22 May 2015 – 50 International Medical University (IMU) staff and students attended a talk entitled “Be a HYBRID Fitness Professional” at the University’s main campus in Bukit Jalil. The talk was given by Jerrican Tan, the Managing Director of Fitness Innovations Malaysia, and also an advisor for Men’s Health Magazine Malaysia.

The talk started with the speaker getting the audience to go through some exercises. He then talked about the roles of personal trainers and how qualified trainers are in demand in the fitness industry. He also explained the advantages for a healthcare professional to be trained to be a personal trainer as they would be able to leverage on their expertise in both fields to help their clients achieve their health and fitness goals.

The talk also featured two of IMU’s alumni who are currently personal trainers. One of them is Yeoh Ee Ling, a graduate of our BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Dietetics programme. She shared with the audience her experience in managing clients’ nutrition and personal training needs. Sean Lee Seng Hon, an IMU Chiropractic graduate, , also shared his experience via a pre-recorded video on life as a personal trainer where he also gets to utilise his training in Chiropractic on a daily basis.

The talk concluded with a question and answer session to answer the attendees’ inquiries in order to give them the opportunity to better understand the topics that were discussed as well as to elaborate on the growing opportunities that were available in the field.

International Medical University (IMU) is proud to announce the appointments of two existing members of staff in recognition of their individual merit and expertise. The University has also appointed a new staff member who brings with him years of experience and commitment.

Prof Winnie Chee took on the role of Acting Dean, School of Heath Sciences effective 1 July 2015. Prof Winnie qualified as a dietitian with a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and obtained her PhD in nutrition from the same institution. She spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher and project leader at the Nestle Research Institute, Switzerland for joint and bone health platform. She served as a Faculty at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia before joining IMU in 2008 where she was instrumental for the successful implementation of the dietetics curriculum, and was appointed the Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences from 2013-2015. She currently also holds a conjoint faculty position with the School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Australia since 2012.

Her specific areas of research are in bone health, renal and diabetes nutrition where she holds several external grants, published extensively and supervise post-graduate students. She is currently the President of the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association and key member of several expert committees on nutrition guidelines in the Ministry of Health; member of the Allied Health Professions’ Act working group for dietetics and expert panel for the Malaysian Dialysis and Transplant Registry. Prof Winnie is committed to lead programmes in the School of Health Sciences to reach excellence through producing work prepared graduates, service learning and research.

Assuming the role of Acting Associate Dean, School of Health Sciences is Prof Chin Beek Yoke. Prof Chin received her degrees in Physiology and Toxicological Sciences from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She continued her research at the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, after completing her post-doctoral fellowship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy in Richland, Washington, USA.

Additionally, Prof Chin had a joint Faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School since 2006. She has published over 34 peer review journal articles and is an active member on 3 editorial boards.

Prof Lin Xun who joined the University as a Professor in the Chinese Medicine Department, previously served as a Dean at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SHUTCM).

From his years of clinical experience of orthopeadics and traumatology, Prof Lin is well-known for the treatment of degenerative bone/joint diseases and for relieving pain in neck/shoulder/waist/leg. In addition to this, Prof Lin is also involved in clinical research. He has published more than 30 academic papers on medical education and teaching management.

Prof Lin was awarded the Best Paper Award of Journal of Shanghai Higher Medical Education thrice. He was also awarded the Outstanding Youth Award in SHUTCM and Outstanding Hospital Administrators in SHUTCM. Many monographs and textbooks were published by Prof Lin as co – authors. Prof Lin has been teaching bachelor degree students for many years. He has been involved in many education research programmes as the principal investigator. He was awarded five Shanghai Municipal Teaching Achievement Awards as a key research team member.

Congratulations to Prof Winnie, Prof Chin and Prof Lin! 

At IMU, the School of Health Sciences delivers programmes such as Nursing, Chiropractic, Chinese Medicine, Dietetics with Nutrition, Nutrition, Psychology, Medical Biotechnology and Biomedical Science.

Resplendent, statuesque, magnificent, radiant. 25 April 2015 at 6:00pm, close to 350 International Medical University (IMU) students dressed to the nines and arrived at JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur (KL) for the Ball. The theme of this year’s IMU Ball was “STARWALTZ: A Night of Elegance”.

That particular Friday Night was as if a whole constellation of stars collided in the city center of KL. Pair by pair, group by group of comrades having conquered the obstacle course called “Med-school”, entered the hall together with a passion akin to that of Semester One when they first met- except that this wave carries a different sentiment.

For most of us, it is probably one of the greatest celebrations for a long time to come. It was indeed memorable, thanks to the IMU Ball Committee who bit the bullet and ran the extra mile for the crowd. The Committee would like to share the unseen perspective of the journey of preparation, behind the pomp and circumstance, glittering chandeliers, and scrumptious dinner served.

“8 January 2015 marked our first milestone where we met for the first time; half of the committee were faces I have never seen before and yet we were expected to put together such a huge project in less than four months remaining. Time was surely against us,” said Ernest Ng, President of the IMU Ball Committee.

“The venue and date were amongst the first agenda to be accomplished, yet they were the most difficult to decide on. We went through all the academic calendars of the medicine (Semesters 4 and 5), chiropractic, pharmacy, dentistry and others just to find out that there were one suitable day. Yet when the clinical rotation schedule of Medicine Semester 5 came out, we had to readjust. This catch 22 situation delayed our progress for as long as a month. Finally, the date was finally fixed on 25 April, a day when the medicine Semester 5 students were back from clinical rotations and just before the chiropractic and Semester 4 medicine students have their exams.”

IMU Ball Treasurer, Tee Ai Ven, initially did a good estimation of the budget; however, the government’s implementation of 6% GST totally burst the budget,way out of the Committee’s expectation. Imagine paying all the extra amount; that was the financial pressure the committee faced.

Ai Ven said, “To be honest, at this point of time, the best I could hope for was a breakeven in its account…” We were at the brink of setting the venue in a multi-purpose hall located further away from city center, with food catered. However, with some timely advice from the Student Services Department (SSD), we decided to take the greatest leap of faith- to make reservations of 400 pax (minimum requirement) at a 5-Star hotel, the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur.

Nothing beats having the nightmare that people would not attend because of its higher price (RM159 for early bird); nothing beats the notorious reputation of having a deficit in accounts at the end of the event. What scared us most, was to close the ticket sales on time. To make things worse, we began to realize that few major batches (eg. Dentistry, Dietetics with Nutrition, and Pharmacy) were organising their own ball.

Vinodini, IMU Ball Head of Sponsorship, said, “When the first day of ticket sales were less than five, I thought we were doomed. It was really intimidating to think that it had even flashed through that the thoughts of people not to attend the ball; even worse when our ticket price were in fact higher than the other Balls.” Unanimously, the entire committee agreed to her second statement when she said, “But then I thought to myself: Go Big or Go Home”.

Meanwhile, the events team were cracking their head for the recruitment of performances. Ken Kong, IMU Ball Events Manager said, “Getting enough people to participate in the performance and events team is challenging enough. I had to dig through every nook and cranny to reach amazing people who were willing to work with us.”

Annita Liew, IMU Ball Events Manager, added, “The most difficult thing was that things may not go as planned even though we have had countless meetings to foresee what may go wrong on that day and counter it. But at the end of the day, things do fall into place and we got such an amazing team to thank that for!”

“Nothing worth having comes easy”. We all knew the silver lining was on its way. Ernest Ng, President of IMU Ball, revealed what was in his mind, “I firmly believe that when we’ve done everything that we could possibly do; that’s when God will step in and do what we can’t do. I mean, take a look at the IMU Talent Search event. After all that we have done, we only managed to sell 14 tickets 7 days prior to the event. And on that night of event itself, we miraculously had students flocking in and the final headcount came up to more than 200 students!”

Four months of hard, challenging groundwork has finally paid off with an extraordinarily satisfying return. Putting aside the technical snafu in the middle of the performances and other kinks in the event flow, people ultimately enjoyed the night very much.

“We had the honorary presence of Prof Jade Chow, the Dean of Medical Sciences as well as Prof Ong Kok Hai, the director of External Affairs. We had the voice of Alexandra Tham and Hushil Sandhu, the winners of IMU Voice Search 2014. Many were impressed by the kind sponsorship from Uber, ferrying them in style despite the long distance.”

Kirthiga, one of the attendee who experienced it best, described, “My first experience with Uber was amazing. I walk down from Vista only to realize that a black Mercedes Benz is ready to ferry me to JW Marriott!” Facebook began to be flooded with the new profile pictures taken at the ball, with the dimmer light adding to the feeling of glam.

“Those smiles you see on everyone’s face were the prettiest to look at; nothing else really matters after all”, says Michelle Liang, Public Relation of the Ball. Tee Ai Ven added “Most importantly, I am glad that we even gained some profit to return SRC.”

When asked to list some other reasons for success, Vikas Kumar, Social Representative of SRC answered, “We were as original as we could- from the theme, to the intricate handmade decorations, and even to the performances which we recruited through IMU Talent Search event. Ultimately, we wanted to ensure that students remember the night 10 years down the road.”

“And we did! People just couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.” added Nicole Chan, Vice President of IMU Ball.

Last but not least, the success of IMU BALL 2015 can only be deemed because of all of you whom supported STARWALTZ in various ways. Thanks to SSD who constantly gave feedback and timely advices that helped us in making better decisions. To the SRC, we are grateful for the finance and aid provided when we were in desperate need. Thanks to all the subcommittees who worked so diligently just to see the night happening. We appreciate all the performers and volunteers’ effort even though you all deserved so much more than what you all were actually rewarded. Also not forgetting the outstanding, most active, most spontaneous, so-serious-yet-ever-so-happening group of IMU Ball Core Committees, I could not have asked for more. Once again, we thank everybody from the heart.

“Finally, what is the best tip you can advise the upcoming committee?”
- “Regular 1:30am meetings; & more prayers.”

This article is written by Ernest Ng, President of the IMU Ball Committee.

6 September 2015 - The International Medical University (IMU) continues its efforts in the use of complementary medicine by launching its IMU Community Centre at Plaza Salak Park. This Community Centre was established this year with the primary purpose of supporting the surrounding community with affordable quality healthcare services.

Through its integrated services, the community will be able to gain access to chiropractic and Chinese Medicine treatments as well as individualised nutrition and dietary counselling. In future, there will also be dental services at the Community Centre.

Full speeches of YB Teresa Kok and Prof Winnie Chee.

Based on IMU’s commitment to provide high quality education and training instilled with intrinsic values of ethics, compassion and service to the community, patients can be rest assured on the quality of care, professionalism and efficacy of IMU’s healthcare services. Patients at the Community Centre have a choice to be treated by a registered professional or by a final year student in training at a nominal fee.

At this Community Centre, less-privileged members of the communities will be able to seek treatments at a subsidised fee. Eligible patients of household income less than RM5,000 per month will be able to apply for fund  under the University’s IMU Cares programme which is supported by Khazanah IHH Healthcare Fund.

Find out more about the IMU Community Centre by clicking here.

The Community Centre was launched today by Seputeh Member of Parliament, YB Teresa Kok, who has been very supportive of this endeavor. The launching features complimentary public health screenings and a series of public talks by our experts at IMU. These include talks on back pain, tuina for children and healthy teeth for children.

Commenting on the benefit to the less-privileged members of the community, Teresa Kok said, “With this support, it is my fervent hope that the community will empower themselves and make full use of the facilities and services at the IMU Community Centre to manage and improve their wellbeing. We will also look forward to more comprehensive services at the Centre as the needs of the community grows.”

Professional dietitians were on hand throughout the event to bring the public on a “Supermarket Tour” and educate them on making informed decisions in managing their daily food consumption towards better health.

Related story:
Experiential Learning for Future Nutritionists

9 – 22 August 2015 – Nine final year Chiropractic students participated in the 2015 International Clinical Externship Programme held in Manila, Philippines. The programme was organised by Intercare Chiropractic Inc. in partnership with two universities; International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia and RMIT University, Australia. The core purpose behind this programme was to deliver chiropractic care for people who otherwise have no access to it.

Participants were engaged in providing free chiropractic evaluation and treatment to local communities with missions held daily at various locations around Manila. They provided treatment to people from different walks of life; from farmers, government servants, school children, pregnant women, national athletes, handicapped children to Paralympic athletes.

The experience the IMU chiropractic students obtained via this mission trip was absolutely amazing and life changing. It provided them the chance to deal with interesting cases such as stroke, cerebral palsy, and several other conditions that were rarely encountered in typical clinical practices. Besides sharpening their clinical skills and enhancement of clinical experience, the students were also trained to adapt to different working environments and learned to communicate with people of different languages and cultural background.

Witnessing the joy and gratitude of people who felt better after one mere session of treatment is fulfilling beyond words.

Many Filipinos suffer their whole lives from terrible musculoskeletal problems and bear with pain as they have no access to proper healthcare services. This programme enabled the chiropractic students to treat about 1300 people over the course of two weeks. However, with a population exceeding 100 million, a lot more has to be done. As a group, these chiropractic students would strongly urge and encourage future final year Chiropractic students to participate in this programme.

Teo Kah Jun started his journey in chiropractic when he joined International Medical University (IMU) in 2010 and graduated with his chiropractic degree in 2014. At this graduation, he was awarded the Tun Zahir Merit Award for being the top student in the Dean’s list.

After his graduation, he returned to his hometown, Sabah and started working at one of the existing chiropractic centres in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. At this clinic, he works under a team of chiropractors who specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal problems and neurological conditions. Chiropractic care at this clinic emphasises prevention, maintenance, rehabilitation, and healthy lifestyle education. The team at this clinic believes passive care is not the only treatment that we can provide to our valued patients. The team also emphasises on patient education, patient self-directed active care and self-awareness for healthy lifestyle.

“I have been practicing what I learnt from IMU and provide extensive options of chiropractic care in our centre which included joint and spinal manipulation and mobilisations, therapeutic modalities, myofascial techniques, exercises and activity therapies. Patients also received a variety of useful dietary, posture and ergonomic advice from the clinician. As a primary musculoskeletal clinician, I provide care for many family members, scoliosis teenagers, the elderly, sportsmen and athletes. Besides that, I have also cooperated with the football team, MMA and badminton team to organise talks and health screening events that truly benefits them and teach them how to maximise their performance and prevent injury. Since then, I have been treating a few Sabah state football players.”

Kah Jun choose to study chiropractic in IMU because he believes that the Chiropractic Division at IMU provides an education with first class techniques, detailed information and advanced chiropractic skills. While studying his degree in IMU, he also learnt communication skills, working in a team and how to become a healthcare professional that serves well to our society. Since IMU is the only University in South East Asia offering the chiropractic programme and also an integrated medical school, Kah Jun and his fellow chiropractic students were able to learn and work with other healthcare professionals and this provided them with a good network.

“The schedule at IMU is always busy, in the years of the programme, I learnt how to properly manage my time efficiently. To achieve a good grade in IMU is not bed of roses but I managed to graduate with First Class Honours and have been awarded with Merit Award in 2014. I believe that, time and stress management is only the key to survive through the journey in IMU but I truly enjoyed every moment back in IMU.”

“Good ethics and attitude are also the key for better healthcare, our skills need to be sharpened as well as our ethics and moral values. Social media and network nowadays are spreading widely, and there are always cases of patients’ confidentiality happening in our region. I believe confidentiality is one of the important aspects of medical practice. It requires healthcare providers to keep a patient’s personal health information private unless consent is given by the patient. Hence, it is important for patients’ records and files to be properly recorded, managed and stored for future reference.”

“Graduating from IMU does not stop us (IMU Alumni) from learning, we are still learning from experience, cases, seminar and conferences. Therefore, I truly support all the alumni who wish to participate in continuing professional education and continue to provide the latest evidence based practice in our country. In the near future, I intend to continue sharpenning my skills and shape myself to become a better chiropractic clinician.”

20-30 July 2015 – Accompanied by 4 Faculty members and 1 external volunteer, 30 students from IMU embarked on a 10-day community service mission to Myanmar. The Myanmar-IMU Collaborative Community Project (MICCP) is currently in its second year. The first two days were spent on preparations for mission work as well as University of Medicine 1 campus visits, followed by the 5 days of mission work, and ending with 3 days of sightseeing in Bagan.

MICCP participants donating school uniforms to the Wet Chaung village primary school children

The team comprised of 30 students of different nationalities from various programmes which included Medicine, Pharmacy, Dietetics and Nutrition, Chiropractic and Psychology. Faculty members who participated in this project included Dr Ni Ni Win, Dr Edward Crowther, Dr Htar Htar Aung as well as the recently retired Prof Hla Yee Yee who gladly joined us for our village work. We were also honoured to have 2 Burmese dentists from the Myanmar Dental Association joining us in our team.

We returned to Wet Chaung village located in Kyaunggone Township, Irrawaddy state, Myanmar this year. Extensive project planning and fundraising were implemented since March this year. Chosen student participants not only had to do preparation work for the planned activities, but also be heavily involved in pledge card fundraising, of which they had to collect donations outside of IMU. Thanks to their dedicated effort as well as generous donations from clubs and Faculty staff, we managed to raise an astounding RM18903.19. The money raised was used to buy milk powder for 110 elderly and 143 children below 5 years old, library furniture, books and first-aid items for the village school; a refrigerator as well as 1 solar panel for its electricity supply for the hospital; stationery and school uniforms for the school children; vitamin supplements for pregnant women; toothbrushes, mosquito nets, boots for the villagers; and miscellaneous items for the monastery.

IMU students interacting with University of Medicine 1 academic staff in the anatomy dissection practical session

We also allocated RM350 to be donated to University of Medicine 1’s anatomy dissection room, as well as funds to purchase dental screening kits to be used in our health screening event. IMU Cares supported us tremendously by lending us and sponsoring health screening equipment and health record cards, whilst we also received toothpaste from IMU Oral Health Centre and Zantel deworming medications from Dentsu.
Unlike last year’s pioneer committee where the primary challenge lied in obtaining approval for project implementation, this year’s committee’s even tougher responsibility was to meticulously plan for and execute mission work that were able to address the village’s needs and improve its welfare on a long-term basis. Our main objective, thus, was to build and expand on this project’s long-term feasibility, with a pioneering focus on educational resource provision for the village school, children’s general health and village community health education.

Upon the first day of arrival in Wet Chaung, the aforementioned library furniture and books were donated to the village school to cater to its lack of educational facility. We were also shown the solar panel donated to the institution by last year’s MICCP Committee. We taught the teachers there how to do book cataloguing and the manual borrow-return logbook system to allow for independent facility management.

IMU medical student doing colour vision test for a child

Myanmar Dental Association dentist doing a dental check for primary school children

On the subsequent day, we conducted a station-based nutritional assessment among the village schoolchildren to gauge their nutritional status, whereby BMI, blood pressure, colour blindness, vision acuity, general physical examinations and dental screening were carried out. Health screening for all adult villagers was held in the monastery on the next day. The student participants played an active role in administration in terms of crowd facilitation and ushering, as well as demonstration of basic clinical skills competencies. There was heart-warming interprofessional learning at play among the student participants, as those from other courses were actually implementing the clinical skills taught to them by their fellow medical teammates.

On the fourth day of our stay in the village, we conducted health education among the villagers in the village school. From last year’s health screening data compilation, we acknowledged that hypertension and diabetes are considerably prevalent among the villagers. Hence, these 2 conditions were among the topics for dissemination, along with hypercholesterolaemia, diarrhoea and cholera, oral cancer as well as general topics such as hand washing, food pyramid and teeth brushing. In the afternoon, two talks were conducted simultaneously in two different classrooms, of which first aid education were taught to high school students and teachers, and female health education strictly for female villagers. The latter was of particular interest, as the targeted audience was surprisingly receptive towards sensitive topics of self-breast examination, menopause and sexual health and family planning.

Chiropractic students providing musculoskeletal disorders assessment and treatment to villagers
The chiropractic programme at IMU sent a delegation of six chiropractic interns and one clinical supervisor. On the second day of the visit to the village, the chiropractic team set up a clinic at the community health centre. Over the next day, they provided assessment and treatment to over 175 villagers. Treatment was directed towards a wide variety of musculoskeletal complaints with positive response to treatment achieved in most cases. Villagers were provided education on effective self-management strategies to better help them manage their complaints. Detailed clinical records were generated for each villager who attended to provide a foundation for further care over the next few years’ visits by the team.

MICCP participants playing football with schoolchildren in the rain

MICCP participants planting teak around the village school compound

The project participants were also enthusiastically engaged in teaching English to the schoolchildren in a two-to-three hour session, as well as precious bonding moments with them through dances and song-singing in cultural exchange and the unforgettable football-playing in the heavy rain. Rudimentary Burmese words and phrases were also picked up along the way. We started a “Go Green Campaign” this year by planting teak around the school compound.

To be involved in this project for the second time as both participant and committee member is testimony itself to how enriching and eye-opening this project is. We were exposed to the overhanging reality of disparity between rural-to-urban population ratios and healthcare access. Furthermore, we experienced first-hand the limitations of community health interventions, and were given the opportunity to acquire and refine organisation, planning and leadership skills to attempt to overcome those limitations and maximise intervention efficacy under circumscribing circumstances.

Learning to work with others was among the few important qualities emphasised throughout. While ‘extending love beyond nations’ and making our small impact in the lives of those who are underprivileged, we received much more in return – an insightful exploration and development of ourselves, our capabilities and potential as future healthcare professionals through humanity.

This article is written by one of the participants, Tan Chia Ee (Jernell) on behalf of all IMU participants.

Related article: IMU Cares : A Myanmar – IMU Collaborative Community Project

21 November 2015 – An inaugural IMU Chiropractic Seminar with the theme “Developing Malaysia’s Chiropractic Future” was held at the University’s campus in Bukit Jalil. This inaugural IMU Chiropractic Seminar was a full day blended programme of lectures, workshops, breakout clinical sessions and a panel discussion. It was well attended and supported by both the chiropractic student community and the profession as a whole with over 140 delegates.

Renowned field experts discussed the opportunity and innovative practices and practice risk management. Delegates were then given the opportunity to choose which workshop to join during for the morning and afternoon break-out sessions, from an eclectic list of ten very different topics. A grand round panel discussion brought this ground breaking seminar to a close.

1 January 2016 – A new year, a new management.

As we usher in the New Year, it also marks an exciting new phase for the International Medical University (IMU). Officially taking office as Vice-Chancellor (CEO) of IMU Education is Prof Abdul Aziz Baba who was previously the Vice-President responsible for the Medical and Dental programmes. Prof Aziz joined IMU Education in July 2013.

Prof Aziz takes over from Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman whose term as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IMU Education ends on 31 December 2015. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Abu Bakar will remain as the President of IMU Health Sdn Bhd, the parent company overseeing IMU Education, IMC Education and IMU Healthcare.

During the handover ceremony on 16 December 2015, a simple but very meaningful event, Tan Sri was seen officially handing over the “baton” to Prof Aziz. In his speech, Tan Sri impressed upon the need to look forward to the future and to continue providing excellence in service. He also reinforced, that as a niche medical and healthcare university, both staff and students must value health and benefit the community by providing continuous health promotion and disease prevention. And as an educational institution, to strive for scholarship – the creation of knowledge and leaders.

Reflecting over the last 15 years under the leadership of Tan Sri as CEO of IMU Education, IMU saw exponential growth and development. This covers not only the expansion of the medical and dentistry programmes but looking at health in an integrated and holistic manner by establishing the Chiropractic (only one in Southeast Asia) and Chinese Medicine programmes as well as the Oral Health Centre and other clinics under IMU Healthcare. The IMU also used its physical space creatively with vibrant colours to reflect the teaching and learning activities that are carried out in an open concept, encouraging teamwork.

In Prof Aziz’s acceptance speech, he thanked the management and team for the honour given to him and he will strive to continue the leadership that Tan Sri had developed. He shared the vision on the various challenges and strategies to take IMU Education to the next level and the need to prepare our students to meet the changing landscape and needs of the medical and healthcare industry while nurturing ethical and caring professionals to deliver safe and effective healthcare in the communities we live in.

We congratulate Prof Aziz and all the other appointees taking up their new positions from 1 January 2016:

• Dr Mei Ling Young – Deputy Vice- Chancellor, International & Engagement
• Prof Peter Pook – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic
• Prof Victor Lim – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education
• Prof Mak Joon Wah – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research
• Prof Toh Chooi Gait – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Development
• Prof Winnie Chee – Dean, School of Health Sciences
• Prof Chin Beek Yoke – Associate Dean, School of Health Sciences
• A/Prof Tan Eng Lai – Acting Associate Dean (Admissions)
• A/Prof Stefan Kutzsche – Acting Director, IMU Centre for Education (ICE)
• Dr Wong Pei Se – Acting Dean, School of Pharmacy

Click here to read the profiles of Prof Aziz and the other appointees.

International Medical University (IMU)’s World Spine Day activities organised by its Semester 4 Chiropractic students won first prize in the chiropractic educational institutions category at the 2015 World Spine Day competition, an achievement that had brought great joy to the 5 cohorts of IMU Chiropractic students. The competition had grouped entries into three categories: professional associations, chiropractic educational institutions, and individuals/private practices.

World Spine Day (WSD) is celebrated each year on 16 October. An initiative of the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health, the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) has coordinated World Spine Day activities since 2010 and runs an annual competition attracting entries from the worldwide profession. The theme this year being “Your Back at Work”.

Every year, in IMU, it has been a tradition for the Semester 4 Chiropractic students to be the main organisers of the World Spine Day event in October. Our brainstorming sessions and discussions started as early as April, followed by a car wash, World Spine Day T-shirt sales, and food sales in the later months leading to the day of the event. The fund-raising activities were an absolute success that helped cover our event costs, and at the same time allowed us to reach out to people in the community to inform them about World Spine Day 2015.

In addition to these initiatives, we made social media as a platform to spread awareness by creating a World Spine Day event page on Instagram and Facebook. Some posters and photographs were posted in social media to inform the public of World Spine Day and what it is about. We realized that in this age and time, social media can play a powerful role as we had more than 140 followers on both our social media accounts, which gave us a good way to communicate and share our information to a larger audience.

In the two days of event, we garnered loads of attention by hanging a 3D vertical spine, which consists of 33 vertebrae from the 3rd floor to the ground floor of the University. The 3D spine was designed and took three months to make before the main event. A globe with the ‘WSD’ word was made and a cartoon character spine cutout, which we named ‘spine minion’, was used as a photo booth in our event.

We wanted our event to be as interactive as possible, thus the photo booth allowed people to take their best possible version of a ‘spine selfie’. These were the main attractions for our event. At the end, we saw a lot of people visiting the photo booth and took pictures with the 3D spine and the WSD globe.

In relation to the ‘Your Back at Work’ theme, there was an ergonomics booth made, in which, examples of two different types of working environment was created. This helped raise awareness amongst the university students and staff members about their spine and sitting posture when in their working environment. At the booth, participants were allowed to sit and experience both of the working desk environments. They were also told to observe how the different settings changed or affected their posture and comfort.

Besides that, some games were held in that two days event. This was made as a part of outdoor activities. Interesting games, which related to the spine and health, such as the ‘Spinal Dart’ game was organised. The main purpose of the game was to increase participants’ anatomy knowledge of our spine. Fitness challenges such as push-up, vertical leap, squat and planking were held to encourage people to stay physically active. Last but not least, the wobble board game where it challenges participants’ balance and coordination was done during the event.

A special area with free spinal screening was held. We had three booths, which people had to go through, all served their specific purpose in screening for spinal conditions. The first booth was postural analysis where our chiropractic students did a routine check on the participants’ body postures. Then, the participants were brought over for the GALS assessment booth where their gait and alignment were assessed. This method was used to detect any locomotor abnormalities and functional disability in a patient.

The outcomes from the assessments were then recorded in a Chiropractic Examination Form. Finally, the participants visited the consultation booth together with the examination form to seek advice from our final year chiropractic students who gave more information about their condition and whether or not they needed to seek help from the chiropractic clinic. This screening involved the Semesters 2, 4 and 8 chiropractic students, all of which served on a voluntary basis. At the end of the event, we were contented to have roughly 170 participants visiting the Spinal Screening activity.

Besides that, in order to make the event more exciting and appealing, we offered those who participate in our event a 10% reduction for the coffee and drinks which they can buy from our famous cafe outlet in our university campus. This helped encourage students to post on any of their social media accounts about the World Spine Day and garner more attention for the event.

We hope that this win will encourage others to take part in World Spine Day competition in the following years to come. We have been so encouraged to hear that many of the students and faculty members only became aware of WSD through our event this year and have felt that they have learned a lot more about it. Many staff members from University have since taken the initiative to use the stairs and try to be more physically active. We are so honored to organise this meaningful event in which we are truly passionate about.

This article was prepared by Wong Vi Vien and edited by Jonathan Tiong Liang Thye.

Related stories:
World Spine Day Contest 2012 – IMU students win 2nd Prize!
Creating Spinal Health Awareness among IMU Staff and Students on World Spine Day 2013
Learning about Spinal Health on World Spine Day 2014

January 2016 – A pre-visit was conducted by the project leader to identify the needs of the elderly residents of Ti-Ratana. It was found that these residents had dry skin and needed attention. Skin health is essential to the well-being of older people and a central component of nursing care. During this pre-visit, it was also found that the residents were lonely and needed someone to talk to them. They were also experiencing body aches.

1 March 2016 – Prior to the actual visit, a total of 14 staff and students attended training conducted at IMU.

12 March 2016 – A total of 59 staff and students from various programmes namely Nursing, Biomedical Science, Pathology, Human Biology, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Nutrition & Dietetics, IRDI and Multidisplinary Laboratory Departments (MDL)  participated in a  visit to Ti-Ratana. During the visit, together with skin inspection, a talk on skin care was given, to provide insight to the elderly on the importance of skin care. Following this, massage was applied on the elderly residents by students and staff. Students had the opportunity to explore practical and hands-on aspects of counselling in working with these older adults. Good interpersonal skills can lead to less litigation; creating a friendly environment for patients and staff; development of good reputation for IMU and high quality ‘hands-on’ training for students, staffs and faculty.

Postural screening for the children aged 7-14 years old were carried out by the Chiropractic students and lecturer concerned. At the end of the screening session, a dance was performed by the chiropractic students. The Ti-Ratana children of the target group also  participated in this dance .

The overall report and reflection received from the elderly citizens was that they were happy and satisfied with IMU Cares services as they had an opportunity to express their feelings through communicating with staff and students of IMU. Students reflected that they were happy to be a part of this community project as it gave them an opportunity to learn and apply various activities as a community responsibility and made new friends from other programmes.

9 April 2016 – IMU staff and students from various programmes participated in a follow through visit to Ti-Ratana. Staff and students were from Nursing, Biomedical Science, Pathology, Human Biology, IRDI, Nutrition and Dietetics, Academic Services and the IMU Photography Club

Prior to the commencement of all activities, a questionnaire was distributed to the residents. The residents were able to answer the questions more accurately as compared to the previous visit (Caring for the Community at Ti-Ratana). Their response showed that they had better knowledge on skin care.

During this visit, counselling was continued to provide better insight to the elderly on the importance of skin care. Massage was also applied on the elderly residents by students and staff. This visit provided students with the opportunity to explore practical and hands-on aspects of counselling and interpersonal skills in working with older adults. Good interpersonal skills can lead to less litigation; creating a friendly environment; development of good reputation for IMU and high quality ‘hands-on’ training for students, staffs and faculty.

Prior to postural screening, a quiz on good posture was initiated by the students. The outcome showed that the Ti-Ratana children understood well on the correct techniques of posture while walking, standing and sitting. 

Postural screening was then continued by the Chiropractic students and lecturers. The screening session ended with a dance performance by the Ti-Ratana children together with chiropractic students.

The overall report and reflection received from the elderly citizens showed their happiness and satisfaction with the IMU Cares services. The objective of this visit was successfully met.

9-10 April 2016 – The Nottingham Ultimate Taekwondo Showdown (NUTS) 2016 was organised by University of Nottingham Taekwondo Club.

9 April – Participants were required to weigh-in in the morning for weight categorisation. On the same day, the team manager’s meeting was held and it was attended by two of our senior belts as the IMU team representatives (Azfar Afham and Chan Chee Shan) to learn more about the rules and schedule of the event for the next day.

 Senior belt holder giving a briefing regarding the rules and schedule of the event on the next day after weigh in session.

10 April – The event started at 9:00am for both the Poomsae and Kyorugi competitions. Poomsae is a set of Taekwondo movements which consists of blocks, punches, strikes and kicks logically arrange in a meaningful order. Kyorugi, also known as sparring, which is a regular event at Taekwondo competitions where two competitors fought in a square shaped, matted area for 3 minutes. Every competitor is required to wear a standardised head guard, trunk-protector (hogu), shin guards and wrist guards for safety purposes.

Preparation for the competition:

Training was held on every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30pm until 10:00pm which was carried out by our coach, Master Tim Chong. Extra trainings were held on Sunday (27 March and 3 April) at Koryo Taekwondo Club Gym in Ampang and the training session was conducted by our coach, assisted by a black belt senior, Azfar Afham. Besides that, there was an extra training which was held on Friday (1 April) night at IMU.

Apart from training, we went to 2nd League Sportexcel-NCS-Milo-TM (WTF) Taekwondo Circuit 2016 on 26 and 27 March for more exposure before we went to NUTS tournament.

Winners of NUTS 2016:

What Our Students Say About the Showdown:

Azfar Afham Bin Zainuddin
(Semester 5 Psychology Student)

I was proud that I managed to win a bronze medal in my first attempt of joining a poomsae competition after a long hiatus from participating in tournaments. However, I also feel slightly disappointed as my performance falls short of my own expectations and I believed that I could have achieved better. Taekwondo has been my passion since I was 6 years old and I have been training all these years in pursuit of excellence and an active healthy  lifestyle.

Juggling between academics, my own training and preparing other participants for their sparring competition was definitely not an easy task for me. Although I do feel that I could have performed better on this competition, the overall performance of our members were definitely satisfactory. I hope that our club will continue to strive and gain the opportunity to compete at a much higher level and send our players to Sukan Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi (SUKIPT) in the near future.

Tan Sing Min
(Semester 4 Pharmacy Student)

I was delighted when I was announced to be the bronze medallist for my weight category. This was my first medal after I resume my Taekwondo training.

My Semester 4 academic timetable was indeed very hectic with lots of assignments and tight deadlines. Nevertheless, there are so many other things that I need to learn besides focusing on academic excellence. Having a packed schedule does not mean that I have to give up pursuing my hobbies. Instead, I would distribute my time equally for work, sleep and play, so that my academic work does not interfere much with my weekly training.

Branda Tan
(Semester 4 Pharmacy Student)

Lastly, no one is perfect, neither am I. I have to admit that there were things that I might not do well, or of which you think can be better. Identify all those things and work on them together, I am sure the Club can progress even further than where it is now. 

Wondering if your back needs to be better aligned? Not sure about what chiropractic sessions are all about? Nervous about what your first chiropractic session will be like?

Our picture story will help you get the feel of what your first chiropractic assessment at IMU Healthcare Chiropractic Centre will feel like.

Most people make a chiropractic appointment because they are in pain or discomfort. Chiropractic Professor Peter Diakow, in the Division of Chiropractic at IMU says that 80 percent of the world’s population experience pain in the neck and back, joints, knee and feet. A small percentage of the people who seek chiropractic help come because they want to feel or perform better. Many of them are athletes who seek chiropractic help for performance issues.

Whatever the issue (or non-issue), your chiropractor will first take your medical history. If there is a present condition that needs to be attended to, that will be the first thing that will be looked at. Whatever the case, you will be asked questions about past injuries, work habits and family history.Once this is covered, the chiropractor will be able to isolate three to four things that he thinks may be causing the pain. An examination will then confirm or rule out some of the differential diagnosis.

Your chiropractor will ask to see you walk in your bare (or stockinged) feet. This is called a gait assessment. He will then ask you to go through a range of motions, such as bending forwards and back.

Your chiropractor will also ask you to extend your arms with your eyes closed to test for balance. These procedures provide a thorough understanding of how the body is functioning.

You will then asked be asked to sit on the examination table where the chiropractor will examine your neck. Your spine is a series of moveable joints that begin at the base of the skull and end at the pelvis. So the chiropractor will begin from the top and work down, looking for clues, and making an assessment on the state of your spine. This is the chiropractor’s expertise.

Expect to move your neck in a range of natural motions so that the chiropractor can ascertain the problem areas.

Professor Diakow explains that chiropractic is a highly tactile form of treatment. Patients must expect to be touched firmly. Some pressure is exerted by the chiropractor’s fingers and hands, however, this is usually quite comfortable. Chiropractic is one of the safest forms of treatment. The greatest risk from a chiropractic session may be some extra soreness ranging from a few minutes to an hour or so. It is very rare for chiropractors to sprain joints.

Muscle reflexes are also tested at the initial consultation. A rubber covered hammer is used to trigger the ‘jerk’ reflex on both elbow and knee. The chiropractor will also ask you to lift your legs to check for pelvis and spine alignment.

Once the examination is over, the chiropractor will outline a treatment plan. The first treatment may, in some cases start immediately. Patients receiving treatment will need to undress. A hospital gown is provided for women. Men may wear shorts. Treatment time may range from 30 minutes to an hour. Depending on the level of pain presented, a patient may complete his/her first session with quite a lot of the discomfort relieved. In general, however, it is usual to undergo three to four sessions before any real change is felt, with more definite relief being felt at the ninth or tenth session.

While some patients worry that the spinal realignments may cause them to burp or let out gas, Professor Diakow assures that it is highly unlikely. Ticklish people may also worry about their reactions when being treated by a chiropractor, but because the contact is firm there is little chance of a tickling sensation.

This article is brought to you by IMU Healthcare.

Related article: Diabetes from a Chiropractic Perspective

24 – 25 June 2016 – Postgraduate and undergraduate students from International Medical University’s five Schools celebrated their achievements at two degree conferment ceremonies today. 405 students were joined by their family members to celebrate their success at the auditorium of the University’s Bukit Jalil campus. Live broadcast of the ceremony as it unfolds inside the auditorium was made available at other lecture theatres in the University, providing an option for those who are not in the auditorium the opportunity to witness this very special event.

Chancellor’s speech

Vice-Chancellor’s Speech

The half-day event was held over two sessions to cater for the large number of graduates and the mood was one of enthusiasm and joy. The degree conferment ceremonies on 25 June 2016 are part of the graduation ceremonies that were conducted over two days.

The University kicked off the convocation celebrations with a Prize Presentation Ceremony on 24 June 2016 to celebrate the academic excellence of the University’s outstanding students.

Among the high achievers awarded at this ceremony was Ho Yan Le. Driven by a desire to help the needy and aid the poor, Yan Le strived to be the best. His hard work was rewarded when he was awarded the Dr John Joseph Bosco Memorial Gold Medal for being the top medical student in his class. His outstanding academic performance at IMU also gained him several other awards, including Prof Guan Chong Book Prize in Surgery for high achievement in surgery, the prestigious Dr Saidi Hashim Memorial Gold Medal for the highest achievement, Distinction Award in his final examinations, the Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Award (MSEA) and first prize in the 2011 AMSA Medical Challenge.

“I felt very honoured and grateful to receive the news that I am a recipient of the Dr John Joseph Bosco Memorial Gold Medal. This certainly has given me a lot of encouragement to search for better achievements and excellence in my future career path. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to my family, mentors, professors and fellow friends for their guidance and support throughout the years.”

“I spent the last 6 months of my clinical years in Batu Pahat, a small town in Johor. It was indeed one of the most memorable experiences in the medical school. Besides having a group of friendly and helpful clinical school staff, the faculty members were also supportive and responsible, not forgetting the approachable hospital staff. As a shadowing house officer, the faculty staff treated us as doctors but at the same time, guiding and tutoring us throughout the last 6-month journey, with full passion and enthusiasm, ensuring whoever comes out from the school is truly competent and professional. Being a shadowing house officer in a district hospital, I had performed a lot of hands-on procedures under proper guidance, involving myself in the management of the patients”

Another prize winner, Jordy Wong, a pharmacy student who hails from Sibu, said, “I was very surprised when I was informed that I am the recipient of the Board of Governors Gold Medal. My most memorable time in IMU was when I was an IMU Student Ambassador. Interacting with students from other programmes, helping in multi-mini interviews (MMI), attending training camps and workshops with other student ambassadors, aiding in teaching and learning workshops as well as volunteering in events together with other students ambassadors really made my second year a fruitful year. That was the year that actually pushed me to the maximum by putting all of us (the student ambassadors) with leading roles and heavy responsibilities. But that was definitely one of the best moment I had in IMU. I had many opportunities to make a lot of new friends and attend something that I had never thought about it (eg. leadership camp, helping during Open Day).”’

Many more high achievers from the five Schools received their awards at the Ceremony, including those from the dentistry, chiropractic and psychology programmes.

More photos 

This year’s alumni gathering in Kuala Lumpur was held in none other than the main IMU campus in Bukit Jalil with more than 10 different dialogue sessions taking place throughout the evening. We welcomed more than 120 alumni returning from in and out of Malaysia, of different schools and programmes (i.e. Biomedical Science, Chiropractic, Dentistry, Medical Biotechnology, Medicine, Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing, Nursing Science, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Psychology, and Postgraduate Studies) .

Conversations ranging from perspectives on the US presidential race to the hype of social media trends and the dreadful Friday traffic in the heart of KL were just some of the preludes into the evening.

The evening started off with a welcome speech from two IMU founders whom we remembered fondly; Dr Mei Ling Young and Prof Ong Kok Hai. “I’m really happy to see all of you here. I appreciate the fact that you actually came back for this occasion, knowing that it’s a long weekend. We at IMU will always welcome you back and are very proud of you. Thank you for making this reunion a success!” said Mei Ling before announcing the final plan of the IMU Hospital opposite the main IMU campus.

After a scrumptious dinner, the group photo sessions that took place was quite a scene when all 140 alumni and staff tried to squeeze in for a picture before  heading for the break-out session.

The break-out sessions by programme allowed an alumni to take part in a dialogue between faculty members and other alumni in attendance. The discussions covered topics from postgraduate career paths to many advice given to recent graduates, as well as feedback for the curriculum from the alumni. Many were excited to meet up with batch mates and friends whom they have not seen for a long time, and they kept delaying their goodbyes until well past 10:30pm. Many look forward to the 25^th Anniversary Celebrations next year!

“Being directly associated with IMU now that I’m part of the faculty, it definitely keeps me on my toes as an alumnus. I have always rejoiced in the many news I’ve heard about our seniors (and juniors) who did well after graduation – from IMU as well as from our Partner Medical Schools. Perhaps, this is because our school has prepared us well for it. One has no idea how much our lecturers worked for us until you become one of them.”

“To those of you recently graduated and are now advancing to the front lines of our healthcare system, let me say this to you: you are not responsible for the confusion, unrest and national as well as international disorders that are present. You cannot be blamed for it. You cannot be blamed for the comical presidential debate and many things that do not make sense – much like the ‘Pokémon Go’ trend. But in another sense, you are responsible, in that it will be largely up to you – to meet it and deal with it intelligently. I did not realise that, but we are quite prepared for our future, the values come to a full play after we step out of our school.”

“We have come here to the alumni gathering out of our free will, because of our attachment to this place. It is not only to network, but also gain insight into various experiences and use others’ expertise to improve ourselves and if you agree – to catch up on the old times.”

“Lastly, let me encourage you to stay connected. I feel that we have every reason to be proud of our alumni association, which also means to be proud of ourselves. More importantly, your university takes pride in you!”

Alumni connection and feedback is vital to improving bonds with our alma mater. We look forward to many more up-coming gatherings around the country. Watch out for more activities that are in store and view the photo album from the Alumni gathering in the IMU Alumni Facebook page.

Written by: Dr Erwin Khoo Jiayuan, President of Alumni Association Committee (2016-2018)

The annual celebration of World Spine Day (WSD) has once again found its way back to International Medical University (IMU). It took place on 18 and 19 October 2016. Celebrated universally on 16 October annually since the year 2010, WSD is briefly a themed-event collaboration between organisations around the world with a primary objective of raising awareness on the prevention and the effective management of spinal health. In 2016, the celebrated theme was “Straighten Up and Move”.

This year, the student organisers from the chiropractic programme had shaken up the celebration a bit by increasing not only the number events but also the level of awareness in order to live up to the original objective of the event by holding WSD-related events outside of the university campus. The preparation processes were clearly seen via the fundraising events around the university which included foodstuff as well as self-designed t-shirt sales. These sales received much attention from both the student body and the university staff.

Besides fundraising, prior to any of the events plans, a number of social media accounts were set up as a communicative bridge between the organisers and the targeted audience which reached a total over 500 followers. Various event details and promotional advertisements along with many informative graphical content were delivered via social media, taking into account the growing influence of social media on today’s generation. Furthermore, the preparation of decorations was equally appreciated by all as students were noticed staying on campus after class to gather and complete the decorative items. The effort put in was not in vain as the decorations throughout the main event received innumerable compliments.

As early as middle of September, IMU WSD 2016 celebrations kick-started with an educational community project held at the Dignity for Children (DFC) Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, supported by IMU Cares. Mainly refugee children and the urban poor from ages 10 to 14 years were involved in the event whereby they were made aware of the importance of spinal health maintenance from a young age. Talks were delivered, fun activities such as aerobics took place and free spinal screenings, were given to all students who participated.

As the dates of the main event were approaching, an event known as the Powerlifting and Fitness Challenge Competition was held between 5 and 7 October 2016 and in conjunction with the university’s annual sports event: IMU Cup 2016. This event mainly aims to encourage people to exercise and promote the concepts of staying fit and healthy as part of their everyday life. This event included many timed exercises composed of different fitness aspects, namely, strength, agility and endurance.

Over 400 participants competed for their houses under categories based on weight, gender and student-or-staff status. It was also noted that the participants were given notice much earlier and had begun practices as well as exercise routines at least a month earlier as preparation for the stated event.

A participant of the Fitness Challenge Competition, Ding Wei Kang from the Dentistry programme said “It was indeed a challenging competition but it has motivated me to practice a more active lifestyle.”

Decorations and informational posters were located all throughout the campus grounds to grasp attention from the university community. These included a gigantic spine hung across the atrium, handmade stickers of calorie-count pasted on various staircases around IMU, posters on steps to achieve a healthy spine, and three giant Papier Mache vertebrae as the centre pieces of the decorations. Our custom made t-shirt and notebook sales continued throughout the event as the level of demand continued to rise, especially among the students.

At a special area in IMU’s atrium, free spinal screening services were also provided during the main event to  students, staff, and external visitors. Participants underwent postural analysis and GALS assessment which are mainly done by chiropractic students from Semesters 1 to 6. These assessments are used to detect any postural or locomotor abnormalities and functional disability in a patient. Their outcomes were then recorded in a Chiropractic Examination form and were brought over to the consultation table for evaluation and advice based on their conditions. The consultation booth was manned by final year Semester 8 chiropractic students whom had underwent a year of clinical internship at various IMU clinics. The spinal screening services provided raised awareness among those who participated about their neuromusculoskeletal conditions. At the end of the event, we are delighted to have about 300 participants visiting the spinal screening booths.

Making IMU WSD to live up to this year’s theme of “Straighten Up and Move”, booths of various games and other fun activities such as a yoga challenge, force place thrust exercises as well as ‘Insanity Challenge’ aerobics were set up with the sole purpose of raising awareness in leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Moreover, these activities are carried out with the intention of introducing the Chiropractic profession to many others.

To top it off, a closing ceremony was held to provide this year’s celebration with a momentous ending. Surprise, surprise. A flash mob took place with the WSD committee members wearing the gigantic spinal structures that was hung across the atrium just moments before the flash mob begun. Soon after, a prize-giving ceremony was presented for all winners of the competitions that occurred throughout the WSD celebration. These competitions include the ‘Thrusting Competition’, the ‘Hand-Grip Challenge’ and the WSD photography competition.

To end this year’s WSD, a charitable representative from Damai Disabled Person Association Malaysia, was invited to receive a mock cheque of RM1,000 as a donation from the WSD funds. This organisation aims to assist and rehabilitate, both mentally and physically disabled Malaysians to return into society. As said, the aim of the organisation aligns with the objectives of WSD 2016 in terms of chiropractic rehabilitation and wellness care. Hopes expressed by the students is to have this tradition celebrated in the future years and that more people will be educated of the spinal health in any way possible. In short, WSD 2016 is a great success with many thanks to all students and staff who were involved either directly in planning or indirectly by participating in the organised events.

More photos from IMU Editorial Board

Written by: Magdalene Khoo Cheng Mun and edited by: Sharvinpal Kaur A/P Charanpal Singh and Yeap En Leon

Maybelle Heng have always aspired to be a healthcare professional. A strong belief in the chiropractic philosophy that health comes from within and from the choices we make each day had been the impetus for Maybelle to study chiropractic as it make her feel empowered to be in the front row of preventative health.

“Besides exercise, good nutrition and mental health, I think chiropractic fits very well as a lifestyle to maintain health. With the increasing sedentary lifestyle, I can see myself helping people relive pain by my hands and guiding them to a healthier lifestyle, preventing many people from chronic issues; and if they need other types of care, I’d refer them to whoever I see fit.”

“I was there for additional personal development in the chiropractic philosophy, took up classes on different techniques and spinal subluxation analysis on top of what I have learnt in IMU. Basically pick and choose to attend subjects with the students there.”

Currently, Maybelle is working as an associate chiropractor in New Zealand. For her a typical day at work would involve checking and adjusting the spine and any joints of the patient’s body if needed; and completing her treatment notes. Her day will also see her discussing her cases with another chiropractor or other healthcare providers at the same premises.

“We specialise in infants and children as well, so at times we would go to talk to the midwives. We have front desk personnel, an electronic note taking system that also handles the ACC coverage.”

Recalling her time at IMU, Maybelle said, “To be honest, the whole study experience was good. Not so much campus life as other universities may provide but it was not too bad. I like that we have active sports and clubs. The help that I got from the chiropractic faculty was superb. People are mostly very friendly and helpful.”

“I am more reserved with the whole curriculum of the programme. However, I am aware that it was a new programme for IMU and all the faculty that was gathered, are from different backgrounds. Being a chiropractor and living among chiropractors in New Zealand made me realize how hard it was to get even 2 chiropractors to agree on certain issues. Plus, frequent changing of staff members of the faculty definitely doesn’t help much in that matter either.”

“However, after being in New Zealand College of Chiropractic for the whole year of 2015, I can spot the difference in their education and ours and definitely pick up some really good parts of the programme in IMU, especially the environment of being around the medical settings, PBLs, and being taught by some lecturers from the medical faculty.”

Maybelle feels that IMU prepares her well for the work that she is currently doing, especially the ability to work in the Chiropractic clinic with Medical doctors and Chinese Medicine Practitioners who were all studying in the same campus, giving her the opportunity to inter- refer among different healthcare providers – these are definitely beneficial in preparing her to work in an integrated setting.

“Especially now that I am working in an allied health setting where there is an acupuncturist, physiotherapist, hand therapist, podiatrist, and speech therapist under the same roof; I do appreciate the exposure that I had when I was in IMU – giving me an upper hand to get into the working environment smoothly. I love the idea of Outreach programme and screenings which prepares us to go out there and be involved in the community while doing marketing.”

“I’d say 65%. I wasn’t too confident when I came out to practice to be honest. That was why I went to NZCC. That filled the gap that I needed. Just to fill you in on how I was like in IMU. — I was very active in class, feeling all comfortable in adjusting patients and managing patients with the help of the clinician when I was an intern in IMU. However, when I got out from school, I work under a fairly philosophical based chiropractor in Penang. That got me curious about what’s more to chiropractic, that got me to enroll in NZCC. With that new acquired knowledge, married with the immense knowledge I gained in IMU; I am very happy with the type of chiropractor that I am now,”

Asked about her future plans, Maybelle has lots of them. “To list a few, to gain more clinical experience, be a pediatric and pregnant women specialist, possibly a postgrad studies in that area. If circumstances allows me, to work in the UK or South America. To have my own practice in Kuching or Malacca (because that’s where most of my family members are) when I decide to settle down.”

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion and views of the University. The teaching and learning methods described in this article also does not reflect the current teaching and learning methods for the Chiropractic programme in IMU today.

Benjamin Loh (better known as Ben) was ready for a change in career after over ten years of lecturing in Media / Communications. He chose to study chiropractic as he was always interested in studying something related to healthcare. His interest in this healthcare profession started when he visited a chiropractor for treatment for a sports injury.

Following this decision, Ben enrolled himself into IMU’s chiropractic programme in 2011 and completed his exams in December 2014. He recalls fondly of his time at IMU.

“Joining IMU was a learning experience in itself, academic as well as socially, relating to people younger than I am. To break out of my comfort zone, I joined senior-junior Orientation Week and met people from Dentistry and Medical programmes as welll. I managed to make a lot of friends and still keep in touch with a few of my classmates until now.

I was also inspired to see some of them (as well as my classmates) participate in sports and stay fit. I did try waking up early in the morning to go for a walk around the Bukit Jalil park or Vista area, but gave up after a few attempts.

One thing that caught my attention was watching a few dance performances during my years at IMU. I guess this bug caught my interest and in fact, I also participated in a group dance performance in one of the Chiropractic Senior-Junior nights. This is something I have never done in my life!

Under the IMU Chiropractic programme, we had to complete a few hundred clinic hours under supervision (forgot the exact number of hours). This helped me have a feel of what working in a clinic would be like. I also treasure the evidence-based approach at IMU as it has helped me evaluate what treatment options are safe, critically examine the evidence for health supplements, etc.”

Ben currently has two clinics – one in Seapark, and the other in Kayu Ara / Damansara Jaya. Currently, he is the only chiropractor at the clinic. “For the moment, I have quite a lot to handle, so I don’t have any ambitious plans such as setting up a chain of clinics!”

A source of inspiration and motivation for Ben is a distant relative, Prof Lee, who studied veterinary science in Taiwan many years ago, but could not find a job in Malaysia as the degree was not recognised. So, he went on a roundabout journey that led to further studies in Ethiopia and finally secured a scholarship to Australia. Prof Lee had a long on/off battle with lung cancer in the last ten years, and finally succumbed to it last year.

For those considering chiropractic as a career, Ben’s advice to them is “You must have the interest in helping people recover from back pain and / or sports injury. Do take the time to visit clinics as early as during Year 2 of your programme so that you can get an idea of what working in a chiropractic centre feels like.”

When I graduated from my A-Levels in 2010, little did I know I will be treating patients 5 years later at the University that has taught me so much and shaped me to become who I am today. I remember the first time I passed by IMU, that place just intimidates me as I thought about how stressed it must be to study in a medical university. Upon completion of the pre-university course (A-Levels), I heard about the Chiropractic programme at IMU and urged my parents to go with me to find out more about the programme. I was fascinated by the concept that Chiropractic can help to treat and alleviate symptoms without the use of medication and surgery. I signed up for the degree and was determined to be a Chiropractor no matter what challenges I would have to face and how long it takes.

I chose to complete my education locally at IMU in four years while some of my batch mates chose to transfer to RMIT University in Australia. Most of us decided to stay locally as the fees were affordable and the University’s close proximity to home.

I have great memories studying at IMU and would not forget my final year when we were given the chance to treat real patients as an intern in the IMU Chiropractic Clinic at several locations. This was a golden opportunity for us as we will be applying our knowledge gained in the classroom into real life context. I remembered hoping that my first patient did not have any pain with his shoulder, as I was not too confident in treating the shoulder. Imagine how stressful it was for me when the first patient I had actually came in with shoulder pain! This 10-month internship programme certainly gave us an eye-opening and excellent working experience.

After graduation, I took the opportunity to apply for the Chiropractic Residency Programme at IMU and was really grateful that I was one of the few who was chosen for this programme. This is a programme which IMU started in 2015 to help its chiropractic graduates gain clinical experience with continued mentor guidance and support.

As a Chiropractic Resident, I was also given many other opportunities and gained a lot of experience. There were many free public screenings and events to raise public awareness about Chiropractic care. Together with the Chiropractic faculty members, we worked with IMU CARES to help screen residents at the homes of its community partners and provide them with Chiropractic care as well. Apart from treating patients, I was also involved in marketing events with the Chiropractic faculty, which is a great chance for me to learn and develop managing and leadership skills.

This article is written by IMU chiropractic alumna, Cheryl Ng Yan Yen.

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