Universiti Sains Malaysia established it's medical school in 1979, the third medical school in Malaysia after Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. During the time of its establishment, the university was fortunate to witness a revolution in the world of medical education. PBL-based education was one of the most talked about approach in medical education. The University was fortunate to have experienced medical educators with sufficient foresight to start a medical school that has in its philosophy a community-based integrated curriculum utilizing problem-based learning, one of it's main modes of curricular implementation. Over the last 20 years, the medical curriculum has been revised and fine-tuned twice. The first major curriculum review was undertaken in 1995. One major outcome of this review was a firm commitment to continue with it's original philosophy in medical education at the same time introducing several key strategies to enhance the teaching of medical ethics, attitude formation and reaffirming the need for a lean, integrated curriculum which addresses core knowledge, attitude and skills. A more recent review in 2001 took several approaches including getting the input of students to enhance the original philosophy.
Depression and anxiety are common psychological issues among university students, yet many of them hesitate to seek professional help due to stigma. Unfortunately, university curricula often lack self-help strategies to manage these challenges and provide timely support to those in need. To address this gap, we introduced the Psychological Skills Lab (PSL) component in the undergraduate medical curriculum, which emphasizes experiential learning to promote self-determination and autonomy in health promotion. The lab allows active interaction among students, lecturers, and peers through activities like presentations, peer reviews, in session practice, gratitude journals, group discussions, and role plays. PSL helps students develop skills, empathy, mindfulness, and self compassion through regular interactions. This innovative teaching approach raises mental health awareness and empowers students to assist others when required. Thus, by incorporating self-help measures into the curriculum, students are better equipped to manage their emotional well-being while supporting those around them.
The RSNA International Visiting Professor program gave us an opportunity to live in a different and exciting country for 6 months. We had adequate travel opportunities to visit in Southeast Asia. Most of all, the feeling of appreciation and accomplishment we received from the master students as exemplified by their concern for us made our adventure extremely rewarding. For example, on the day of departure about half the class came to the airport to bid us farewell. This gesture, as well as several farewell parties in our honor, was certainly very gratifying. I enthusiastically recommend the opportunity afforded by the RSNA Visiting Professor program, and, specifically, I am enthusiastic about the program at Universiti Malaya.
In the last decade or so, Medical education all over the world has been inundated with innovations in education, which include innovations in curricular design, delivery as well as assessments. There is a need to reflect on the effectives of these innovations
on the learner. Hence the theme chosen for the 2009 International Medical Education Conference (IMEC 2009) was “Reflections on Innovations”. The Organising Committee felt that it was timely for medical educators everywhere to reflect and evaluate the effect of the many innovations adopted by their schools. (Copied from article)
The relationship between anatomy and surgery has been historic and epic, spanning many centuries, complementing each other in medical education and being independent as well as interdependent in many ways. However, curricular changes that have happened globally in recent years with the introduction of several contemporary styles of medical teaching have subtly downplayed the importance of anatomy in medicine, allowing young doctors with poor knowledge of anatomy to become surgeons. With a whimsical introduction that metaphorically hints at the strained relationship that exists between anatomy and surgery, the article attempts to explore the ‘anatomy’ of anatomy itself, examining its origins in recorded ancient history, evolution along the centuries in tandem with surgery and its current status in medical education.