Professor Chong Mei Chan, PhD, is an accomplished nursing academic and leader with over 20 years of expertise in gerontology, maternal-child health, and e-learning innovations. Currently a Professor at the University of Malaya (UM), she holds a BSc in Nursing (UM, 1995), MSc in Community Health (UPM, 2005), and PhD in Nursing (Monash University, 2014). Her research addresses critical public health issues, including Time banking for community-dwelling older adults, Chronic disease management, and nursing education adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond academia, she actively engages in community health promotion and has established international collaborations with institutions in Australia, China, Taiwan, Jordan, Iran, UAE, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. As Head of UM’s Nursing Department (2018–2023), Prof. Chong led transformative initiatives that elevated the program into the QS World Rankings (150–200) and achieved top departmental status in research publications for two consecutive years. Her leadership extends to national policy, having served on the Malaysian Nursing Board, Nursing Council for Higher Education, and the Health White Paper Advisory Council (2022–2023). She also co-authored Malaysia’s strategic roadmap for health workforce development as a member of the Ministry of Health’s Strategic Engagement Group on Health Workforce and Governance. An internationally recognized scholar, Prof. Chong has published 100+ papers (70+ in WoS/ISI journals), authored 6 textbooks, and supervised 66+ postgraduate candidates (40 PhDs graduated). With 2,130+ citations (h-index: 25, Google Scholar), she is a frequent keynote speaker and external examiner for nursing programs across the Asia-Pacific. Her dedication to advancing nursing education is further demonstrated through her mentorship of early-career researchers and ongoing roles in interprofessional healthcare initiatives.  

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. Erialdi Syahrial is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia. He served as a Visiting Researcher at Goddard School of Business and Economics, Weber State University in Utah, United States. As a Visiting Researcher, he presented his research at the Annual Conference of the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) in Florida, United States. Before transitioning to academia, Dr.Erialdi worked at PROTON, Malaysia’s first national car manufacturing company, where he held roles as Section Head, Lead Engineer, and Project Leader in the Research and Development (R&D) Department. Additionally, he has worked on after-sales service projects in the United Kingdom, Italy, Korea, and Germany. Dr.Erialdi’s work involved collaborating with CEOs, managing directors, customers, suppliers, and consultants from several countries. He is a member of the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and is recognized by the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) as a Professional Technologist (Ts.) until 2023. After his tenure at PROTON, Dr. Erialdi pursued a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Japan, earning his Doctoral degree in Engineering from Keio University in Yokohama. His teaching and research interests primarily focus on Supply Chain Management, Logistics Management, Operations Management, Project Management and Quality Management. In 2022, Dr. Erialdi served as a session chair at the Asia Pacific Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management. In 2024, he was appointed as a panel speaker and session chair at the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) in Dubai, UAE, as well as panel chair and session chair at the Asia Pacific Conference on IEOM in Tokyo, Japan. In 2024, he also chaired sessions at the International Conference on ICT Application Research and the Malaysia-Japan Visionaries Conference in Tokyo, Japan. In early 2025, he contributed to the 15th Annual IEOM Singapore as a technical committee member, session chair, and paper reviewer. Additionally, he met with the IEOM CEO and COO during IEOM Singapore to establish the IEOM Student Chapter at UM. Dr. Erialdi is currently an active project member at Universiti Malaya, working on a project funded by the Malaysian government. In Universiti Malaya, he has established initial connections with governments, universities, institutions, and agencies both nationally and internationally for potential future collaborations.