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.

Seon-Hahn KIM, MD, PhD, FACS  Dr. Kim Seon Hahn is Professor and Consultant colorectal surgeon working at Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as his new academic position appointed in Sep 2022. He had been Professor of Colorectal Division, Department of Surgery at Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (2006-2022). He has been specifically interested in robotic and minimally invasive surgery and surgical anatomy in the colorectum during the past 30 years.   Prof. Kim has performed more than 3500 laparoscopic colon and rectal resections and over 1000 robotic rectal resections, mainly for cancer. He performed many live robotic and laparoscopic surgeries at various international congresses and at oversea hospitals. He was honored to give several orations such as; the ‘BJS Lecture’ at the 2015 Congress of European Society of Coloproctology in Dublin, the very first ‘Yasunobu Tsujinaka Memorial Oration’ at the 27th Annual Jagelman/37th Turnbull International Colorectal Symposium 2016 held in Florida, ‘The William Hugh Isbister Lecture’ at the 2019 Saudi-International Colorectal Diseases Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and ‘Dr. Pradeep Chowbay Oration’ at Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endosurgeons (IAGES) 2023 Midterm Conference in Bhopal, India.   Prof. Kim was the Founding President of Korean Association of Robotic Surgeons (KAROS, 2013-15) and the Chairman of the Korean Society of Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons (KSELS, 2014-16). He was awarded the Yeoh Ghim Seng Professor of Surgery by National University of Singapore (2008-14), and Dr. Anthony PC Yim Professorship in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Innovative Technology by Chinese University of Hong Kong (2011). He has been also invited as visiting professor/scholarship worldwide, including Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH, USA (2009), Royal Brisbane Hospital in Australia (2011), National Cheng Gong University in Taiwan (2012/2015), Kumamoto University in Japan (2013), Karolinska Institute Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden (2015/2017), and University of Western Sydney, Australia (2018-2024).

Dr Ranita Hisham Shunmugam is a Senior Lecturer in 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 over 15 years as a Senior Librarian at the Universiti Malaya Library, where she was primarily attached to the Medical Library. During this period, she was actively involved in professional service and currently serves as an Academic Advisor to the Medical Librarian Group (MLG) under the Librarians Association of Malaysia, supporting professional development and strengthening regional collaborations, particularly within Southeast Asia. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science and a Master’s in Information Management from Universiti Teknologi MARA, and obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya in 2019. Her doctoral research examined the perspectives and experiences of primary care physicians regarding evidence-based medicine (EBM) in Malaysia, contributing new insights into the role of librarians in supporting clinical decision-making and research practices. She is actively engaged in teaching, research, and student supervision within the Library and Information Science programme. She contributes to curriculum development and delivers courses related to digital repositories, information literacy, and evaluation of library and information services. She also supervises postgraduate research projects, particularly in digital libraries, health information services, and user behaviour. She has published in reputable journals and collaborates with multidisciplinary research teams across Malaysia and internationally. Trained in advanced literature searching and systematic review methodologies, she regularly conducts workshops and provides consultation on systematic review strategies for students, clinicians, and researchers. Her current research interests include evidence-based healthcare information services, medical librarianship, digital repositories, information literacy, user experience in libraries, and the evolving role of libraries in supporting research and knowledge dissemination.