DR. THANGA GANAPATHY A/L SUPRUMANIAN

Passionate and dedicated trainee lecturer with strong teaching and administrative skills. Experienced in working across diverse social and cultural environments, using effective and engaging teaching methods. Currently specializing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Universiti Sains Malaysia, with a focus on combining clinical practice and academic research. Skilled in both individual and team settings, with a commitment to continuous learning and institutional goals.

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ASSOCIATE PROF. DR. TAN AI HUEY

Dr. Tan Ai Huey is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya (UM) and Consultant Neurologist and Physician at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre. As a clinician-scientist, she dedicates her career to excellence in patient care, and medical research and education, particularly in the neurological subspecialty area of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Movement Disorders. After completing her specialty training in Internal Medicine and subspecialty training in Neurology in 2015, Dr. Tan obtained a PhD degree (with thesis distinction), in which she explored the role of the gut microbiome and novel therapeutic approaches, such as probiotics, in PD. Leading an inter-disciplinary research team at UM, her research has since expanded to genetic and biomarker discoveries in PD and rare movement disorders (e.g., dystonia and ataxia), with the aim to uncover factors that are unique and relevant to the Asian population. Other key research areas include uncovering the impact of geriatric conditions, comorbidities, and non-motor features, as well as understanding patient/caregiver perspectives, in PD. Through collaborations with local and international partners, Dr. Tan and her team work tirelessly to advance personalized, holistic, and patient-centered care in PD and related disorders. Dr. Tan has published extensively in leading medical journals, including first-author publications in Nature Reviews Neurology, Annals of Neurology, Neurology, and Movement Disorders, and co-authorship publications in Lancet Neurology, Nature Genetics, and JAMA Neurology. Her research has received support from renowned funding organizations including the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) via the Global Parkinson’s Genetic Program (GP2), and the Toray Science Foundation. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, a reputable journal in the field. Dr. Tan was elected as President of the Malaysian Society of Neurosciences (MSN) from 2018 to 2022, the professional body that represents Malaysian neurologists and neuroscientists. She currently serves as the Chair of the MSN Movement Disorder Council, within which she co-authored the National Consensus Treatment Guidelines for PD. She has played key roles in developing the national neurology subspecialty training curriculum. Internationally, she was Treasurer of the ASEAN Neurological Association and has been appointed to Chair several committees of the International Parkinson & Movement Disorder Society (MDS, the world body representing clinicians and scientists in the PD/Movement Disorder field), including the MDS Communications Oversight Committee and the MDS Web-based Learning Subcommittee. She is also the Secretary-Elect of the MDS Asian-Oceanian Section Executive Committee and a member of the MDS Evidence-Based Medicine Steering Committee. Grateful for the mentors in her career, she is highly passionate about teaching and believes in developing the next-generation talent in medicine and science. She was twice voted Best Clinical Lecturer Award at the UM Faculty of Medicine. More recently, she won the University's Excellent Lecturer Award and the Yound Educator Award from the College of Physicians, Malaysia. Frequently invited as an expert faculty member at various national and international conferences and workshops, Dr. Tan is dedicated to enhancing education and training in PD and movement disorders, especially in underserved regions around the globe, where these efforts can have the most significant impact.

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PROF. DR. PUTERI SHAFINAZ AKMAR BINTI ABDUL RAHMAN

  Professor Dr Puteri Shafinaz Abdul Rahman received her tertiary education at the University of Malaya. She was awarded by the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Commission United Kingdom, a Split-site Doctorate scholarship to pursue her PhD (Proteomics) at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Malaya. She completed her PhD in 2007 and, shortly after, joined the Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Puteri is a founding member of the Universiti Malaya Centre for Proteomic Research (UMCPR), and she is currently heading the centre. She is actively involved in research and has published over 50 referred publications, with an H index of 14 (WOS). In addition, she receives numerous research grants with a cumulative total of > RM2.5 million as Principal Investigator and collaborative investigator capacity. Since 2009, 8 Masters and 8 PhDs have successfully completed their studies under her guidance. Currently, there 2 Masters and 3 PhDs under her supervision. Dr. Puteri is the Head of the Unit for Central Research Laboratories, a designated facility with state-of-the-art proteomics and genomics research equipment at the Faculty of Medicine. Considering her vast experience in research management, she has also held several administrative posts under the DVC Research & Innovation portfolio. She was appointed Deputy Dean of the Innovative Technology Research Cluster (2015-2018), Deputy Dean of Frontiers of the Natural World Research Cluster (2019-2021) and a reviewer for evaluating various grants at the national and international level. She previously held the position of the Coordinator of the Research Project Monitoring Section under the Research Management Centre Universiti Malaya (2022-2024). In terms of research, as a molecular biologist and proteomic scientist, Dr. Puteri's primary expertise is in comparative proteomics. Her team employs proteomic platforms to develop proteome profiles of biological samples. By comparing the generated proteome profiles (e.g. disease vs non-disease state, treated vs untreated, different stages or time-points), dysregulated or aberrant proteins of interest are detected and identified via mass spectrometry approaches. Using this workflow, her team has analysed profiles of sera from cancer patients with gynaecological, nasopharyngeal and bone cancers in search of potential biomarkers for the detection of cancers at an early stage. Dr. Puteri was acknowledged for her work on proteomics of gynaecological cancer when she was selected as the first prize winner of the coveted Merck Young Scientist Award in 2008. In addition to cancer biomarker studies, her team has utilised proteomics technologies for studies on natural products and herbal medicine to understand the benefits of these extracts/compounds and unravel their mechanistic basis for treating various diseases. Her team is also actively profiling proteins associated with the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) and soluble fraction of human milk compared to other animal species. Their current project focuses on the proteome, metabolome and circadian profiles of milk from mothers in the early stages of breastfeeding babies up to 2 years of age. The aim is to investigate the interrelationship of the bioactive milk constituents and their roles in young infants' immune protection and cognitive and physical growth development.    

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