Ranita Hisham is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. Prior to joining academia in December 2023, she served for 15 years as a Senior Librarian at the Universiti Malaya Library, where she was primarily based at the Medical Library. During her tenure, she actively contributed to the Medical Librarian Group (MLG) of the Librarians Association of Malaysia, serving as Secretary from 2020 to 2023. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Library Science and a Master’s in Information Management from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), and obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, in 2019. Her doctoral research explored the views and experiences of primary care physicians regarding evidence-based medicine in Malaysia, offering a new paradigm for how librarians can support and engage with evidence-based medical research. She has published in reputable journals and collaborated with researchers from various disciplines. She is trained in evidence-based medicine (EBM) searching skills and has conducted numerous workshops and talks on literature searching for systematic reviews. She also provides consultation services to students and academics on systematic review search strategies. Her current research interests include evidence-based practice support in libraries, medical librarianship, information literacy, user needs and information-seeking behaviour, hospital library services, health information services, systematic reviews, and academic librarianship.

I'm a Senior Lecturer at the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. After more than two decades of working in language, communication and skills development, I joined UM in 2019 to contribute to progressing the field of health(care) discourse in Malaysia and beyond. In my current role, I teach languages and linguistics courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, while supervising and conducting research. Research Focus - Improving Health & Wellbeing by Applying a Discursive ToolkitI study matters related to language, health(care) and wellbeing, applying qualitative and discursive perspectives to address problems and inform practice in provider-patient interaction, health education and other related topics. I am particularly interested in analysis of real-life interaction, to answer questions on how people "do things" with language in health-related contexts. For example, how do doctors and patients collaboratively make decisions about treatment, manage chronic health conditions, and discuss concerns by interacting with each other in person or online? I'm also interested in communication in healthcare education, interprofessional discourse and patient education, alongside how people express and make meaning of health-related issues via their talk and stories. My current funded  projects include studies on professional socialisation of house officers (FRGS), patient experience of gum disease (IIRG, UM). Expertise -Enhancing Language and Communication in Diverse SettingsBeyond my research and academic duties, I help enhance language and communication in academic and professional settings, applying a diverse knowledge and skillset composed over 25 years of experience. Before joining academia, I was engaged in various positions mostly as a consultant/independent contractor, including as a language/content service provider for over 15 years and as a language/communication skills instructor for over 17 years. In these roles, I provided language consulting services and skills training for corporate and individual clients in Malaysia and internationally. I have a CELTA qualification and am a HRDF certified trainer. My work history is available at https://my.linkedin.com/in/ayeshah-syed-0468293 Professional Activities and LeadershipAt UM, I have been actively involved in advancement of research and academic practices. From 2022-2024, I led the research portfolio at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics as the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, with other appointments including as the Protem-Deputy Head of the Medical Devices Centre of Excellence, UM and Taskforce member for UM's Programme Educational goals. Outside the university, I  am involved in professional associations related to languages and linguistics and social advancement, including Persatuan Bahasa Moden Malaysia (President, 2022-2024, Vice President-2024 - 2026, Exco member since 2013) and the citizens' movement organisation, the Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason (Exco member - since 2016, Treasurer-2025-present).Research Collaboration and Supervision Opportunities I welcome potential collaborations aligned with my expertise and also enjoy connecting with other researchers to learn about their work, gain insight into new contexts, fields and perspectives and explore how I might contribute to their research activities.  In terms of postgraduate supervision, I supervise projects that apply discursive approaches to address problems in health-related contexts, focusing on interaction. Note to potential supervisees: I have limited availability for 2025-2026 due to a heavy supervision load. 

Professor Dr Wan Himratul Aznita Wan Harun is a passionate oral microbiologist. Since year 2000, she has served as an academic staff at the Department of Oral & Craniofacial Sciences and is currently the Deputy Dean of Value Creation and Enterprise, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya. She is a member of the Malaysian Section International Association for Dental Research (MalSec-IADR), Malaysian Society for Microbiologist (MSM) and Malaysian Society for Oral Microbiologist and Oral Immunologist (MySOMOI). Her research interest includes microbial virulence, oral biofilms, polymicrobial interactions, microbiomes, and medicinal plant extracts. She was awarded the Hitachi Fellowship Award in 2009 and flew to Japan to conduct research on the virulence of oral microorganisms. She publishes articles actively in ISI and Scopus journals and has experienced in supervising many PhD and Masters research for both local and international students including undergraduate elective projects. Throughout her service, she has secured various grants, including Fundamental Research Grants Scheme (FRGS), Ministry of Higher Education-High Impact Research Grants (MOHE-HIR), etc.