IMU Confers its Maiden Cohort of Postgraduates for Business Administration in Healthcare Management

489 graduands from IMU’s postgraduate and undergraduate studies in various healthcare programmes received their scroll to mark their academic success.

Kuala Lumpur, 2 November 2019 – A total of 489 graduands from multidisciplines took centre stage for IMU’s convocation ceremony this November, marking the completion and success of their postgraduate and undergraduate studies in the many healthcare programmes available at the International Medical University (IMU). The joyous ceremony was held on Saturday, 2 November 2019, at the IMU campus in Bukit Jalil where family and friends gathered with graduating students to celebrate the occasion. Also present at ceremony were IMU’s Chancellor Dato’ Dr Gan Ee Kiang, Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Yahya bin Awang, Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Aziz Baba, Chairman of IMU Group Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman, members of the Board of Governors, Senate, faculty members and invited guests. Out of the 489 graduands, eight made history today as IMU’s first cohort to receive the Postgraduate Certificate of Business Administration in Healthcare Management. They comprise of healthcare professionals, some of which are IMU alumni, who have enrolled for this programme when it was first introduced earlier this year at the university. The programme can be studied in three levels and completing the Postgraduate Certificate is the first step before the eight graduands move on to their Postgraduate Diploma and finally MBA. It aims to equip managers with relevant skills to manage the healthcare industry by gaining firm understanding on how to critically assess health systems and healthcare structures, apply core principles of management in the healthcare setting, and to operate within prevailing legal frameworks. Upon receiving the MBA in Healthcare Management at the end of the programme, these graduands would have gained an advantage of not only getting into the business and management job market but with a speciality sought after by the high-demand market of healthcare industries. “The first cohort of students came from several backgrounds including nursing, quantitative surveyor, biochemist, doctors and management. Eight of the inaugural cohort have graduated with their postgraduate certificate and will seamlessly progress to the Master programme. The programme is working-adult friendly and offers the flexibility for those who want to accelerate their programme and complete the course within 15 months or stretch it out by doing part-time. Students are also able to attend the classes virtually if they are outstation or overseas,” said To’ Puan Prof Safurah bt Ja’afar, Programme Director, Healthcare Management, IMU. In their addresses to Class of 2019, both Prof Abdul Aziz Baba and Dato’ Dr Gan Ee Kiang reminded students to treat with care and concern, to practise a patient-centred service that will benefit not only the patients but also healthcare in general as they commit to become great caregivers. Also in his address, Prof Abdul Aziz Baba shared the achievements of IMU in 2019, which includes the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme which also marks the establishment of the IMU clinical campus in 1999 when IMU was awarded University status, collaborative partnerships with the Ministry of Health on its KOSPEN programme to increase the awareness in Non-Communicable Diseases amongst our IMU community in the effort to shift mind sets concerning healthy lifestyles and putting your health first, Fusionex on Big Data Analytics for Healthcare and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Food and Nutrition (SEAMEO RECFON) to collaborate in health and medical research on nutrition and food safety training in Southeast Asia among others. As per all of IMU’s convocation ceremonies, this year’s Prize Presentation Ceremony was held the day before on Friday, 1 November 2019, at the IMU campus. The prestigious Dr John Joseph Bosco Memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Sharmathi A/P Dhanapal from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme while the Dr Saidi Hashim Memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Joshua Lim Jien Hao who completed his Phase 1 of the Medical Programme and will be pursuing his Phase 2 at the Partner Medical School – University of Glasgow, UK. “I was on my way to Seremban with my friend when I was announced as the top student in my graduating batch as we were travelling from Penang the morning of results day. My friend video-called me from the John Bosco Auditorium immediately after the announcement. It was hilarious as I waved awkwardly to my colleagues and lecturers through the front of my camera! I was surprised upon receiving the news because I did not realise that I stood a chance to win this prestigious award. My motivation stemmed from the support of my family especially from my sister, my dedicated lecturers (special thanks to Dr Ng Kian Seng from IMU Kluang), my closest friends and confidants whom I shared good memories with and gave me a shoulder to cry on during my bad days and my senior (who was a gold medalist too!) I will always be indebted to their kindness and encouragement that has propelled me to success,” said Sharmathi. Read more about Sharmathi’s journey at IMU: A Little Push in the Right Direction for IMU’s Award Winning Graduate. The Board of Governors’ Gold Medal was presented to Chieng Yi Rong from the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) programme. His mentor, A/Prof Kang Yew Beng, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning of IMU describes Chieng as a quiet and unassuming, team player who is highly motivated. “Rong is a driven, proactive, a self-starter, and is a leader of ideas if not people. He hails from Sibu, Sarawak, and is an absolute gem of a person. He gravitates towards being a little quiet and unremarkable, but don’t let this fool anyone. He has a practiced air of someone who uses the earlier characteristics to delve into personal reflection to provide insight,” said A/Prof Kang. Read more about Yi Rong’s journey at IMU: An Experience Beyond My Expectations This year, the Tun Zahir Merit Award which is given to graduating students who has shown outstanding academic excellence in the Bachelor in Medical Sciences (Hons), Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology and in the health sciences programmes in memory of the late Tun Dato’ Seri Dr Mohamed Zahir who was the Chancellor of IMU from 1999 to 2005, was awarded to:

The Prize Presentation ceremony also saw the presentation of book prize winners and the Dean’s List recognising high academic achievements from the School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and School of Health Sciences. The convocation ceremony was also broadcasted live at other lecture theatres in the University for the benefit of family members and friends who were unable to be in the auditorium. The event ended at 2pm with graduands and their families and friends further celebrating their achievements.

Congratulations to all graduates!