Dr Nishakanthi Gopalan is a Senior Lecturer at the Medical Humanities and Ethics Unit (MedHEU), a newly established unit within the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya (UM). She is a biotechnologist by training with a PhD in research ethics and policy implication particularly looking at stem cell technology. During this time, she published her key findings in several reputable high-impact bioethics journals. Dr Nisha is the former programme coordinator of the Master of Health Research Ethics (MOHRE), a programme developed in collaboration with the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Besides teaching in MOHRE, she also provides ethics lectures in other programmes in the faculty. Dr Nisha also contributes as an external member of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Medical Research Ethics Committee. She is one of the instructors for the Introduction to Health Research Ethics, an online course in FutureLearn. She also facilitates the APRU Health Research Ethics course. Dr Nisha’s research interest includes different aspects of ethics such as bioethics, research and clinical ethics on diverse topics ranging from emerging technologies (such as regenerative medicine, stem cells, and genetic testing), health research, and aesthetic medicine. She is an expert in qualitative research methods such as in depth interviews, focus group discussion (FGD), inductive and deductive analysis, thematic analysis, grounded theory, as well as narrative and scoping reviews. Currently, she is working on the Fogarty International Centre (FIC), NIH bioethics training grant with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) as well as on the ethics of genetic testing among Parkinson’s patients (USMC Care Fund). She is constantly on the look out for collaboration on local /regional / international projects on the various topics involving ethics. 

Professor Shireen Anne Nah is a senior consultant paediatric surgeon and Head of the Division of Paediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. Shireen draws on a wealth of experience working overseas. Upon completion of paediatric surgery specialist training at the Paediatric Institute, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, she underwent a 2 year clinical research fellowship at the UCL Institute of Child Health & Great Ormond Hospital for Children in London, UK. This was followed by 8 years as a paediatric surgeon in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, before she returned to Malaysia in 2019. Shireen’s areas of research interest are congenital colorectal conditions in children, health outcomes, and quality of life. She is passionate about quality and standards in postgraduate training, and champions sustainability and diversity in surgery. She is also engaged in multiple international collaborative networks in Singapore, UK, Europe and North America, and hopes to increase loco-regional collaborations in ASEAN nations. Shireen is a proud UM alumna, who completed her undergraduate medical degree and postgraduate surgical training at the Faculty of Medicine. 

Dr. Che Chong Chin is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. She holds a PhD in Nursing Science from Universiti Malaya, along with a Master of Nursing (Education) and a Bachelor of Nursing from Monash University. With more than 30 years of combined academic and clinical experience, she is recognized as a committed scholar, educator, and advocate for advancing nursing education, practice, and research. Dr. Che’s pioneering work on the development of a time banking model has positioned her at the forefront of innovation in community health. Beyond this flagship initiative, she contributes to international efforts on environmental sustainability in healthcare through the Green-Care Toolkit and continues to advance psychosocial strategies for preventing healthcare-associated infections. A prolific researcher, she has published widely in WoS- and Scopus-indexed journals on caregiving, cancer survivorship, advance care planning, women’s health, and empowerment in vulnerable populations. Her article in the Journal of Advanced Nursing was recognized as one of the most highly cited in 2017. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Nursing Open, reviews for international journals, and is a life member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. As a dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Che has nurtured the growth of many postgraduate students and remains deeply engaged in community health. Her vision is to drive research that not only advances academic knowledge but also transforms practice and informs policy.