Curriculum Vitae

DR. MOHD ISKANDAR JEFREE BIN JOHARI

Research Officer
  • Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre
  • jefree
  • 0379676670

BIOGRAPHY


Dr. Jefree Johari received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Otago, New Zealand, in 2007. He then joined Universiti Malaya and finished his Master of Medical Science in 2014. He recently completed his PhD degree in 2024, focusing on the epidemiology of viral infections under the mentorship of the prominent Professor Dr. Sazaly Abu Bakar and talented Dr. Tiong Vunjia. The findings from his PhD work have been published in reputable, top-5% ISI journals, boasting a cumulative Impact Factor of 22.063 at the time of publication. He also proudly represented Malaysia as the sole invitee to attend the prestigious 15th HKU-Pasteur Virology Course during his third semester.
 
Presently, he serves as a Senior Research Officer (Grade Q48/Q12) at the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), one of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia’s National Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (National HICoE), where he is put in charge of the operations and maintenance of high-level biocontainment (Biosafety Level-3) research and training facilities at Universiti Malaya. At the national level, he was one of the contributors to the development of the first edition of Malaysia Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Policy and Guidelines, published by the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia in 2015.

He has authored and co-authored more than 20 papers in international refereed journals, most of which were published in journals indexed to Clarivate Analytics ISI Web of Science. His current H-index is 14, with over 950 citations received from diverse authors and journals across the fields of microbiology and infectious diseases. He has two international patent applications filed in 2014 and was the 2015 National Innovation Award (= Anugerah Inovasi Negara) Finalist. Additionally, he has also actively contributed to the advancement of academic research by peer-reviewing numerous manuscripts for prestigious ISI journals, namely Nature's Scientific Reports, and BMC Series journals such as BMC Infectious Diseases, BMC Veterinary Research, BMC Research Notes. Recently, he was appointed to serve as an editorial board member for Bandung Medical Journal, an ISI Journal published by the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia, further solidifying his commitment to promoting excellence in the field.
 
He has strong and extensive project management skills and experience at both national and international levels. To date, he has managed the planning, execution, and performance of over 20 research and community projects worth more than RM 25 million. The most notable research projects he has overseen and shepherded include; the development of Malaysia's first prototype of mobile high-level biocontainment (Biosafety Level-3) laboratory, funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology, & Innovation (MOSTI) Malaysia; and the multi-institutional collaborative project between the Universiti Malaya, Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia, Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), and U.S. Naval Medical Research Centre - Asia (U.S. NMRC-A), funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. DOD) to study the seroepidemiology of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection among Malaysian Hajj pilgrims. He was invited to share the successes of the project in a Special Panel Session at the 2019 DTRA Chemical and Biological Defense Science & Technology Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 

Dr. Jefree Johari played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing critical projects focused on evaluating the long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2, as well as monitoring and characterizing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases of public health significance, with an emphasis on diverse target populations, such as those residing in forest fringe areas and strategic locations like the Malaysian-Thai border. These efforts were supported by international funders such as The Henry M. Jackson Foundation's Austere Environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO) and the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS). He has also been involved in the development of novel diagnostic technologies, including initiatives supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), aimed at enhancing early detection and intervention capabilities for infectious threats.
 
Dr Jefree Johari was named the sole recipient of the prestigious 2019 Universiti Malaya Excellence Awards for the Best Management & Professional Staff (Non-Academic) in recognition of his outstanding service performance and leadership throughout the year. He was also the proud recipient of the Best Presentation Award for his confident, inspiring, and engaging oral presentation during the 2019 International Conference of UM Academia - Community Engagement. More recently, in 2023, he won the Service Excellence Award (= Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang), an award given annually as recognition to the excellent services provided by UM staff within their departments.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE


  • PROJECT MANAGEMENT
    RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT
  • EPIDEMIOLOGY
    MONITORING OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES FOR FUTURE PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
  • VIROLOGY
    RESPIRATORY VIRUSES & ARBOVIRUSES
  • MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
    MOLECULAR AND SEROLOGY ASSAY

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION


  • BSc, (MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY)
    University of Otago
  • PhD, (INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY)
    Universiti Malaya (UM)
  • MMedSc, (MOLECULAR BIOLOGY)
    Universiti Malaya (UM)

MEMBERSHIPS


  • MALAYSIA BOARD OF TECHNOLOGISTS (MBOT), GRADUATE MEMBER
    Since 2020 (National)
  • MALAYSIAN BIOSAFETY & BIOSECURITY ASSOCIATION (MBBA), LIFE MEMBER
    Since 2015 (National)
  • MALAYSIAN SOCIETY FOR MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY (MSMBB), ORDINARY MEMBER
    2019 to 2019 (National)
  • MALAYSIAN SOCIETY OF PARASITOLOGY & TROPICAL MEDICINE (MSPTM), ORDINARY MEMBER
    2016 to 2016 (National)

AWARD AND STEWARDSHIP


  • EXCELLENCE SERVICE AWARD
    University of Malaya, 2023 (University)
  • BEST PRESENTATION AWARD
    International Conference of UM Academia - Community Engagement, 2019 (International)
  • CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENT SERVICE
    University of Malaya, 2015 (University)
  • Phlebotomy Certification
    Medicskills Sdn Bhd, 2015 (International)
  • Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) & Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) Training Certification
    Universiti Malaya, 2015 (University)
  • Responsible Care & Use of Laboratory Animals Course (RCULAC) Certification
    Universiti Malaya, 2015 (University)
  • Anugerah Inovasi Negara (Kategori Akar Umbi)
    Kementerian Sains, Teknologi, & Inovasi, 2015 (National)
  • Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certification
    Kementerian Kesihatan, 2014 (National)

PUBLICATIONS


Article in Journal
WoS
  1. Johari, Jefree; Hontz, Robert. D. D.; Pike, Brian. L. L.; Husain, Tupur; Rusli, Norhayati; Mohd-Zain, Rozainanee; Tiong, Vunjia; Lee, Hai-Yen; Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Khor, Chee-Sieng; Loong, Shih-Keng; Abd-Jamil, Juraina; Nor'e, Siti-Sarah; Yahaya, Hasmawati; Che-Kamaruddin, Naim; Garcia-Rivera, Jose. A. A.; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2023). MERS-CoV seroconversion amongst Malaysian Hajj pilgrims returning from the Middle East, 2016-2018: results from the MERCURIAL multiyear prospective cohort study, EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS. 12(1). doi:10.1080/22221751.2023.2208678
  2. Johari, J., Hontz, R. D., Pike, B. L., Husain, T., Chong, C. K., Rusli, N., . . . AbuBakar, S. (2021). Multiyear prospective cohort study to evaluate the risk potential of MERS-CoV infection among Malaysian Hajj pilgrims (MERCURIAL): a study protocol. BMJ Open, 11(8), 6. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050901
  3. Tan, K. K., Tiong, V., Tan, J. Y., Wong, J. E., Teoh, B. T., Abd-Jamil, J., . . . AbuBakar, S. (2021). Multiplex sequencing of SARS-Cov-2 genome directly from clinical samples using the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM). Tropical Biomedicine, 38(3), 283-288. doi: 10.47665/tb.38.3.069
  4. Tan, Kim-Kee; Tan, Jia-Yi; Wong, Jo-Ern; Teoh, Boon-Teong; Tiong, Vunjia; Abd-Jamil, Juraina; Nor'e, Siti-Sarah; Khor, Chee-Sieng; Johari, Jefree; Yaacob, Che-Norainon; Zulkifli, Mulya-Mustika-Sari; CheMatSeri, AsmaAnati; Mahfodz, Nur-Hidayana; Azizan, Noor Syahida; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2021). Emergence of B.1.524(G) SARS-CoV-2 in Malaysia during the third COVID-19 epidemic wave, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 11(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01223-4
  5. Alghazali, K. A., Teoh, B. T., Sam, S. S., Abd-Jamil, J., Johari, J., Atroosh, W. M., . . . AbuBakar, S. (2020). Dengue fever among febrile patients in Taiz City, Yemen during the 2016 war: Clinical manifestations, risk factors, and patients knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the disease. One Health, 9, 9. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2019.100119
  6. Alghazali, KhairAlah A.; Teoh, Boon-Teong; Loong, Shih-Keng; Sam, Sing-Sin; Che-Mat-Seri, Nurul-Asma-Anati; Samsudin, Nur-Izyan; Yaacob, Che-Norainon; Azizan, Noor-Syahida; Oo, Adrian; Baharudin, Nur-Adilah; Tan, Kim-Kee; Abd-Jamil, Juraina; Nor'e, Siti-Sarah; Khor, Chee-Sieng; Johari, Jefree; Mahdy, Mohammed A. K.; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2019). Dengue Outbreak during Ongoing Civil War, Taiz, Yemen, EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 25(7), 1397-1400. doi:10.3201/eid2507.180046
  7. Khor, Chee-Sieng; Hassan, Habibi; Mohd-Rahim, Nurul-Farhana; Chandren, Josephine Rebecca; Nore, Siti-Sarah; Johari, Jefree; Loong, Shih-Keng; Abd-Jamil, Juraina; Khoo, Jing-Jing; Lee, Hai-Yen; Pike, Brian L.; Ping, Wong Li; Lim, Yvonne Ai-Lian; Abubakar, Sazaly (2019). Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi among the indigenous people (Orang Asli) of Peninsular Malaysia, JOURNAL OF INFECTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 13(5), 449-454. doi:10.3855/jidc.11001
  8. Khor, C. S., Mohd-Rahim, N. F., Hassan, H., Chandren, J. R., Nore, S. S., Johari, J., . . . AbuBakar, S. (2018). Seroprevalence of Q Fever Among the Indigenous People (Orang Asli) of Peninsular Malaysia. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 7. doi:10.1089/vbz.2017.2153
  9. Loong, Shih Keng; Che-Mat-Seri, Nurul-Asma-Anati; Abdulrazak, Osama; Douadi, Benacer; Ahmad-Nasrah, Siti-Noraisah; Johari, Jefree; Mohd-Zain, Siti-Nursheena; Abubakar, Sazaly (2018). Recovery of Bordetella bronchiseptica sequence type 82 and B. pseudohinzii from urban rats in Terengganu, Malaysia, JOURNAL OF VETERINARY MEDICAL SCIENCE. 80(1), 77-84. doi:10.1292/jvms.17-0218
  10. Zainal, Nurhafiza; Tan, Kim-Kee; Johari, Jefree; Hussein, Heselynn; Musa, Wan Rosmaiza Wan; Hassan, Jamiyah; Lin, Yee-Shin; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2018). Sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus cross-neutralizes dengue viruses, MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY. 62(10), 659-672. doi:10.1111/1348-0421.12652
  11. Loong, S. K.; Johari, J.; Seri, Che Mat N. A. A.; AbdulRazak, O.; Douadi, B.; Nasrah, Ahmad S. N.; Zain, Mohd S. N.; AbuBakar, S. (2016). Isolation and Identification of an Emerging Pathogen, Kocuria marina, from Rattus rattus diardii, TROPICAL BIOMEDICINE. 33(3), 589-593
  12. Loong, Shih Keng; Soh, Yih Harng; Mahfodz, Nur Hidayana; Johari, Jefree; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2016). Synovial Tissue Infection with Burkholderia fungorum, EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 22(10), 1834-1835. doi:10.3201/eid2210.151114
  13. Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Tan, Kim-Kee; Johari, Jefree; Abd-Jamil, Juraina; Hooi, Poh-Sim; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2016). The Use of NS1 Rapid Diagnostic Test and qRT-PCR to Complement IgM ELISA for Improved Dengue Diagnosis from Single Specimen, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 6. doi:10.1038/srep27663
  14. AbuBakar, Sazaly; Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Chang, Li-Yen; Johari, Jefree; Hooi, Poh-Sim; Lakhbeer-Singh, Harvinder-Kaur; Italiano, Claire M.; Omar, Sharifah F. Syed; Wong, Kum-Thong; Ramli, Norlisah; Tan, Chong-Tin (2013). Outbreak of Human Infection with Sarcocystis nesbitti, Malaysia, 2012, EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 19(12), 1989-1991. doi:10.3201/eid1912.120530
  15. Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Tan, Kim-Kee; Johari, Jefree; Danlami, Mohammed Bashar; Hooi, Poh-Sim; Md-Esa, Rafi; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2013). Detection of dengue viruses using reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification, BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 13. doi:10.1186/1471-2334-13-387
  16. Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Tan, Kim-Kee; Johari, Jefree; Shu, Meng-Hooi; Danlami, Mohammed Bashar; Abd-Jamil, Juraina; MatRahim, NorAziyah; Mahadi, Nor Muhammad; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2013). Dengue virus type 1 clade replacement in recurring homotypic outbreaks, BMC EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY. 13. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-213
  17. Johari, Jefree; Kianmehr, Aynaz; Mustafa, Mohd Rais; Abubakar, Sazaly; Zandi, Keivan (2012). Antiviral Activity of Baicalein and Quercetin against the Japanese Encephalitis Virus, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. 13(12), 16785-16795. doi:10.3390/ijms131216785
  18. Zandi, Keivan; Lani, Rafidah; Wong, Pooi-Fong; Teoh, Boon-Teong; Sam, Sing-Sin; Johari, Jefree; Mustafa, Mohd Rais; AbuBakar, Sazaly (2012). Flavone Enhances Dengue Virus Type-2 (NGC Strain) Infectivity and Replication in Vero Cells, MOLECULES. 17(3), 2437-2445. doi:10.3390/molecules17032437
Books
  1. Malaysia Laboratory Biosafety & Biosecurity: Policy & Guideline, First Edition (2015), Ministry of Health Malaysia
Chapter in Books
  1. UM Research (UMR) Bulletin, Volume 1 (2015), University of Malaya
Other Publications
  1. Johari, J. (2018). Penyakit MERS-CoV - Terbawa Pulang Tanpa Sengaja. Rancangan Ala Carte Pagi. Bernama Radio - Mass Media(Newspaper,Radio,Tv,Popular Magazine)

PAPER PRESENTED


INVITED SPEAKER
  1. Multi-Year Prospective Cohort Study to Evaluate the Risk Potential of MERS-CoV, 2016 - 2018, DTRA Chemical and Biological Defense Science & Technology Conference 2019, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) (International) (18 Nov 2019 - 21 Nov 2019)
ORAL PRESENTER
  1. Multiyear Prospective Cohort Study to Evaluate The Risk Potential of MERS-CoV Infection Among Malaysian Hajj Pilgrims: 2016~2018, 1st Joint Meeting TIDCL/CRCIV/TIDREC/IMPE, Ajou University, Republic of Korea (International) (17 May 2022 - 17 May 2022)
  2. Weaponizing community in fight against dengue and dengue vector, International Conference of UM Academia - Community Engagement, UM Community & Sustainability Centre (UMCares) (International) (30 Sep 2019 - 01 Oct 2019)
POSTER PRESENTER
  1. Weaponizing community in fight against dengue and dengue vector, International Conference of UM Academia - Community Engagement, UM Community & Sustainability Centre (UMCares) (International) (30 Sep 2019 - 01 Oct 2019)
  2. Knowledge and technology transfer of an innovative Spokojan mosquito coil and holder system for outdoor deployment to Orang Asli community in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Second National Conference on Knowledge Transfer (KTP 02) , KTP Secretariat @USM (National) (09 Sep 2014 - 11 Sep 2014)
  3. Dengue virus infection induces endothelial cells senescence, The 16th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, International Society for Infectious Diseases (International) (02 Apr 2014 - 05 Apr 2014)
  4. Reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid detection of dengue virus, The 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene , The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (International) (13 Nov 2013 - 17 Nov 2013)
  5. Development of a simple single-tube reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detection of dengue virus from clinical samples, The 8th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health , The Federation of European Societies for Tropical Medicine and International Health (International) (10 Sep 2013 - 13 Sep 2013)
  6. Comparison of real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of Dengue virus. , Singapore International Conference on Dengue and Emerging Infections , STOP Dengue Translational Clinical Research Program and the Duke NUS Emerging Infectious Diseases Program (International) (21 Nov 2012 - 23 Nov 2012)
  7. Purifying selection in the evolution of Dengue virus type 1 in Malaysia, The 15th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, International Society for Infectious Diseases (International) (13 Jun 2012 - 16 Jun 2012)
  8. Phylogenetic analysis of Dengue virus type 1 non-structural-5 gene in recurring Dengue outbreaks in Malaysia. , Colloquium on Updates on Dengue and Arbovirus Research in Malaysia, Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC) (National) (12 Apr 2010 - 13 Apr 2010)
  9. Phylogenetic analysis of Dengue virus type 1 non-structural-1 gene in recurring dengue outbreaks in Malaysia., Duke-NUS Emerging Infectious Disease Inauguration Symposium, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (International) (08 Dec 2009 - 11 Dec 2009)
  10. Development of chimeric Japanese encephalitis - Nipah candidate RNA vaccine construct using long range polymerase chain reaction assembly., The 3rd Regional Conference On Molecular Medicine, Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM) (International) (02 May 2009 - 04 May 2009)

ACADEMIC/PROF. SERVICES


Evaluation
  1. (2024) Virology Journal - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
  2. (2024) Virology Journal - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
  3. (2024) Scientific Reports - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
  4. (2024) Bmc Infectious Diseases - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
  5. (2024) Bmc Veterinary Research - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
  6. (2023) Bmc Research Notes - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
  7. (2023) Scientific Reports - Article Reviewer, International, (Reviewer)
Contribution to external organisation
  1. (2024) Bandung Medical Journal - Editorial Board Member, International, (Expert Advisor)
  2. (2023) Pejabat Kesihatan Lembah Pantai - Sukarelawan Mychampion, National, (Resource Person)
Contribution to event
  1. (2022) Moderator for Online Webinar Titled "Rabies: Apa Yang Saya Patut Tahu?" Organized by Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (Mstpm), National, (Panelist/Moderator)

PATENT/IPR


  • Antiviral activity of baicalein againts Japanese encephalitis virus
    Patent (International)
  • Antiviral activity of quercetin againts Japanese encephalitis virus
    Patent (International)

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ACTIVITIES


  • Knowledge and Technology Transfer of Mosquito Identification Technique and Diy Ovitrap With Combi Squad At Jalan Ciku, Taman Kota Masai, Pasir Gudang, Johor, (19 Sep 2019 - 20 Sep 2019)
  • Community Empowerment - Field Trial of An Attracticidal Mosquito Coil With Combi Squad At Jalan Ciku, Taman Kota Masai, Pasir Gudang, Johor, (01 Jan 2017 - 30 Jun 2018)
  • Knowledge and Technology Transfer of Spokojan to Orang Asli Community in Kampung Dusun Kubur, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, (01 Aug 2013 - 31 Jul 2015)