Dr. Sajar Othman is a Professor of Family Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya.  She chairs the Violence Intervention Committee (VIC), which was established in 2012 to ensure the appropriate management of family violence and other types of interpersonal violence at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). She was once the head of the Department of Research, Development and Innovation and the head of the Department of Primary Care Medicine at UMMC. She was the overall coordinator for the primary care services at UMMC and chaired the UMMC medical inquiry discussion. She teaches primary care medicine, family violence,  communication and self-care to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

 

She currently holds the University of Malaya Interdisciplinary Impact Research Grant (IIRG) that looks into ways to support women and children who are involved in family violence.  She is the principal investigator for one of the five subprograms of the Prevent Elder Abuse Initiative (PEACE) under the University of Malaya Grand Challenge Programme, exploring the effect of intensive elder abuse training on primary care doctors’ knowledge, attitude and skills.  Other research areas include adolescent/young adult well-being (sexual assault, healthy relationships, unplanned pregnancy and adolescent violence), end-of-life (advance care planning) and strain among healthcare providers (burnout and mindfulness-based stress reduction). The Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies has appointed her as a research fellow to provide input on poverty, ageing and health.

 

She is a co-chair and a regional representative for the World Family Doctor Association (WONCA) Special Interest Group in Family Violence. She is the vice president for the Malaysian Association of Adolescent Health. Heading a team of multidisciplinary researchers, Sajar was appointed as a consultant by UNICEF to explore and report on children’s rights in Sabah. She is active in advocating against family violence. She is part of the expert panel for the preparation of the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act and clinical management for domestic violence and elder abuse in the Malaysian health system.

 

She enjoys hiking, photography, and artwork in her free time.