Professor Dr Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin was born in 1972 in a small town, Lenggong, Perak. He received his primary education at SRK Bukit Balai, Lenggong and SRK Anglo Chinese School, Ipoh before going off to MARA Junior Science College Balik Pulau, Penang, for his secondary education. He then continued with foundation study in science at Centre for Foundation Science (Pusat Asasi Sains), University Malaya. Prof Yazid completed his fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), USA in 2009 after obtaining his MBBS in 1997 and Masters of Paediatrics in 2004, both from University Malaya. In 2010 he was awarded as a Certified Paediatric Endocrinologist by the National Specialist Register (Malaysia). Prof. Yazid is a leading authority in Paediatrics, Paediatric Endocrinology, and Diabetes. He serves as Professor of Paediatrics at Universiti Malaya and Senior Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and UM Specialist Centre (UMSC). He also holds the administrative position of Deputy Dean (Undergraduate Studies, 2021-2027) at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, where he plays a key role in medical education, curriculum development, and academic governance at both national and regional levels. Prof. Yazid has demonstrated sustained leadership across major professional organisations in paediatrics and paediatric endocrinology. He previously served as President of the Asia Pacific Paediatric Endocrine Society (2018–2020) and President of the Malaysian Paediatric Association (2017–2019). His other leadership roles include Vice President of the Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society (2022–2024; 2024–2026) and Chairman of the Malaysian Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Group (since 2020). He is currently President of Diabetes Malaysia (2025–2027), where he actively advocates for improved diabetes care, education, access to technology, and evidence-based policy reform nationwide. He also serves as Chair of the Specialty Subcommittee for General Paediatrics (2023–2025; 2025–2027). His contributions to paediatric medicine and endocrinology have been widely recognised. He has received numerous honours, including the Outstanding Asian Paediatrician Award (2024), multiple Universiti Malaya Excellent Service Awards (2015, 2019, 2022, 2023), Excellent Lecturer (Clinical) Award at the University Malaya Excellence Award 2017, and the Kesatria (Ambassador) Award from the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau. In 2025, he was conferred Fellowship of both the Academy of Science Malaysia (FASc) and the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (FAMM). A prolific clinician-scientist, Prof. Yazid has authored over 120 ISI-indexed publications, including two landmark papers in the New England Journal of Medicine. He holds many significant national and international research grants, worth >RM8 million in cumulation. He also acts as Scientific Advisors for many multicentre international research for type 2 diabetes and obesity in children. He has numerous experiences presenting in conferences and workshops locally and abroad. His research focuses on paediatric diabetes, obesity, metabolic disorders, and child health, with significant impact on clinical practice, professional guidelines, and health policy across Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region.  

Dr Adina Abdullah has a decade of experience in primary healthcare delivery, health systems research and the development and implementation of digital health interventions in Malaysia. She has built strong networks with relevant policy, health system and community stakeholders. Dr Adina is a family medicine specialist and a professor at the Department of Primary Care Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya (UM). Dr Adina graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Science (hons) in 1997 and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1999 from the University of Nottingham, UK. She obtained a Masters of Medicine (Family Medicine) and PhD at the Universiti Malaya. Her interest in digital health evolved after she became a member of the core team responsible for the implementation of the Hospital Information System at the Ministry of Health Hospitals in 2004. Stemming from her Masters’ thesis, she was involved in the development and implementation of home blood pressure telemonitoring which was developed by a Universiti Malaya spin off company, UMCH Sdn Bhd.  Dr Adina is also a committee member for the non-profit organization, Digital Health Malaysia. She co-leads the mHealth and telehealth division at the Universiti Malaya eHealth Unit. Since 2012, she has been leading research and publishing papers on the use of telemonitoring, patients’ perspectives on digital health, prevalence of health literacy and patients’ use of online health information to make decisions on medications. Through her research, Adina has also worked closely with stakeholders from the Malaysian Ministry of Health, academic institutions and the industry.

Dr Geetha Govindasamy obtained her PhD from  Monash University, Australia, M.A from the International University of Japan, M.Phil from Queens' College, Cambridge University, UK.  She is an expert on  East Asian international relations. She teaches  courses related to East Asian regional affairs. Generally, she publishes more on inter-Korean issues and East Asian interactions. Her publications  can be found in the local and international journals, UM Press and other reputable publishers. Thus far, she has been a recipient of various research grants from Korea Foundation, Sumitomo Foundation and local funding.  Her networking experiences include academic exchanges at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea University, Institute of Far Easter Studies (IFES), Kyungnam University and the Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID).  Dr Govindasamy was also invited to attend the Study of the United States Institute (SUSI) Exchange programe for acadermics in 2013 and in 2019, she was invited by the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan to be part of an academic tour to Tokyo and Okinawa.  Dr Govindasamy is a member of  Malaysian Scholars on Korea (MASK) and  the Malaysia-Japan Association (MAJAS) and simultaneously is the  Managing Editor of Wilayah: International Journal of East Asian Studies. At present, she is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Peace and Cooperation.