The common impression of a health science student’s life is that their routine consists of attending classes, submitting assignments, and conducting research. Although these tasks can be challenging, students from International Medical University’s BSc in Nutrition and BSc in Dietetics with Nutrition, nevertheless, chose to seize the opportunities to shine in their work this year (2022) at two national conferences.
First was at the 37th Nutrition Society of Malaysia Conference, held on 21- 22 June 2022. There, Dr Henry Chang Chuan Yuan (in the photo on the right) and Ng Ying Yun clinched the 2022 Postgraduate Thesis Prize and Undergraduate Thesis Prize respectively.
With his work on ‘Peak Bone Mass Attainment in Malaysian Children: Influence of Diet, Lifestyle Patterns, Vitamin D Status and Maternal Interactions,’ Dr Chang said, “The award is very important for the graduates like me, to provide positive encouragement. I felt like my works throughout the candidature was recognized at the National level.”
Similarly, Ying Yun, whose thesis covers the issue of the sugar tax in Malaysia echoed that the award meant a lot. “I wish my research can empower the community, industry, and governments to create healthy and sustainable food environments for improved human and planetary health,” she said. But thesis prizes are not all that IMU’s students won at this conference. Choo Zi Ying bagged the consolation prize for Young Researchers’ Symposium Award whereas Lee Chiu Ying did the same in the Undergraduate Poster Competition Award.
The second conference where students made waves were at the 27th Malaysian Dietitians’ Association (MDA) Conference, held on 27-28 June 2022. Students from the Bachelor of Dietetics with Nutrition managed to sweep podium finishes not only in the oral presentation categories, but also in the research poster presentations. “Presenting for the first time at the MDA conference was an unforgettable learning experience as a dietetics student,” said Heng Sing Ning. She received the first prize in the Best Student Research Poster category with her work on ‘Continuing Professional Development: A survey on participation and perception among dietitians in Malaysia.’ Her research partner, Nicholas Ooi Jiawei, also received 3rd prize in the Best Student Oral Research Presentation category.
Lim Kah Yen and Sapnah bt Fazal Rahman (in the photo on the left), two final year students who won the 2nd prize in Best Student Poster Research Presentation and 3rd prize in Best Student Oral Case Study Presentation respectively, credits the programme for their preparation. “It has allowed me to explore and develop my potential in the field of research…through countless opportunities to participate in internal and external events. Nevertheless, this would have not been possible without the dedicated faculty members at every phase of my learning journey. For me, that made all the difference in my preparation for the conference,” said Kah Yen.
Sapnah adds, “My 4 years at IMU has prepared me with both hard and soft skills. In terms of hard skills, the excellent curriculum along with experienced clinical educators has supplemented me with abundant Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) knowledge, especially during my final year clinical placement. On top of that, the programme has also prepared me with public speaking and critical thinking skills which helped me to confidently answer questions posed by the judges.”
Students were not the only winners during the 27th MDA Conference. Dr Kanimolli Arasu received the Postgraduate Thesis Prize whereas Soh Pheh Huang was honoured with the Outstanding Clinical Instructor Award 2022. Furthermore, Charmaine Lavinia and Teo Soo Lay (in the photo on the right) were presented with the 2nd prize for Best Dietitian Research Poster and Best Dietitian Case Study Oral Presentation respectively.
IMU’s BSc (Hons) in Nutrition and BSc (Hons) in Dietetics with Nutrition has been developed to meet high international standards. Students will receive academic guidance not only from renowned faculty who are thought leaders in the field of nutrition and dietetics, but also from prize-winning clinical educators.
