My Adventure in Medical Biotechnology: Steps Through IMU

People always say ‘Cherish your schooling days, you will miss them when you officially graduate and step into the working world.’ School days never felt that precious until the day you wear your academic regalia and recall all the memories you had in university. If you ask me if I would choose the same path that I have chosen 3 years ago, I will say ‘Yes!’ without a single hesitation.

I had interest in microbiology since young. As young as 12 years old, I would love to just open any book I see in the bookstore or library that has a picture regarding microbiology and scroll through the pages. I could not understand a thing about microbiology, but they just simply attract me.

A few years later, I finally understood the basics of microbiology in high school, and I realised that I still have that strong interest in this field. It is fascinating that, although we cannot see bacteria and viruses with the naked eye, they can still have such a powerful impact on our lives. Driven by a desire to explore these powerful creatures and contribute to our healthcare system, I embarked the beginning of my journey in Medical Biotechnology at IMU University, the prestigious institution for medical and health sciences education.

My university life started during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, therefore all classes during my first semester were conducted online, besides a few physical lab classes. I still remember how excited my batchmates and I were when we first met each other in our first lab class. The first lab class was observing different bacteria under the microscope, and they were so beautiful.

I had countless great memories during my university, but if I must choose only one to share as the best memory, I would share the community services we had done during Semester 4.

We had two projects involving the community. The first one was collecting soil samples from Beautiful Gate Foundation (Puchong), a disability services and support organisation to evaluate the type of microbes found in the soil. Following with that, we conducted a session on hand washing and hygiene keeping for the people with special needs at the organisation.

The second community service was organising a workshop for secondary students on Sexual Health Education. Sexual health education is no doubt a significant and necessary education in an adolescent’s growth. Unfortunately, accurate, inclusive and positive information on sexual health is not easily accessible in our community even until now. It was our honour to share our knowledge on sexual intermittent diseases and corresponding prevention and treatment approaches.

These community service projects taught me the true value of being part of the healthcare system, which is to educate the public on general health precautions and practice the concept of ‘Prevention is better than cure’.

Besides core science modules, including molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, cell and tissue culture, omics technology, we were also given the opportunity to learn from modules in the areas of entrepreneurship, bioinformatics, quality management and many more. The IMU Medical Biotechnology faculty did not only want us to solely be a scientist that focus on lab samples, but a scientist that can stand in the shoes of a businessperson to sell the product made in the lab. These modules bridge the gap between science, technology and business which assisted in the development of all-rounder and up-to-date students. It also taught us to do research and analysis on the current market trend to understand the community’s needs. Innovation is important, but practicality cannot be neglected.

As I reached my final semester, it was time for us to seek for industrial attachment opportunities, also known as internship. I had my internship at Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Electrophysiology as a Clinical Intern, which I would say it was one of my best decisions in life. The soft skills that I have developed during my journey, such as critical thinking and analytical skills, professionalism and ethics in the healthcare system and application of basic sciences definitely assisted me during my internship.

Currently, I have been absorbed back to Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Electrophysiology as a full-time Clinical Application Specialist, providing clinical support to healthcare professionals and communicating accurate information to physicians on the company’s products.

In the near future, I also have a plan to pursue master’s degree in both Medical Biotechnology related and Business Administration in Healthcare System. Although my contribution at the moment is just a tiny bit, but I am proud to say that I am finally part of the healthcare system and dedicating my best to it.

Embarking the journey in Medical Biotechnology was like a dream. It was sweet, but not always sweet. I had a difficult transition from Mandarin to English scientific terms as I took my secondary education in a Chinese Private High School. I also had countless mental breakdowns during the journey to achieve my own goals. It was stressful at those moments, but I managed to overcome the struggle as the semesters progressed.  From having mental breakdowns before every assignment deadline to getting into the Dean List, my journey in Medical Biotechnology at IMU may sound like a roller coaster sometimes but it was definitely fun and worthy one!

Before I end, a few word for my juniors:-
-Follow what your heart says, it never hurts.
-Growth takes time, just do your best at what you are doing at the moment.
-Be ambitious! You might just discover your hidden potential or talent if you give yourself a little push.

Last but not least, thank you to myself for working hard and not giving up, my parents for the financial and emotional support, my partner Lih Han for accompanying me through my ups and downs, my mentor A/Prof TS Dr Wong Chiew Yen and final year project supervisor TS Dr Tan Boon Hooi for their patience, guidance and mental support for the past three years, lecturers and seniors for their dedications and advice. Not forgetting, my batchmates of MB121 that had accompanied me throughout the adventurous journey.

Adios and thank you IMU! It was a great 3 years with you, till next time!

Written by Rachelle Chin Yuun Yeen