, Melbourne, Dhaka and Hong Kong. He co-authored the new Malaysian Paediatrics postgraduate curriculum in conjunction with the National Postgradaute Medical Curriculum Writing project. He organized the 10th Asia-Pacific Conference on Human Genetics and is the founding National Advisor to the Malaysian Rare Disorders Society in 2004. He helped established the Genetic Counselling Society of Malaysia. He organised the first UM-Chinese University of Hong Kong Certificate Course in Clinical Genetics and Genomics at the University of Malaya. His current interests include delineation of rare disorders, preventive and curative strategies for genetic disorders, genetic counselling, inborn errors of metabolism. medical education and access to genetics and genomics services in developing countries. He was the first to start expanded newborn screening program in a public hospital in Malaysia and initiated enzyme replacement therapy before 2000 and gene therapy for patients with spinal muscular atrophy in 2020. He undertook the first clinical trials for gene therapy and won awards for  being the top research reruiter in Malaysia. He has obtained over 20 research grants worth over RM8 million and has international collaborations with renowned centres in Australia, Saudi Arabia, USA, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. He started the first clinical genetics and genomic education programs for medical students followed by specialist trainees in Malaysia as well as trained the first genetic counsellors

Nik Daliana Nik Farid earned her medical degree from the University of Adelaide, South Australia in 2001. Upon graduation, she joined the Malaysian government service and did house officer training and medical officer work at Kuala Lumpur Hospital. In 2005, she joined the Institute for Public Health where she was appointed as the Main Research Group member for the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey. In 2007, she went on to study at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur where she received her Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degrees. In 2012, she served as the second Medical Officer of Health at Mukah Division Health Office, Sarawak where she covered two major sections namely Epidemiology as well as Maternal and Child Health. Nik Daliana then continued her service as the Head of Primary Health Care Unit at the Hulu Langat District Health Office, Selangor. She left the Ministry of Health in August 2013 to serve the University of Malaya. Nik Daliana is currently a Medical Lecturer in the Department of Social and Peventive Medicine with a specialisation in Public Health. She has a special interest in adolescent health. More specifically her work aims to address the five areas, namely sexual and reproductive health, mental health, nutritional health, physical activity and high risk behaviour. Her contribution to this field include: conducting research on sexual risk behaviour among incarcerated adolescents in welfare institutions; assessing for non-communicable diseases among school-going adolesents and setting up of an adolescent friendly website for quasi experimental study. Also, she is involved in the collection and distribution of literatures pertaining to adolescent's health by a clearinghouse centre in UM. Nik Daliana is presently a member of the Malaysian Association for Adolescent Health (MAAH); Malaysian Clearinghouse Center for Adolescent Health (MyCCAdH); Malaysian Care for Adolescent Project (MyCAP); Malaysian Health and Adolescents Longitudinal Research Study (MyHeARTs) and Ministry of Health Malaysia National Technical Committee for Adolescent Health. Nik Daliana teaches Family Health to postgraduate and undergraduate students. She coordinates one postgraduate course in 2019/20 i.e. Society, Behaviour and Health. A strong advocate of problem-based learning (PBL) technique, Nik Daliana tutors PBL sessions for Stage 1 and 2 University of Malaya Medical Programme (UMMP) students. Administratively, Nik Daliana has coordinated Master of Public Health and Master of Medical Science (Public Health) programmes. Currently, she coordinates the Doctor of Public Health Programme and assists in the coordination of the University of Malaya-Kyoto University Double Degree Programme for Public Health.