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Tag: Malaysia

Unpacking the relevance of Traditional and Complementary Medicine through UiTM’s seminar

Posted on by Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Editorial Team

The Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia, successfully organized a webinar on ‘Traditional & Complementary Medicine (T&CM): The Relevance of T&CM Practices in Malaysia and Indonesia’.

This first-ever webinar on T&CM was conducted as one of the online teaching methods for an elective course on Traditional & Complementary Medicine (PHC661) at the faculty.

This webinar was initially targeted at students registered for the course and aimed at allowing them to learn more from the experts; however, the organizers were pleasantly surprised when more than 500 participants, comprising of academicians, research scholars and students from both Malaysia and Indonesia, attended the webinar. The great interest and support shown by the attendees have indeed marked this event as a huge success.

The 3.5-hours webinar began with the opening speech by the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM, Associate Professor Dr Shariza Sahudin, followed by talks from three distinctive speakers. The first talk was given by Dr Dyanan Puvanandran, the Secretary of the Traditional & Complementary Medicine Council, from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia.

Dr Dyanan’s talk was on the topic of ‘Law & Regulation/Acceptance of T&CM in the Modern Health System’, which emphasizes law & policymaking and its enforcement on T&CM in Malaysia.

The second speaker was Associate Professor Dr Mahaneem Mohamed, a Senior Medical Lecturer at the Unit of Integrative Medicine & Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Health Campus, Malaysia.

Dr Mahaneem shared the current practices and challenges in T&CM in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the final speaker for the webinar was Prof. Dr Edy Meiyanto, a Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. Prof. Edy’s talk title was ‘Herbal Therapy as Adjunct Treatment for Cancer’, where he shared a lot of the ongoing and completed research work on cancer and herbs & other natural products at the Universitas Gadjah Mada.

T&CM although existed and been practised ages ago, is still not widely used and fully developed in Malaysia as well as Indonesia. According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey, 2015, less than 30% of the Malaysian population had ever sought any T&CM services. Thus, in order for the T&CM practices to reach a wider range of population, the Malaysian government established the T&CM division under the Ministry of Health in selected government hospitals that encourage the practice to co-exist with modern medicine.

The discussion also highlighted some of the challenges towards implementing the T&CM practices in Malaysia that include ensuring effective implementation of the T&CM Act 2016 and the introduction to statutory regulation of T&CM practitioners, lack of trained personnel, inadequate training facilities and appropriate mechanism to register T&CM without formal training.

The overwhelming response from the attendees was also translated into their active participation in the question and answer session at the end of each talk. The two-way communications with the speakers have turned the whole webinar into a more engaging and informative session.

UiTM inks MoU on health communication with College Physicians of Malaysia

Posted on by A. HAMID SAIFUDDIN

Recognising the need and space for aligned and curated communication across fields and stakeholders, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) signed an MoU with the College Physicians of Malaysia to signify their collaborative effort in knowledge and expertise sharing between the institutions.

The MoU’s signing formally acknowledges an ongoing, strategic, and long-term relationship between the institutions. Activities will focus on academic research collaboration, joint activities and programs, student and staff exchange, and academic knowledge exchange.

Present during the virtual signing ceremony was, the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Associate Professor Dr Massila Hamzah, and Dr Letchuman Ramanathan, the President of the College of Physicians Malaysia. The signing was witnessed by representatives from both parties, through which the ‘War on Cancer’ was initiated.

Historically, the signing marked the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies and the Faculty of Medicine, UiTM’s first partnership with the College of Physicians Malaysia. This MoU aspires to ensure field expertise and knowledge-sharing are accessible to all, from developing improvements in teaching and learning to close the gap between the entities involved through research and expertise exchange.

Additionally, a series of activities and assignments are already in the pipeline, with some nearing completion. From cross-field research to proposed media training and publicity, invested parties look forward to this collaboration that will enrich their stakeholders and witness the exponential growth in technical know-how between UiTM and the College of Physicians Malaysia, respectively.

Communications and medical sciences have always been in each other’s presence since the dawn of civilisation. The role of physicians is no longer restricted to bedside manners but has evolved intrinsically since then. More than ever before, doctors are considered actors in their field. Apart from manning the wards and providing medical advice, they also wear many hats to address issues, convey empathy, and attend to patients with Google as a second opinion.

In this age of digital sharing and fake news, the time is ripe to use proper communication tools and techniques to avoid misinterpretation, misrepresentation, and misinformation to the stakeholders. Today’s signing can be seen as a bridge built to address these issues, bearing huge potential to be a repository of data, case studies and a point of reference for many to denote.

According to Associate Professor Dr Massila Hamzah in her opening remark, “in regard to the idea in achieving the “Third Degree Separation” status as mentioned by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ts. Dr Hajah Roziah Mohd Janor’s recent address, Mass Comm, the Faculty of Medicine, and the College of Physician Malaysia have successfully materialised the first and second degree of separation. We are steadily making our way to the third degree via the activities running concurrently in the form of training, academic and industrial research collaborations, and external consultation and ePublication”.

In addition, “such integral collaboration effort will create more initiatives that could lead to greater conversations and meaningful practices on academic values, culture as well as cross-field sharing sessions and best practices between the three entities; Faculties and the College of Physicians Malaysia”, said Dr Letchuman respectively. UiTM’s Faculty of Medicine has been active in spearheading a health-awareness campaign and this collaboration will effectively see more visibility of such canvass in Malaysia.

The signing was also dedicated in memory of the late academician Allahyarham (the Late) Emeritus Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff. This project was his brainchild, and it was his vision and aspiration to see this collaborative effort and change materialise.

This partnership will lead to many more mutually beneficial initiatives that are hoped to produce new synergies and add educational value for UiTM and College of Physicians Malaysia in the years ahead.

Virtual colloquium for education and research collaboration between UiTM Malaysia and Tokyo University of Agriculture

Posted on by Dr Zul Adlan

A virtual online colloquium between Faculty of Applied Sciences (Wood Technology), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Pahang Branch, Malaysia and Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA), Japan was conducted on 29th September 2021.

This colloquium was intended for education and research collaboration as to provide information on the technological advancement related to forest and wood products between the two institutes.

The sharing sessions were made accessible to all UiTM Pahang staff and students. Around 50 participants took the opportunity to attend the colloquium. The programme was chaired by Professor Iwao Uehara from TUA by featuring one speaker from both universities.

Dr Nurrohana Ahmad represented UiTM Pahang while TUA was represented by Associate Professor Dr Takao Momoi.

The event covered some research topics related to the monitoring of wood and trees growth using Dendrometer, wood identification, wood products from waste wood, and the production and physicochemical properties of particle board from palm oil trunks. The discussion encouraged opportunities to interact and collaborate between the participants and speakers aside from knowledge and experience sharing.

Associate Professor Dr Wan Mohd Nazri Wan Abdul Rahman as the Deputy Rector of Research and Industrial Linkages, UiTM Pahang Branch expressed his gratitude for the willingness of both parties in taking a step further for the collaboration and is looking forward to the positive impacts it would bring in the future.

“It is hoped that the strategic partnership will be further initiated to strengthen, promote, and develop the international collaboration in holistic areas of academic, research and cultural activities,” he said.

The Director of Department of Agricultural Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Professor Dr Mihara Machito on the other hand agreed that despite the new norm imposed by the pandemic, the joint venture promises great room for improvement in the related fields.

“We at TUA are very excited to participate in this virtual online colloquium, and we expect that this collaboration will benefit both parties in every way, including academics and innovations involving our academicians, administrative staff, and students.”

This online colloquium was aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No.17, which focuses on implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for holistic and sustainable development. It is believed that this collaboration can bring positive impacts and visibility to the community at large and UiTM in particular.

UiTM Pahang and United Tropical Fruit sign MoU

Posted on by Dr Azianty Saroni

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Pahang Branch Campus and United Tropical Fruit (UTF) Sdn Bhd, via a virtual ceremony on 26th August 2021, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Organic Musang King research and development.

The signatories were between the Rector of UiTM Pahang, Professor Ts. Dr Mohd Ilham Adenan and Managing Director of UTF Sdn. Bhd, Dr Raymond Samy. The signing was witnessed by Deputy Rector Pusat Jaringan Industri (PJI), Professor Madya Dr Wan Mohd Nazri, executive members of UTF Sdn. Bhd, executive members of UiTM Pahang branch campus and its top management.

UiTM Pahang expressed its appreciation and gratitude towards UTF Sdn Bhd for their willingness to collaborate in this research and consultancy program. This project is led by UiTM Pahang’s Rector, Professor Ts. Dr Mohd Ilham Adenan, supported by a research team from the Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology (FPA), two lecturers from the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FSG), and a lecturer from the Faculty of Business Management (FPP).

UTF Sdn. Bhd. is a Malaysian registered company formed through a joint venture between Dr Raymond Samy and Hong Kong Based Plantations International Agroforestry Limited. The company specializes in growing, marketing and selling Musang King durians and at the same time providing Musang King Durian plantation management and other related services in Malaysia.

One of UTF’s key ancillary activities is pioneering the development of Organic Musang King Durian, also known as Mao Shan Wang or D197. Even though the price of Musang King is high, it’s still the most sought-after durian variety due to its appealing thick and creamy texture, sweet and slightly bitter flavour, and the market demand.

Therefore, this collaboration and consultancy aim to establish an Organic Musang King Durian Research & Development Centre and set up an on-site nursery at UiTM Jengka Pahang, funded entirely by UTF. The nursery will grow the Organic Musang King breed saplings for UTF plantations to fulfil the requirement of improving the quality of Organic Musang King Durian for export purposes.

In addition, this MoU seeks to draw from UTF’s expertise and resources for UiTM’s researchers to learn and enhance their research and development capabilities, particularly in the production of Organic Musang King Durian. Moreover, this collaboration is hoped to extend internship opportunities for students from the Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology.

This MoU reflects the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 8, covering decent work and economic growth by technological upgrading and innovation to achieve higher levels of economic productivity. The collaboration between UTP’s expertise in durian plantation and UiTM’s research and development experience also aligns with SDG No. 9, which emphasizes building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation that focuses on enhancing scientific research and upgrading industrial sectors’ technological capabilities.

UiTM Medicine engages and empowers communities through digital platforms

Posted on by drchenxw

In an effort to ensure that the community health and well-being are not neglected, The Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, conducted a ‘Virtual Health Fest 2021’ from 28th July to 6th August 2021.

The program is a health promotion program aimed to advocate overall good health and deliver educational messages to assist Malaysians to cope with the effects of COVID-19 and other health-related issues. Before developing and implementing the health program, a community health needs assessment was conducted with the population of Shah Alam to identify major health issues in the community.

This assessment allowed the organizers to strategically plan and establish objectives for the entire program, catering specifically to the community’s needs in Shah Alam and other communities in general.

The health fest was organised by the Department of Public Health Medicine headed by Associate Professor Dr Zaliha Ismail. This community activity is part of the Service-Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) initiative that aims to provide students with the opportunity to contribute their knowledge, skills, and competencies in their specialised area toward solving problems within the community.

Four different themes were selected to address the issues raised by the local community during the pandemic – physical activity and healthy eating, mental health awareness, COVID-19 immunisation, and domestic violence.

The first theme, “FIT4LIFE”, conducted by Madam Aimi Nadira Mat Ruzlin, was designed to increase awareness of the importance of being physically active and maintaining a healthy diet during lockdown/movement restrictions. The session provided information on the different types of physical activities (low, moderate, and vigorous physical activity) for all ages and tips on healthy eating.

The second theme, “Imunisasi Vaksin COVID-19: Imun Bersama”, led by Dr Chen Xin Wee, aimed to instil awareness of the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage the uptake of registering for the national immunisation program through various activities (e.g., “Vaksin COVID-19: Tak Kenal, Maka Tak Kebal” Dialogue with the expert panels, educational videos and poster exhibitions on COVID-19 vaccine myths and facts).

The third theme, “Depression and anxiety: It’s okay not to be okay”, was handled by Dr Ely Zarina Samsudin. It was intended to increase students’ awareness of depression, anxiety, and coping mechanisms while living in a pandemic and undertaking Online Distance Learning (ODL). These aims were achieved via an online forum with expert panels, educational posters, and videos on relaxation techniques and self-care strategies for managing depression and anxiety.

The fourth and final theme is “Monsters behind walls”, conducted by Dr Raudah Mohd Yunus. This theme aimed to increase awareness of domestic violence during the lockdown period and promote practices that foster healthy family dynamics.

The event was conducted through various social networking sites (SNS) such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Curious Cat, and others. The main objective of this health promotion programme is to empower the community about health-related issues by sharing information through innovative educational materials consisting of infographic posters, videos, games, and online quizzes.

This program is also a platform for medical students to improve their teamwork, professionalism, and leadership skills.

The 10-day program received good engagement and positive feedback from the community, indicating the relevance of the program. This outcome has motivated educators and healthcare providers to continually advocate innovative ways in promoting health and empowering the community.

UiTMLaw looks to alumni to return as mentors for the new generation of legal practitioners

Posted on by harizsufi

The legal industry in Malaysia is ever-growing, adapting to society’s legal developments and demands. The Faculty of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTMLaw), endeavours to equip students not only with legal academics but also to ensure students are prepared to meet the demands of the industry.

To achieve this, UiTMLaw initiated the UiTMLaw Industry – Alumni Mentorship Programme “Inspiring Future Leaders” for the final semester students. A closing ceremony was held on 4 September 2021 to mark the conclusion of the programme.

Despite being forced to seclusion during these unprecedented times of the Covid-19 pandemic, this programme offers students exposure to the legal industry’s real world in the safe confines of their homes.

The programme enlisted esteemed alumni of UiTMLaw viewed to be captains of industry to be mentors, which include the former Chief Justice of Malaysia and Adjunct Professor of UiTMLaw, the Honourable Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Richard Malanjum, legal managers, advocates & solicitors, prosecutors, federal counsels and legal executives.

Each mentor was assigned to a class, where they conducted sharing and guidance sessions. Instead of academic lectures, the mentors shared their working experiences and observations, from common mistakes in filing court documents to faux pas often made by young practitioners during court trials. These pearls of wisdom will allow students to be a few steps ahead of the curve and to hit the ground running once accepted for pupillage.

Through these sessions, it is hoped that UiTMLaw students would be able to look beyond their classroom walls and quickly adapt to the fast-paced demands of the legal industry in Malaysia. Positive feedback from the students illustrated the success of the programmes in providing the necessary exposure to the students before they leave the university.

This event aligns with UiTM’s aspiration as a higher learning institution that is constantly committed to ensuring students’ employability upon graduation. Through this initiative, the faculty can work hand-in-hand with Alumni from diverse backgrounds. UiTMLaw hopes that the experiences and knowledge shared by the mentors will ease the students’ transition from that of students to prospective pupils in chambers.

UiTM and UPI foster more research collaboration

Posted on by NURUL SALIZAWATEE MAHPAR & NOOR RITA MOHAMAD KHAN

As its internationalization drive, the Faculty of Business and Management (FBM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia had been in discussion and working closely with the Faculty of Economics and Business Education (FPEB), Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), Indonesia on fostering more research collaboration between them.

In March 2021, both parties successfully signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) via the Research Matching Grant Scheme (RMGS) to strengthen their research networking as well as to expand collaboration between two universities.

The RMGS focuses on contemporary research areas pertinent to logistics and entrepreneurship. Among the topics to cover are issues on Halal Logistics, Risk Analysis in the Halal Foods Delivery Services and the Womanpreneurs’ Empowerment in leading the Way Against Covid-19.

The MOA ceremony was held virtually with the witnesses by the Dean of FBM, Prof. Dr. Noryati Ahmad, Deputy Dean of Research, Dr Amirul Afif Muhamat, Deputy Dean of Academic, Dr Zarina Denan, and all researchers involved in the project. The research contributors from FBM are, Dr Ismah Osman, Assoc. Prof. Dr Rohana Ngah, Assoc. Prof. Dr Lennora Putit, and Dr Emi Normalina Omar. Meanwhile, the representatives from FPEB are Prof. Dr H.Eeng Ahman, Dr Heny Hendrayanti, Prof. Dr Suryana, Prof. Dr Hari Mulyadi, Dr Chairul Furqan, and Dr Mukh. Adib Sultan.

This research collaboration is an epitome of a professional and strong relationship between both institutions that are consistently pursuing ways to develop collaborative activities beneficial for their stakeholders. More other collaborations are in the pipeline for both institutions in their bid to move forward and stay relevant in the new norm.

UiTM receives grant for students’ career advancement

Posted on by nanifadzlina

Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia was recently awarded Marketability Grant worth RM1,135,000. The funding is granted to the researchers from the College of Engineering headed by Assoc. Prof. Ir Ts Dr Azita Laily Yusof with team members; Assoc. Prof. Ir Ts Dr Juliana Johari, Assoc. Prof. Ir Ts Dr Norsuzila Ya’acob, Ir Ts Dr Nani Fadzlina Naim and Ir Ts Dr Suhaila Subahir.

The Marketability Grant is explicitly for the Telecommunications Engineering Competency Certification Course Program under the KPT Career Advancement Program (Penjana KPT-CAP). The grant is intended to enhance the added value of graduates in terms of professional qualifications, personal skills and personality of graduates.

This accredited Telecommunications Engineering Competency Certification Course Program is a certification awarded to those who have successfully gone through comprehensive training covering telecommunication networks, data communications, wireless communications and microwave devices. With this certification, they are recognized to have achieved competency skills levels from the Telco, DOSH and CIDB industries.

Those who receive this certification are recognized as highly skilled, quality and a source of reference for the department as they have obtained complete accreditation and no longer need to take outside certification to start new jobs. This is part of UiTM’s efforts to help increase the marketability of graduates in achieving the status of a developed country in the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

UiTM Pahang branch campus hosts iMIT SIC 2021

Posted on by Nurul Jannah

University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Pahang branch campus successfully organised the 4th International Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand Symposium on Innovation and Creativity  (iMIT SIC 2021) from 13 June to 24 August 2021.

iMIT SIC 2021 was mainly aimed to provide an avenue for local and international academics, researchers, and students to highlight their innovative and creative ideas or products from multidisciplinary fields related to Social Science, Business Administration, Engineering, and Science & Technology fields within the theme “Embracing Innovation and Creativity in Industrial Revolutions.”.

The symposium involved the participation of 3 strategic partners from Malaysia (Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang branch, Universiti Teknologi MARA Perlis branch, Universiti Teknologi MARA Johor branch, Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak branch), Indonesia (Universitas Islam Riau, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Tanjungpura) and Thailand (Princess Naradhiwas University, Yala Rajabhat University, Phuket Rajabhat University). To adapt to the new norm conditioned by the pandemic, the event was conducted virtually for the first time after it was first held in 2017.

The event started with a welcoming speech by UiTM Pahang Branch’s Deputy Director for Research & Industrial Linkages, Assoc. Prof. Dr Wan Mohd Nazri Wan Abdul Rahman, followed by keynote speeches from the representatives of Malaysia (Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr Noor Azurai Ahmad @ Salleh of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia), Thailand (Col. Asst. prof. Sarawut Jindarat of Phramongkutlao College of Medicine Bangkok) and Indonesia (Dr Evizal Abdul Kadir of Universitas Islam Riau).

Over the three months’ course of the event, 315 participants from Southeast Asia took part in this event which offered 41 Gold, 90 Silver and 18 Bronze awards for Category A (Students) and 34 Gold, 84 Silver and 48 Bronze awards for Category B (Professionals).

This event also included a product pitching session where a selected six (6) best products were presented according to the two main categories- students and professionals. Apart from the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, the 4th iMIT SIC also introduced two special awards: ‘the most liked video’ and ‘best of the best’ awards.

“It has been an honour to host iMIT SIC virtually this year after it was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. We had the first one at UiTM Perlis branch campus way in 2017 and then Riau in 2018. And I still remember myself leading our UiTM Pahang delegation for the last iMIT SIC in 2019 to Princess of Naradhiwas University, Narathiwat, Thailand. My hearty gratitude to everyone for making this event a great success. Indonesia, we will surely be there for the upcoming iMIT SIC”, said the UiTM Pahang’s Rector, Professor Ts. Dr Mohd Ilham Adenen before officiating the closing ceremony of iMIT SIC 2021.

The iMIT SIC 2021 was in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 4, No. 9 and No. 17, which emphasises the quality of education, promoting resilience and sustainability in industry, innovation and infrastructure and intensifying international cooperation and networking for holistic development.

UiTM’s Accounting student shines in ACCA exam

Posted on by Nazirah Aziz

In the June 2021 Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) examination, Hannah Mumtazah Ahmad Murshidi, the Faculty of Accountancy of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) emerged at the top out of 21,000 students by scoring the highest marks (98 marks) for the Financial Management (FM) paper. She also went on to claim the top position for the Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) paper by coming in, first (1st) in Malaysia and second (2nd) in the world.

The Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) is acknowledged globally as a world-leading accountancy qualification for aspiring professionals. ACCA supports a global community of 233,000 members around the world in 178 countries. The exams are held four times a year at designated exam centres; however, due to the pandemic, ACCA offers students the option to sit for their exam through a remotely invigilated (RI) exam.

Sharing her key success factors, she acknowledges that the continuous exam techniques and discussion sessions on past exam questions have helped her to excel. Driven by her high determination, commitment and discipline in her studies, she added that “I consistently maintain a checklist of topics and a study schedule to ensure I have a structured revision plan”.

Hannah also highlighted the essential roles played by her lecturers on the technical knowledge and exam techniques using the computer-based examination (CBE) platform. She would refer instantly to her lecturers or friends on topics that she does not understand and will always analyse her weak points after obtaining her tests and trial exams’ results to help her plan areas of improvement before the final examination.

This outstanding success has made Hannah more determined to pass all her ACCA papers in a straight sitting and graduate on time. Being the eldest of two siblings and a proud daughter of Ahmad Murshidi bin Ab Hamid and Hasfariza Binti Abu Hassan, Hannah attributes her success to her family and lecturers and friends.

In her statement, the Dean of the faculty, Professor Dr Haslinda Yusoff, said that Hannah’s achievement marked the faculty’s commitment to ensuring their professional programme’s quality of teaching and learning.

Haslinda also mentioned that Hannah was the result of the faculty’s strategic initiatives through smart collaborations with the JPPro, a special matriculation professional program offered by the Ministry of Education Malaysia and the ACCA. JPPro offers three (3) fundamental level ACCA papers, and students will continue with the remaining papers while in UiTM.

“Being the first and the only public university with the ACCA Platinum status of the Approved Learning Partner, we will continue to play our significant role in producing the country’s Bumiputera future global accountants”, she affirmed.