Dr Catherine Thamarai Arumugam is currently attached to the Family Health Discipline, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya as a Medical Lecturer with a specialisation in Public Health Medicine. Her past publications speaks of her interest in the research on early childhood development, infectious diseases and her love for poetries. In an unwavering effort of creating a safe media environment for thriving children - she is interested to further explore on the dynamics of technology, toddlers and family relationships.  A medical degree holder from Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia - her journey as a junior doctor started at the Sungai Buloh Hospital which is also the national referral centre for infectious disease. Upon completion of housemanship training, she went on to serve as a Medical Officer in Charge of a maternal child health clinic in the district of Temerloh, Pahang. The responsibility entrusted granted her invaluable experience especially in the domains of maternal child health and disaster preparedness – stirring the passion towards public health. Dr Catherine went back to Temerloh District Health Office with a Doctorate in Public Health from Universiti Malaya - serving as an Epidemiology Officer, heading the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Unit during the COVID19 rampage. Her major tasks revolved around surveillance, outbreak response, training activities and playing the role of liaison officer for the state-level CDC department. From Ministry of Health to Ministry of Higher Education – Dr Catherine has now started her new venture as a medical lecturer, striving to be an advocate for public health issues she is passionate about through her research works and creative writings!

Dr. Syarida Hasnur Safii is a distinguished academic and clinician specializing in periodontology. She obtained her degree in Dentistry from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2002 and subsequently served as a dental officer with the Ministry of Health Malaysia in Kuantan, Pahang, for four years. In 2006, she joined the Universiti Malaya as a tutor and later pursued her Master of Clinical Dentistry in Periodontology at King’s College London, successfully completing it in 2009. That same year, she was awarded the Membership in Restorative Dentistry from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, further solidifying her expertise. Dr. Safii achieved her PhD at the University of Otago, New Zealand, in 2018, focusing on periodontal research. She currently serves as an associate professor at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, where she is also the Deputy Dean (Clinical Services). In her academic role, she teaches undergraduate dental students and supervises postgraduate students enrolled in the Master of Clinical Dentistry, Master of Dental Science, and PhD programmes. Additionally, she contributes to the development of the curriculum for the Periodontology specialist programme at the Universiti Malaya and other local universities. Her research primarily focuses on periodontal disease and its association with systemic conditions, the use of locally-delivered antimicrobial therapies as adjuncts to scaling and root surface debridement for periodontitis treatment, systematic reviews, and dental education. She has authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed international journals and actively contributes as a reviewer for scholarly manuscripts. Additionally, she holds a position as an editorial board member for BMC Oral Health, reinforcing her commitment to advancing dental research and education.

Dr Kathreena Kadir  BDS(Mal), MClinDent(OMFS)(Mal), Fellowship in Oral & Maxillofacial Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery (Shanghai), AM   Dr Kathreena Kadir obtained her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur in 2005. She then served the Ministry of Health for four years before returning to the same university to pursue her Master’s in Clinical Dentistry specializing in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. Upon graduation in 2013, she joined the academia and currently an Associate Professor and consultant in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Clinical Sciences. She is a member of Malaysia Academy of Medicine and has held the post of Honorary Secretary for the Malaysian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (MAOMS) in the year 2015 till 2018 and a member of the Oral Cancer Research & Coordinating Centre (OCRCC) since 2015. Her main surgical interest has always been managing patients with head and neck tumours and had recently completed her one-year Fellowship in Oral & Maxillofacial Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery at Shanghai 9th People’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Upon returning, she is among the lead surgeon in managing oral cancer clinic and service in University Malaya Medical Centre. Dr Kadir had also supervised numerous postgraduate research thesis in the field of both oral cancer and Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD). While pursuing her interest in head and neck oncology, Dr Kadir has also developed another passion in management of patients with TMD. Over the last 5 years, her team had successfully developed and validated the Malay - Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (M-DC/TMD) according to the stringent standard set by the International Network for Orofacial pain & Related disorders Methodology (INfORM). With the establishment of these two instruments (DC/TMD and M-DC/TMD), she hopes to propose the usage of these tools nationwide as a standard protocol in diagnosing and managing patients with TMD. She also contributes in coordinating and pioneering the development of the TMD Multidisciplinary Team combined clinic in Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya.