PROF. DR. NUR AISHAH BINTI MOHD TAIB

Prof Nur Aishah Taib (Taib NA, Mohd Taib NA) is a senior consultant breast surgeon and professor of the Department of Surgery at University Malaya since 2012. She is currently Head, UM Cancer Research Institute (2019-present). She graduated with MBBS in University of Malaya in 1995, Master of Surgery(UM) in 2001. She graduated with Doctor of Medicine, Universiti Malaya in 2011 with her thesis “Why Women Present with Advanced Breast Cancer- A Mixed Method Study”. She is employed in Universiti Malaya as a Professor in Department of Surgery since 2012.   She has 234 publications in peer-reviewed journals with a H-index of 36. Her areas of interest are strongly correlated with patient care and outcomes. Prof Nur Aishah is a trainer for Master of Surgery in Malaysia and is on the board of examiners for the exit viva for the Breast and Endocrine Surgery Subspecialty Exams in Malaysia. She has supervised the completion of 8 PhDs, 11 Master of Science (research mode) and 23 Clinical Masters (General Surgery).   She also a member of the National Committee for Breast and Endocrine Surgery Specialist Evaluation, Malaysian Medical Council. Chairperson and founder member of the Breast Chapter of the College of Surgeons of Malaysia (2015-2018). She is a Fellow of the Malaysian Academy of Medicine since 2016 and past Honorary Treasurer and Council Member of the College of Surgeons of Malaysia (2015-2019). She is a council member of Breast Surgery International.   She is the local lead in the Greater Petaling City Cancer Challenge application and city executive member and technical committee lead. City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can) supports cities around the world as they work to improve access to equitable, quality cancer care. She is the principal investigator (PI) of REBUNG (Reducing Barriers in Cancer Early Diagnosis in Urban B40 Group), a community study funded by UM Interdisciplinary Impact Research Grant (2020-present). She is also co-PI of ENPHaSIS ( Exploration of Needs of Patient and Health Systems in Implementing a Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Plan in Malaysia) (2020-present).   She is active in advocacy and the president of Together Against Cancer (2023-2025), a Malaysian NGO.

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PROF. DR. JULIANA BINTI OTHMAN

Prof. Juliana Othman is a scholar in language education and a Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. With over 30 years of experience in applied linguistics and teacher education, she has shaped language policies, teacher training, and bilingual education in Malaysia. She has held key leadership roles, including Chair of the Centre for Research in Language Education (CRiLE), Head of the Department of Language & Literacy Education (2015–2018), and Deputy Director of the Centre for the Initiation of Talent and Industrial Training, driving impactful research and curriculum reforms. Recognized globally, she has been awarded prestigious fellowships, including the Fulbright Scholar Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, Asian University Alliance Scholar at Tsinghua University, and Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington. Prof. Juliana plays a vital role in enhancing academic standards as an External Program Assessor and consultant for leading universities and education programs. Her research, supported by the British Council, the Ministry of Education, and Universiti Malaya, focuses on teacher professional development, second language pedagogy, and bilingual education, directly influencing policy and classroom practices. Beyond academia, Prof. Juliana actively contributes to national and international educational advancement. She has served as an External Program Assessor for leading institutions locally and internationally, such as Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa and UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia, ensuring academic rigor in language education programs. As a consultant and advisor, she has played a key role in shaping curriculum frameworks, including the BED Primary program at the Institute Pendidikan Guru Ilmu Khas and Universiti Utara Malaysia. A prolific author and advocate, she has published extensively on language education and has been instrumental in shaping national and institutional curriculum frameworks. Through her leadership and scholarship, she continues to elevate language education standards and empower educators, making a lasting impact in the field.

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PROF. DR. THONG MEOW KEONG

Professor Dr THONG Meow Keong studied medicine and trained in Paediatrics at the University of Malaya. He received genetics training in Singapore and was a Fellow in Clinical Genetics at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide and as a Senior Fellow at the renowned Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He was recognized as the first board-certified clinical geneticist in Malaysia and helped established Clinical Genetics as a subspecialty in the National Specialist Register Malaysia. He established the first Genetics clinic with genetic counselling service at the University Hospital Kuala Lumpur in 1995 and headed the Genetics & Metabolism Unit at the Department of Paediatrics. He received a Doctorate in Medicine from University of Malaya in 2004, for research on the molecular genetics of beta thalassaemia and discovering the molecular basis of beta thalassaemia in the Kadazandusuns in Sabah.   Professor Thong was a Fulbright scholar at the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA and a past recipient of the 8th Royal College of Physicians of London and Academy of Medicine of Malaysia Annual Research Award, Australia-Malaysia Fellowship in Research Excellence, the Travel Award by the Asian Society for Pediatric Research Japan, University of Malaya Distinguished Service awards. He also won three gold medals in ITEX and Biotechnology Asia invention and innovation competitions. In 2019, he received the Minister of Education of Malaysia Award for Curriculum Design and Innovation as well as University of Malaya's Excellence Award for 'Distinguished Research in Science'. He was also the recipient for the prestigious American Society of Human Genetics Advocacy Award 2022. Professor Thong has published over 110 peer-reviewed publications on research work done on genetic disorders that hitherto have not been well documented in the various Asian subpopulations. He co-authored 8 books, including Handbook of Hospital Paediatrics (2nd edition), Problem-based Learning in Medical Sciences and Rare Journeys of Love and 15 book chapters, including a chapter in the prestigious Oxford monograph Genomics and Health in the Developing World and presented in many national and international conferences, including 180 proceedings and 6 keynote lectures. He worked closely with the Ministry of Health Malaysia in developing the counselling module for thalassaemia and other clinical practice guidelines. He collaborated with the World Health Organization and March of Dimes in preparing a document on management of birth defects and haemoglobinopathies as well as rare diseases. He was the lead author for two policy papers on 'Rare Diseases in Malaysia' written in conjunction with the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) He was the past President of the Asia-Pacific Society of Human Genetics, founding Vice President of the Medical Genetics Society of Malaysia, Chairman of the Clinical Genetics sub-speciality committee of the National Specialist Register Malaysia, appointed member of the Education committee member in Paediatrics by the Malaysian Medical Council and President of the College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia. He was the Head, Department of Paediatrics, University of Malaya from 2009 – 2011 with the notable achievement of overseeing the successful transition of the Department of Paediatrics to the new Women’s and Children’s Health Complex of UMMC. He was also appointed as the founding Head, Genetic Medicine unit of the University Malaya Medial Centre. He was elected as a Fellow of Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, Academy of Medicine Singapore and Academy of Sciences Malaysia. He was elected a steering committee member of the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative (G2MC) in 2022. Professor Thong is also a reviewer for international journal manuscripts, research grant applications as well as an examiner for national and international medical examinations in Sydney, Melbourne, Dhaka and Hong Kong. He co-authored the new Malaysian Paediatrics postgraduate curriculum in conjunction with the National Postgradaute Medical Curriculum Writing project. He organized the 10th Asia-Pacific Conference on Human Genetics and is the founding National Advisor to the Malaysian Rare Disorders Society since 2004 and a Trustee of the Rare Disease Alliance Foundation of Malaysia. He helped established the Genetic Counselling Society of Malaysia. He organised the first UM-Chinese University of Hong Kong Certificate Course in Clinical Genetics and Genomics at the University of Malaya. His current interests include delineation of rare disorders, preventive and curative strategies for genetic disorders, genetic counselling, inborn errors of metabolism. medical education and access to genetics and genomics services in developing countries. He is involved in gene therapy for patients and  other clinical trials for genetic diseases. He has obtained over 20 research grants and has international collaborations with renowned centres in Australia, Saudi Arabia, USA, Japan and Hong Kong. 

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