PROF. DR. MOY FOONG MING

                Dr Moy is a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, attached with the Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  She teaches Epidemiology, Nutritional Epidemiology, Research Methodology and Evidence-Based Medicine to both undergraduate and postgraduate candidates.   Her research interests include Translational Research in the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the community setting, Workplace Wellness and the effects of obesity and lifestyle behaviours (diet, physical activity etc ) on NCDs.                    Dr Moy is an established researcher and she has been included in the prestigious World’s Top 2 % Scientists in the Stanford University’s list for the last five conservative years (2020 to 2024).  Her expertise in obesity research is ranked top 2.8% among the published authors worldwide on Obesity from 2010 through 2023 (ExpertScape).       Dr Moy has vast experience in running cohort study.  Currently, she heads a cohort study comprising of almost 15,000 teachers from the Peninsular Malaysia (CLUSTer).  A biobank with serum, plasma and buffy coat was set up.  The study aims to determine the temporal relationship between lifestyle practices (diet and physical activity) and stress with cardiovascular diseases with repeated measurements over time.    This cohort study started in 2013 and up to date, a total 14 PhD/DrPH and one MMedSc (Research) candidates worked on this cohort study and ten of them have graduated.  Eighteen ISI articles are published from this cohort.                   Dr Moy is also actively involved in another study that works on the development of a mobile diet app using image capture as the dietary assessment method. This project is in collaboration with co-researchers in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Behavioural Science.  The goal is to have users monitor their diet and for researchers in the nutrition field to have a better tool in dietary assessment. This mobile diet app has registered for patent and copyrights.  Efforts to further refine it for commercialisation is ongoing.                   Dr Moy has generated research grants amounting to more than RM2.5 million. She published more than 100 manuscripts in peer review journals. She is also active in supervising research candidates.  To date, she has successfully supervised to completion more than 50 DrPH, PhD, MMedSc (Research) and MPH candidates.                    Dr Moy initiated and established the University of Malaya Wellness Program in 2008 and coordinated the program until 2013. She also co-ordinated the implementation of Clinical Epidemiology-Evidence Based Medicine module in the MBBS curriculum in 2008.  She was the coordinator for the Master of Public Health (MPH) program from 2018 to 2022.                  She served as Head of the Centre of Epidemiology and Evidence Based Practice (CEBP), one of the top ten research centres in Universiti Malaya, in 2024 - 2025.  She is a certified Cochrane Trainer and actively conducts workshops on Cochrane Systematic Review Protocol Development.    She serves as associate editors for international and local journals. She also reviews manuscripts for both local and international journals.                   She actively engages with the media in health advocacy especially in the prevention of obesity and NCDs, promotion of healthy lifestyle and lately in the preventive measures of COVID-19 as well as promotion of vaccination for COVID-19.                    In summary, Dr Moy has a rich portfolio in teaching, research, mentorship and health advocacy.

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PROF. DR. SARINDER KAUR A/P KASHMIR SINGH

Prof. Dr. Sarinder Kaur is a distinguished academic at the University of Malaya, where she serves as Associate Professor at the Data Science & Bioinformatics Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Kings University College, Malaysia. Her academic journey and research career have been driven by a commitment to harnessing data for impactful, real-world solutions, particularly in the domains of AI, data science, bioinformatics, health informatics, and database technology. Dr. Sarinder earned her PhD in Bioinformatics as well as her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from the University of Malaya. Over the years, she has made substantial contributions to biomedical research and digital health, publishing over 145 scientific articles, including 49 indexed in Web of Science. Her work has been cited extensively, earning her an H-index of 13 (WoS) and 16 (Google Scholar). Her research has spanned diverse topics—from AI-driven cancer data ecosystems and bioinformatics meta-analyses of COVID-19 gene expression, to EMR optimization, radiology text mining, and traditional medicine data systems. She has led multi-institutional research collaborations involving the University of Cambridge, University of Saskatchewan, University Malaya Medical Centre, and Homi Bhabha Cancer Institute, among others. One of her key contributions is the development of digital frameworks and health data platforms that support clinical services, research, and policymaking. A passionate educator, Dr. Sarinder has supervised over 30 postgraduate students and teaches extensively at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her courses cover computer networking, big data, advanced database systems, bioinformatics tools, and digital health technologies. Beyond academia, Dr. Sarinder plays an active role as a consultant in the Malaysian public and private sectors. She served as Project Director for Sigma Teguh Sdn Bhd, leading the development of machine learning algorithms to analyze national issues such as inflation and the PerantiSiswa program. She also partnered with the Ministry of Health to develop bioinformatics pipelines for analyzing COVID-19 variants and vaccine responses—demonstrating her ability to bridge science and policy through data-driven insights. She is a respected contributor to national and international academic development. Dr. Sarinder has served on academic accreditation panels for UTAR, IMU, and Multimedia University, and has been invited to speak at high-level forums including Monash University’s Data Science Seminar, MOH’s Digital Health Workshops, and the Health Informatics 2024 webinar. She is currently the Treasurer of the Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Network (APBioNet) and serves on the editorial boards of two prestigious journals: BMC Bioinformatics and BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. Dr. Sarinder’s accomplishments have been recognized with multiple honors, including the Hind Rattan Award (2014 and 2017), the University of Malaya Excellent Service Award, and medals for innovation at national exhibitions such as INATEX and INNOVATE. In 2020, she was awarded the Khidmat Setia (Loyal Service) Award by the University of Malaya. Her commitment to education extends into the community. She has organized coding and STEM workshops for schoolchildren across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya, and actively contributes to social initiatives through her leadership roles in the Malaysian Consumer Movement and Pertubuhan Pembangunan Insan Sikh Perak, where she champions women’s development and digital literacy. Through her academic, consultancy, and community service work, Dr. Sarinder Kaur continues to be a trailblazer in advancing data-driven innovation in healthcare and education—both in Malaysia and internationally. Currently, Dr. Sarinder is contributing to the development of a Healthcare Data Safe Haven Infrastructure as part of the AI in Medicine Initiative at the University of Malaya. 

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DR. SONG SZE LOOI

Dr Song Sze Looi is a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya. She obtained her PhD in 2013 from the Universiti Malaya in the field of Algal Biotechnology. She later received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Westminster International College. Currently, she is the Coordinator for the Degree Stacking and Mixed Mode programmes. Dr Song has gained expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, molecular phylogenetics, systematics and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) such as NextSeq, MiSeq, HiSeq and Ion Torrent. Her research includes seaweeds, oysters, nematode parasites of public health importance, insects of agricultural importance and microbiomes. She has published more than 50 papers in ISI journals for example Scientific Reports, PLoS ONE, Acta Tropica, Genetica, Phycologia, Journal of Applied Phycology and Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. Her current H-index is 13 in Publons and 14 in Scopus. Dr Song has also established research collaborations with local and international researchers. Aside from academic achievement, she is also active in sports. She won second prize in the Isometrik Challenge organized by UM's Sport Centre in 2021. She has also achieved podium finish in several marathon events such as the Brooks Kuantan Run (Champion in 10 km Women's Open) and Taiping Cross Country Run (Second Runner-up in 7 km Women's Open).

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