Dr. Chan Wah Loong received his M.D. certificate in 2014 from Universiti Sains Malaysia and has completed his specialty training in internal Medicine at University of Malaya. He has earned distinction in the final part of his MMed Master in Internal Medicine training. He was the Head Of Department and Internal Medicine Specialist in Hospital Keningau from 2023-2024. He was also the Head of Antimicrobial Stewardship and specialist in charge of Infectious Control Unit for Kluster Keningau, Sabah. He is currently a trainee in Gastroenterology and Hepatology under Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. He is a passionate doctor who has a strong interest in research, publications, and journalism involving topics in various subspecialties of internal medicine especially Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He is the winner for the First Prize in Young Investigator Awards and Third Prize in Best Poster Awards in GUT 2025 (Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Annual Scientific Meeting).

Dr. Mohd Khairi bin Ismail is a respected Malaysian economist, researcher, and academic who currently serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Terengganu. With over 15 years of experience in higher education and research, Dr. Khairi has made significant contributions in the fields of development economics, environmental economics, and poverty studies. He is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies (UAC), University of Malaya—an institution known for championing inclusive and sustainable development research. A First-Class Honours graduate in Economics from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Dr. Khairi later earned his PhD in Environment and Development (Economics) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to interdisciplinary research addressing socio-economic issues affecting the B40 community, urban poverty, and sustainable livelihoods. His scholarly work has been published in more than 60 journals, proceedings, and book chapters, with multiple publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS).  Dr. Khairi has received numerous recognitions and academic awards, including the best paper award and multiple gold medals for innovation in research and teaching. His policy-based research has received grants from national research bodies, especially in projects related to community well-being, Islamic social finance, and urban resilience. In addition, he is an editorial board member for SAGE Open and reviewer for several national and international journals. His expertise has also earned him frequent invitations to media appearances, both in print and broadcast. Dr. Khairi has been featured on RTM and RTM Radio, offering expert commentary on national issues such as the cost of living, national budget, SST vs GST, and inflation. He has also contributed opinion pieces and interviews to major newspapers including Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Sinar Harian, and The Star. His media engagements are characterized by a balanced, data-driven, and policy-relevant approach that bridges the gap between academia and the public.

Dr. Zubaidah Ya’cob is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya, whose academic career has been defined by a strong commitment to advancing One Health principles, impactful infectious disease research, transformative education, and community engagement. In recognition of her international collaborations and academic contributions, Dr. Zubaidah was appointed in 2025 as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Infections and Microbiomes, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, strengthening her global research engagement and fostering long-term collaboration in vector ecology and emerging zoonoses. Her research expertise lies in medical and veterinary entomology, with a specialization in public health vectors, particularly ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, sandflies, blackflies, and biting midges (Culicoides), and their roles in transmitting vector-borne diseases such as scrub typhus, rickettsioses, onchocerciasis, simian malaria, and leishmaniasis. A major focus of her current research is understanding the population dynamics of dipteran vectors, including mosquitoes, biting midges (Culicoides), and sandflies (Phlebotomus), across changing tropical landscapes, emphasizing how environmental disturbances and land-use transformation influence vector ecology, host–parasite interactions, and disease emergence in tropical ecosystems. Dr. Zubaidah has published over 70 ISI-indexed articles in reputable international journals such as One Health, Insects, PLOS ONE, Scientific Reports, Acta Tropica, Insects, Journal of Medical Entomology, and Pathogens. She has successfully secured a range of competitive national and international research grants, reflecting her strong research credibility and global engagement. Among her internationally funded projects, The Royal Society (UK) supported her work titled “Mites with Wings”, which investigates the role of avian hosts in the spread of scrub typhus–carrying mites. Through funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, UK), she explored pathogen detection in Simulium black fly populations associated with Onchocerciasis transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. She is also an international member of a global research consortium on Onchocerciasis elimination in sub-Saharan Africa, working collaboratively with experts from the University of Liverpool, University of Oxford, New England Biolabs (USA), and the University of Sheffield, contributing entomological expertise in vector identification, pathogen detection, and disease transmission ecology. Her collaboration under the International Science Partnership Fund (UK) has led to groundbreaking research on rodent genomics and the prevalence of Orientia bacteria in domestic poultry, revealing complex zoonotic transmission pathways. Domestically, she was awarded the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) to study black fly–filarial parasite associations in Malaysia and has partnered with the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), France, to examine zoonotic disease risks in oil palm agricultural landscapes through a One Health lens. Her partnership with UMCARES extends her impact to underserved communities, delivering vector-borne disease awareness programs for primary schoolchildren and Orang Asli families, translating scientific knowledge into actionable public health benefits. Her multidisciplinary research integrates field entomology, molecular diagnostics, ecological modeling, and population genetics, demonstrating her capacity to lead innovative, solution-oriented research that advances both scientific understanding and disease control strategies. Her future work aims to investigate genetic determinants of vector competence, ecological drivers of disease emergence, and sustainable, ecologically sound vector management under the One Health framework. As an educator, Dr. Zubaidah has shown excellence in teaching and mentoring at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She teaches Biology of Organisms, Biostatistics, Statistics, and Research Methodology, promoting active learning and scientific inquiry while nurturing students’ analytical and critical thinking skills. She currently supervises five PhD candidates (two graduated) and eight Master’s students (three graduated, five ongoing). Beyond academia, Dr. Zubaidah is a science communicator and public health advocate, frequently featured on TV1’s Selamat Pagi Malaysia and Bernama TV, offering expert commentary on vector-borne diseases, particularly during flood seasons. Her community-driven initiatives, delivering health education to Orang Asli and B40 communities, earned her the Universiti Malaya Excellence Award (ACUM) in 2023 for impactful community engagement. Dr. Zubaidah also plays an active role in Malaysia’s professional entomology community. She serves as Secretary of the Entomological Society of Malaysia (ENTOMA) and is an Academic Associate Member of the Public Health Entomology Association (PEKA), reflecting her dedication to advancing entomological science and promoting national and international collaboration. Her ability to integrate science, policy, and community action continues to enhance Universiti Malaya’s reputation as a leader in public health engagement, societal impact, and One Health research excellence.