International Medical University (IMU) strives to be a learning organisation that is well engaged with both internal and external stakeholders. As an engaged university, we aspire to establish excellent working relationships within members of the IMU family, including alumni, with industry and with the community whom we serve, both locally and globally.
As a learning organisation, IMU and its community of staff, students and alumni shares a common focus towards making meaningful contributions to the global community in producing skilled, knowledgeable, caring and ethical health professionals who will serve the community at large. In the process, we continue to emphasize on all staff and students on the importance of life-long learning and teamwork as part of their development in IMU.
To achieve these objectives, IMU’s University Community Engagement office was established to intentionally focused on building partnerships and platforms for staff, students and alumni to be involved in as part of their learning experience and service for the community.
What is IMU Cares?
Launched in October 2002, IMU Cares Programme is one of the platforms directly under the University Community Engagement office that has grown into an important part of University life, providing means for students and staff to engage with the community beyond the University. IMU Cares has become a key means for the University’s people to live its values: Reaching out to communities in service is a manifestation of these values, of ‘walking the talk.’
From small-scale fund-raising activity in 2002, IMU Cares has expanded to provide more than just financial assistance to the less privileged. IMU Cares now strives to deliver healthcare, to promote health and wellness, and to prevent disease. As we continue to screen and monitor for treatable conditions (eg dyslipidaemia, hypertension and diabetes), we have also started to provide dental and chiropractic screening. In addition, IMU Cares has begun providing more holistic care, including medication counselling and nutritional assessment. Cases requiring further treatment are referred to the IMU Healthcare clinics, and the IMU Humanitarian Aid Fund underwrites treatment costs.
IMU Cares has also looked into the education and training of caregivers, to enable and empower them to provide better care. From integration and application of knowledge and skills to inter-professional learning and collaborative practise, the Programme has become a platform for experiential learning. It enables students to learn leadership and teamwork, and to practice the values of professionalism and ethics while making a difference to communities.
- To serve society in an effective and impactful manner.
- To be a forum for IMU staff and students to practice professionalism and inter-professional learning through service and research.
- To engage and collaborate with caring organizations for the common good of society.
- To serve society, including marginalised and less privileged communities in promoting wellness, prevent disease and delivery of basic healthcare services.
To serve society through community involvement, integrating service, education and research for the development of our students and staff to be competent, ethical, caring and inquiring professionals who are leaders of the community.
Message from the Dean
Prof Khoo Suan Phaik
Dean of Community Engagement, IMU
The office of IMU Community Engagement (IMU CE) works to transform our aspirations to be a diverse and inclusive community into realities for our staff, students and for the communities that we live in.
We are committed to making real and positive differences to the campus community as well as to the community at large by mutual recognition of needs and social issues which involves a collaborative search for solutions.
We focus on long-term sustainable changes and transformation which depend largely on the partnerships with units across the university and with organizations beyond the university. Emphasis is therefore placed on effective engagement through community-based participatory research approach, service learning and outreach services with focus on identified United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG).
The community-engaged activities are carried out through across the university through the various available platforms ie. via service learning in the formal curriculum, IMU Cares, students’ societies and clubs, student-led community charity clinics and the IMU District Partnership Initiative (DPI).
As such, we will continue to innovate in support of programmes, improve processes and practices which will help enrich the experience of all who are involved. Moving ahead, we hope to consolidate our past experiences and invest greater resources and efforts to widen the scope of our engagement.
We aim to promote and incentivize effective interdisciplinary engagement and research efforts that engage directly with communities, strengthen multi-stakeholder partnership collaborations with organizations and municipalities, participate actively in the creation of opportunities for global knowledge which will make IMU the pulse of the local community and lead regional transformation.
Go IMU!
As the lead for the IMU CE, I look forward to opportunities to serve together and support the communities in ways that will empower this and future generations to continue to contribute meaningfully to society.
Message from Vice-Chancellor
As “living the values” is an integral part of IMU, the University also place emphasis on active involvement in the community to inculcate a caring attitude among students and staff.
This is reflected in the robust camaraderie among students, staff and the community.
It also enables students to translate knowledge gained in classrooms into health education to the public, enhance communication skills and strengthen their professional and technical skills in real world environments.
Prof Abdul Aziz Baba
Vice-Chancellor, IMU