Study Medical Sciences in MalaysiaSchool of Medical Sciences Universiti Sains MalaysiaThe School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is one of the leading medical schools in the country. Established in 1979, the School has achieved remarkable successes since its early years of inception. We currently have 1,000 undergraduate students in the Medical Degree Programme and 500 postgraduate student pursuing the 4-year Masters in Medicine Course in 19 specialisations. This medical school is committed to enhancing the competitive nature of our students. We currently have 300 full time academic staff in 30 departments and units. International students are welcome to join our Postgraduate Training Programmes, most of which are held within the vicinity of our 700-bed University Hospital. The School of Medical Sciences is also proud to have academic staff who have achieved international recognition in their fields of specialisation, notably the teams working on micro vascular surgery, limb salvage surgeries in orthopaedic tumours, maxillo facial surgery, neurosurgery, tissue banking and biotechnology research. We are extremely proud that several staff won major awards in 2002 including the Geneva -based Innovation Award.
Vision
of the School of Medical Sciences
Master
of Medicine
Master
of Science & PhD
USM's
principal activities are teaching, research and consultancy, which
relate directly to problems of higher level manpower training, the
advancement of knowledge and national industrial competitiveness.
Although
research is an activity that runs across USM's entire academic
structure, certain key areas of study have been brought into sharper
focus and given greater prominence through the setting up of Research
Centres and Units. In addition to facilitating increasing inter
-disciplinary studies, these Centres and Units have enabled USM to make
more efficient use of its research space, equipment and staff.
Over
the past decade and largely as a result of IRPA-led initiatives, USM has
embarked on an ambitious programme of "applied",
"market-driven" or "priority-specific" research, and
this now accounts for around 70% of the total research effort. Today
projects incorporate consultancy, technology-transfer and training
elements which has enabled the University to strengthen its industrial
links, and has given greater authenticity to its role of a contributor
to the nation's industrial competitiveness. Commercially viable
discoveries have been made; work is proceeding on promising
pre-competitive technologies; successes have been achieved in close-to-market
product development; a variety of skills and research findings have been
passed on to potential beneficiaries; and some one hundred consultancies
have been undertaken on an annual basis.
But
the commitment to fundamental research and to the advancement of
knowledge remains undiminished, and lies at the heart of USM's role as
an institution of higher learning. This is a role which the country must
continue to expect from its universities and it is a role which, if not
performed well, can lead to serious weaknesses in the national research
infrastructure. Given the current nature of industrial R&D in the
country, where short-term advantages and "problem-fixing" are
the main driving forces, it becomes crucially important for USM and
other universities to continue being engaged in fundamental research
because without this, depth and sustainability cannot be achieved for
the nation's industrial efforts. Put simply, there cannot be good
technology without good science.
Over
the years, USM has established extensive research links. Active research
collaboration exists with a number of universities and research centres
both locally and overseas, and collaboration exists with international
agencies such as WHO, ILO, UNEP. MOUs, with an important research
component, have been signed with overseas universities and local
research institutions.
USM
possesses extensive research facilities which include several up-to-date
laboratories in all major scientific disciplines, a well-stocked
library, a computer network which provides easy access to research
materials and which facilitates co-operative research both locally and
internationally, a good range of modern scientific equipment and a field
station for marine research. Individual research projects however, still
need some dedicated facilities while some of the specialized research
laboratories that have been proposed under the 8th Malaysia Plan (in
line with national R&D priorities, and taking into consideration
expertise and basic infrastructure already available) would also require
support under IRPA.
The
IRPA mechanism remains the main source of R&D funding at USM, while
the University allocates a sum of money from its own operating funds
annually to support short-term projects. External funds, mainly in the
form of research grants and awards won by individual staff members, are
also beginning to feature prominently, as are funds made available
through consultancy-based research undertaken both for the private
sector and for public agencies.
Message from the Deputy Dean (Research)
The principal activities of an academic member of an
university, including those in the School of Medical Sciences, are
teaching, research and consultancy. For the clinicians, the consultancy
includes receiving second opinions for clinical management from
colleagues outside the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) and
most commonly, the consultancy services rendered to the patients of this
hospital. For the non-clinical lecturers, the consultancy services are
also related to improvement in patient care. These 3 activities
(teaching, research and consultancy) are intertwined and inter-related.
Knowledge is not a static phenomenon. Time and science change it and
that is what research is all about. As members of an academic
institution, it is our responsibility to generate knowledge. Conducting
researches is one of the ways in which knowledge can be generated. There
is a myth that all researches must be funded by research grants for
without funds, researches cannot be done. This is when creativity comes
in. Having said that, it is a general yardstick that measurement of the
activeness of a lecturer in research, is based on the amount of research
grant he/she holds.
Increase
in knowledge leads to improvement in patient care. When your peers and
the public perceive you as a consultant of a highly credible standing,
you will become a reference person in management of certain diseases.
Increase in knowledge will also make you better teachers. Medicine is
fast revolving. What you teach to the medical students in their under
graduate days may no longer be relevant when the students graduate.
Therefore, research, teaching and consultancy are all intertwined in one
package. You cannot subscribe to only one of these without subscribing
the other two components.
My
predecessors have set a good standard. Year 2002 in particular was a
good year for our medical school. There were 63 short-term, 10 long-term
and 16 Fundamental Research Grants approved. A total of more than 6
millions Ringgit was awarded to academic staff of SMS to do research.
218 papers by 172 academic staff were presented in national and
international conferences. USM funded 83 of these, while the rest was
funded by the research grants. There were 23 research presentations and
more than 70 interesting case presentations at the weekly Thursday CPC
sessions. It would have been expected that at least 50% of these
research projects, posters and case presentations get published.
Unfortunately, the R/D [Research & Development] office recorded only
20 published articles for 2002 and 24 in 2001.While our track record on
the number of grants approved is good, the challenge for 2003 and the
years ahead, I believe, not only to continue keeping the track record
good but also to improve the numbers of scientific papers published.
You
may ask why bother to write? Publish or perish, the clich remains.
If you do not publish your research findings or your clinical
observations, your peers cannot acknowledge that you are the expert in
that field. Not only you document your findings in scientific journals,
you can also share it with the public by writing articles in
non-scientific journals. However, the former (the scientific journals)
are the ones used and cited by your peers and also the ones used for
promotion in most universities. Publishing your findings in
non-scientific journals allows you to share the findings of your
research with the community from whom you get the clinical material for
your research.
Take
the challenge. Transpose fear to wonder, pain to gain, chore to joy,
then the words will flow . like a river. Ordinary write-ups will
become extra-ordinary write-ups! I wish you good luck
in your endeavours.
Professor
Dr Nor Hayati Othman
Malaysia
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