3^rd Women in Science (WIS) Forum 2020:

Break the Barrier of 21^st Century

12^th February 2020

MPH, Sungai Long Campus, UTAR

Group photography session among the speakers and participants

Emeritus Prof. Dr Cheong Soon Keng delivering the welcome remarks

Professor Ts. Dr. Lim Yang Mooi delivering the welcome remarks

(From left to right): Professor Datin Paduka Dato’ Dr Aini Ideris, Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo Hwang, Professor Ts. Dr. Lim Yang Mooi, Ms. Fion Poon

Professor Datin Paduka Dato’ Dr Aini Ideris (UPM) delivering her talk

Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo Hwang delivering her talk

Dr Lim Su Wen delivering her talk

Ms. Fion Poon delivering her talk

Participant during the Q&A session

Participants listening attentively during the seminar

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World-Malaysia National Chapter (OWSD-MNC) organised the ‘3^rd Women in Science (WIS) Forum 2020’ in collaboration with Centre for Cancer Research (CCR),Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman at Multi-Purpose Hall, KB-Block, Sungai Long Campus on 12^th February 2020.

This forum opens to the public, staff and the students. The forum is initiated to celebrate and highlight the presence and accomplishments of women in science. It provides a platform for women to share their strengths, talents, and experience and to foster an environment that supports the professional and personal development of women. In addition, the forum enhances scientific communication and networking among participants from various background. Present at the forum were Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean Emeritus Prof. Dr Cheong Soon Keng, OWSD-MNC & CCR Chairperson Prof. Ts. Dr Lim Yang Mooi, Organising Chairperson Assist. Prof. Dr Ng Foong Leng, participants of staff, public and students. The objectives of the event are 1) to inspire and encourage the development of the career and leadership aspirations among women in science and 2) to provide a forum and networking opportunities for women in science and to promote the recognition of the scientific and technological achievements of young Malaysian women scientists and technologists.

The invited speakers for the forum were Professor Datin Paduka Dato’ Dr Aini Ideris, Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo Hwang, Dr Lim Su Wen and Ms. Fion Poon.

The highlights of the event include topics such as ‘Women leaders for tomorrow’, ‘How to write a winning research proposal and scientific manuscript for publication’, ‘Personality trait for women entrepreneurs’ and ‘My journey as a fashion designer’.

Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) Malaysia National Chapter (MNC) Re-Launch and Asia Pacific Regional Workshop for OWSD-PhD Fellow

20^th-24^th August 2019

Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Empowering women in science

From left: Prof Rofina, Dr Tonya, Prof Datuk Asma, Prof Cheong and Prof Lim at the launching ceremony

The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) Malaysia National Chapter (MNC) was relaunched at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 21 August 2019. The launch was held after the 8th year of establishment of the OWSD NMC in facilitating the advancement of women in science and technology in Malaysia since its establishment on 11 August 2011.

The event also witnessed the launching of the new logo for the women empowering organisation, which will see OWSD NMC working closely with OWSD International in the future to enhance women’s capabilities and contributions particularly in the field of science in developing nations.

Present during the ceremony were President of Academy of Sciences Malaysia Prof Datuk Dr Asma Ismail, OWSD International Representative Dr Tonya Blowers, OWSD Malaysia National Chapter Chairperson Prof Dr Lim Yang Mooi, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Kheng, Universiti Malaya Prof Dr Rofina Yasmin binti Othman, international and local prestigious speakers and participants.

Prof Lim welcoming the participants

Prof Lim said, “I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to everyone for being with us today. This is an exciting moment because we have worked very hard to sustain this organisation and we managed to make it a success with great teamwork and support from the organising committee. The OWSD Malaysian National Chapter aims to facilitate changes in the socio-economic structure, paving the way for women to excel and thrive in Science and Technology.”

Dr Tonya delivering her speech

Dr Tonya remarked, “It is fantastic to be here and a great privilege to see all of you and well done for organising this event. It requires a lot of administrations and applications to get to this stage. OWSD is 26 years old this year, and we organise forums for women scientists globally to network with each other. The membership provides a place where you are able to share the specific challenges you’ve faced as well as the best practices with each other. Aside from that, OWSD also provides research training and career development for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their careers.”

Prof Datuk Asma speaking about the importance of networking

Prof Datuk Asma in her speech said, “This is a place where women from various countries gather to network with each other and get to know the specific challenges faced by different women in different countries. But at the end of the day, we still share some commonalities and we shall work together to overcome these challenges. There are challenges in science as well as in research and development and we need to do something different to explore researches that could help people with low resources.”

OWSD is an international non-profit organisation based at the offices of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), in Trieste, Italy, a programme unit of UNESCO. OWSD was founded in 1987 and is the first international forum to unite eminent women scientists from the developing and developed worlds with the objective of strengthening their role in the development process and promoting their representation in scientific and technological leadership. OWSD provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their careers.

Front row: Prof Lim (second from left), Prof Cheong (third from left) and Prof Datuk Asma (most right) with participants

From left: Prof Dr Rofina, Dr Tonya and Tan Sri Dr Augustine Ong Soon Hock during the networking session

OWSD organising committee with Prof Lim (middle)

From left: Prof Lim, Dr Tonya, Dr Sumita, Dr Ho and Prof Datuk Asma after the panel discussion

Apart from that, forums and workshops were also held from 20 August to 24 August 2019 for the participants. A forum titled “Women in Science” was held prior to the launching ceremony of OWSD MNC. The forum saw Prof Datuk Asma, University of Nottingham Malaysia Dr Ho Weang-Kee and Managing Director Global Reference Solutions, Elsevier Sumita Singh as the speakers. It was chaired by Prof Lim.

Prof Datuk Asma in her talk titled “Empower Women in Leadership” said, “Leadership should be gender-neutral. It is about the character, attribute and personality. Studies have shown that leaders are 30% genetic but the rest is to develop leadership skills. To be a leader, you must have courage and commitment as well as the skills and experience. Leaders learn by doing, through experience and not by words alone. Experiential learning is important. It is part and parcel of the curriculum in higher learning institutions so that students can pick up skills as they develop as the future nation builders.” She also spoke about women as leaders, the concept of leadership, dealing with society’s perceptions on women, the qualities of women and how to empower women to become leaders.

The session was followed by Dr Ho’s talk titled “Chance and Choice” where she spoke about her life experience and provided career advice. She said, “It is by chance and by choice that we are at what we are today because there is a series of decisions to be made. It is important to work with purpose and meaning; let’s love what we do and turn your job into passion”

Dr Sumita presented her talk titled “Analysis of Research Performance through a Gender Lens”. She said, “I would like to share with you the business perspective and why diversity in research matters. Diversity comes in many types but we focus on the diversity of gender. The proportion and number of researchers by females are increasing but it is still unrepresented. Researchers need to think about the societal impact before publishing. You need to be proactive in networking and seize the opportunity as it comes.”

Participants sharing their feedback at the event

Participants from various countries gathered to meet the industry experts

Clockwise, from left: Prof Lim presenting the token of appreciation to Prof Datuk Asma, Dr Ho and Dr Sumita

http://news.utar.edu.my/news/2019/Sept/03/2/2.html

Women Health Seminar

17 May 2018

Photography session before the survey session

UTAR Centre for Cancer Research and Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World Malaysia Chapter (OWSD MC) jointly organised the Women Health Seminar on 17 May 2018 at Sungai Long Campus.

The seminar aims to address and raise the public awareness on the specific issues related to women's health while providing access to the knowledge relating to the spectrum of women's overall body health.

Present at the seminar were Centre for Cancer Research Chairperson-cum-Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences' (FMHS) Head of Postgraduate Programmes Prof Dr Lim Yang Mooi, Organising Chairperson Dr Ng Foong Leng, students and staff.

In her welcome remark, Dr Ng said, "Women experience diseases and health issues which are different compared to men. This is due to the different biological, social and behavioural conditions. The top women killers include cancer, emotional disorder and hormone-related disorders. Women should anticipate positivity in life to improve their health and prolong their life span. However, to accomplish this, it is essential for women to understand their body and learn how to improve their lives through fitness."

Prof Lim gave a conceptual introduction of the OWSD and its objective. The OWSD aims to provide a networking platform for women to help them excel in their life. "We understand that women have a lot of opportunities but we can't hold on to the opportunities due to the commitments in career and family. However, this should not be a reason for us to fall behind. We must learn to overcome the limitations in life in order to be successful in the society. Achieve your own success regardless of any reason putting you behind!"

Teh during her presentation

FMHS lecturer Teh Siew Hoon presented a talk titled "The management of primary dysmenorrhea with Chinese Medicine". In her talk, she spoke about the definition of primary dysmenorrhea, its presenting symptoms, the prevalence and its effects on daily lives as well as types of herbs to ease the pain. She said, "There are four types of body conditions. These conditions are known as Qi and blood deficiency, kidney deficiency, blood stasis due to cold and blood stasis due to stagnation of Qi. It is important for one to recognise their own body condition before seeking diagnosis and treatment. Herbal medicines and acupuncture are able to effectively lower down the prostaglandin level in the blood."

Assoc Prof Dr Tin during Q&A session

Universiti Malaya Centre for Population Health Head and Department of Social and Preventive Medicine Assoc Prof Dr Tin Tin Su gave a talk titled "Return to work (RTW) and financial hardship among breast cancer survivors in Malaysia". In her research, she spoke about the prevalence and factors associated with RTW among breast cancer survivors from an international perspective; and RTW, income loss and financial hardship among breast cancer survivors in Malaysian scenario. She added, "There are few factors associated with RTW such as socio-demographic factors, disease-related factors, treatment-related factors, psychological factors and work-related factors. Special consideration should be given to part-time employees and private sectors as the RTW rate is now higher. Policy makers could also introduce an unemployment insurance programme that may help these groups to ease their financial burden of cancer treatment and post-treatment care."

Assoc Prof Dr Soma delivering her talk

University of Nottingham Assoc Prof Dr Soma Mitra in her talk titled "Nutritional Support for Pre and Post Conception" said, "Infant mortality is a mirror of the population's physical health and socio-economic status. The women's nutritional status before conception influence the physiological events during pregnancy, nutrition during pregnancy sets the scene for meeting nutritional needs during lactation. We could work towards a healthy pregnancy." In her talk, she also explained on topics such as body weight for pre and post conception, the energy cost of pregnancy, principles for estimating nutritional needs in pregnancy, developmental origins of health and disease (DOHAD) and recommendations for energy intake in the Malaysian context.

The seminar was followed by a survey session before it adjourned.

Prof Lim (left) presenting the token of appreciation to the speakers

Cancer Research Conference

29 November - 30 November 2017

The invited speakers and participants of CCR

The Centre for Cancer Research (CCR) hosted the Cancer Research Conference 2017 on Holistic Treatment in Cancer from 29 to 30 November 2017 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus. Supported by the Malaysian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (MSBMB), the conference was set to congregate scientists to investigate the fundamental issues in clinical applications and discuss the utility of state-of-the-art technologies and high-throughput experiments to understand cancer and how to best treat it. It was also the aim of the conference to emphasise on both the use of traditional and complementary approaches and treatments. The conference also aimed to provide some directions on whether the current healthcare system would enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment and what further measures could be done. The UTAR CCR and Conference Organising Chairperson Prof Dr Lim Yang Mooi said, “Cancer research breakthrough and cancer treatment have continued to fight cancers and saved lives. However, cancer has become more common and the mortality rate continues to rise. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more researchers and professionals from the relevant fields to work on the common goals to further explore prospective research areas and to help us better understand cancer.” Speaking in his welcome speech, UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Dean and CCR Advisor Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng said, “A platform such as today’s conference enables us to address the challenges evolving in the healthcare system. It is extremely important for educators like us to seek for a more holistic approach which emphasises the humanity, research and medical aspects in order to help develop a more cohesive system for the cancer patients.”

Prof Lim (left) and Emeritus Prof Cheong welcoming the conference participants

The two-day conference consisted of three themes and one forum, encompassing multiple invited talks, plenary sessions, oral presentations and technical talks by the industry. The first theme was ‘Cancer Biology & Cell Model Systems’, chaired by Assoc Prof Dr Thaw Zin. It started with a plenary session by Emeritus Prof Cheong on “Are We on Track to Cure Cancer with Immunotherapy?” It was followed by invited talks, namely “Patient Derived Xenograft Models of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma” by Dr Alan Khoo Soo Beng from Institute for Medical Research, “Development of Therapies in Head and Neck Cancers” by Prof Dr Cheong Sok Ching from Cancer Research Malaysia, “EBV Infection and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC): What We Know So Far?” by Dr Yap Lee Fah from University Malaya (UM), and “LTR Retro-transposon Derived Genes and Their Roles in Cancer Biology” by Assoc Prof Dr Jeff Tan Kuan Onn from Sunway University. An oral presentation titled “The Role of Exosomes in Treatment Sensitivity of Oral Cancer Cells” was also conducted by Dr Lee Wai Leng from Monash University.

Clockwise from top left: Dr Khoo, Prof Cheong Sok Ching, Dr Yap, Assoc Prof Tan and Dr Lee Wai Leng

Themed ‘Translational Cancer Treatment’, the second session of the conference was chaired by FMHS Head of Population Medicine Dr Khine Pwint Phyu. Prof Dr Seow Heng Fong from Universiti Putra Malaysia spoke at the plenary session on “Targeting M1- and M2-Like Macrophages for Cancer”. Following the plenary session were three invited talks included “Cancer Prevention Nutrition: From Reductionist to Holistic Approach” by Prof Dr Mirnalini Kandiah from UCSI University, “Targeting Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Non-Stem Breast Cancer Cell through Combination Therapies” by Prof Leong Chee Onn from International Medical University, and “Interaction of CTCF and YB-1 Transcription Factors in Regulating the c-myc gene in Cervical Cancer” by Assoc Prof Dr Venugopal Balakrishnan from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Shareni Jeyamogan from Sunway University presented “Anticancer Efficacy of Benzodioxane, Naphthalene Diimide, Acetamol Derivatives and Porphyrin”, which was followed by a technical talk titled “Unlocking the Cancer Genome with Agilent NGS Solution” by Dr Lee Chee Yang from Agilent Technologies Sdn Bhd.

Clockwise from top left: Prof Seow, Prof Mirnalini, Prof Leong, Assoc Prof Venugopal, Shareni and Dr Lee Chee Yang

The subsequent session was held on the second day of the conference with the theme ‘T&CM in Cancer Treatment’, chaired by FMHS Prof Dr Swaminanthan Manickam and Dr Ong Hooi Tin. The session commenced with a plenary session with Assoc Prof Dr Xiaoshu Zhu from Western Sydney University on “Effort of Exploring Roles of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Mainstream of the Integrative Cancer Care in Australia”. The following invited talks for this session were “Isolation and Identification of Anticancer Lead Compounds from the Plants in Lingnan Region, China” by Prof Dr Zhang Hong Jie from Hong Kong Baptist University, “Using High Throughput Microarray Profiling to Build the Chinese Herbal Medicine Connectivity Map: From Basic to Clinical Trial” by Prof Dr Huang Chi Ying from National Yang Ming University, and “Crude Extract vs Pure Compound as Potential Anti-cancer Agent” by Assoc Prof Dr Ho Wan Yong from Nottingham University. This session also included oral presentations on “The Epigenetic Drugs Zebularine and Trichostatin A Sensitized MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells Towards TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis” by Dr Ngai Siew Ching from Nottingham University and “Cytotoxic Evaluation of Leptospermum Javanicum along with the Anti-cancer Properties of the Active Isolate, Betulinic acid” by Suerialoasan Navanesan from UM. Another technical talk was also held at this session by Toh Xue Yu from Straits Scientific Sdn Bhd on “Know No Boundaries: Harnessing Innovative Technologies in Advance Science through Flow Cytometry”.

Clockwise from top left: Assoc Prof Zhu, Prof Zhang, Prof Huang, Assoc Prof Ho, Dr Ngai, Suerialoasan and Toh

In line with the conference, Prof Lim chaired a forum with five forum speakers to discuss the “Integrated Approaches in Cancer Treatment”. Topics covered at the forum included “Way Forward: Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Malaysia” by Dr Goh Cheng Soon from the Ministry of Health (MOH), “The Breakthrough of Conventional Methods in Cancer Treatment” by Emeritus Prof Cheong, “Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cancer Treatment” by Dr Teo Chiah Shean from MOH, “Ayurveda in Cancer Management” by Dr Chiramel Devassy Siby from The Ayur Centre, and “Diet and Chinese Medicine for Cancer Prevention（中西医抗癌饮食浅谈）” by Lan Yen Min from UTAR.

(From left) Lan, Dr Goh, Emeritus Prof Cheong, Dr Chiramel, Dr Teo and Prof Lim at the forum

Besides, the conference also saw exhibitions and poster sessions. The top three winners for Best poster presentation were Lian Chee Fong from Taylor’s University, and Ng Yun Kwan and Wong Teck Yew from UTAR. The sponsors of the conference included Agilent Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Straits Scientific (M) Sdn. Bhd., Canvio Sdn. Bhd. & Miltenyi Biotec, Insan Saintifik Sdn Bhd, MSBMB and Matrioux.

Posters displayed at the conference

Some booths by the sponsors

Seminar on Research Ethics

22 January 2015

The seminar was held to provide awareness in human and animal ethics, stimulate discussion and encourage ethical practices in health research among scientists, clinicians and other individuals. Topics covered in the seminar include:

1. Ethical Concerns in Health-Related Research Involving Humans by Prof. Dr. Ngeow Yun Fong, Universiti Malaya. Prof Dr Ngeow later joined UTAR in June 2015

2. Clinical Trial on Human Sample by Dato’ Dr. Chang Kian Meng, Chairman, Malaysia Research and Ethics Committee, MOH

3. Animal Ethical Issue by Associate Prof Dr. Goh Yong Meng, Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Associate Prof Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat, Deputy Dean of FMHS also gave an overview on getting approval from UTAR-Scientific and Ethical Review Committee. Mr. Terrance Hoe, Product Manager of Interscience Sdn. Bhd (sponsor of the seminar) gave a presentation on” How to start an animal research”.

Participants and speakers of the seminar

Participant posting a question during Q&A

Cancer Research Seminar 2014

2 - 3 September 2014

UTAR Centre for Cancer Research and Taylor's University, School of Bioscience, Drug Discovery Cluster, jointly organised the Cancer Research Seminar 2014 on 2^nd-3^rd September 2014 at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus.

With the theme of 'Cancer treatment: beyond a microscopic view', this two-day conference provided a platform for thought sharing on research findings and networking on cancer.

In her address, Prof. Dr. Lim Yang Mooi said, "The aim of this seminar is to understand the fundamental issues of cancer complications, and to discuss the application of integrated traditional and complementary (T&CM) approaches in cancer treatment."She also expressed her gratitude to the invited speakers from local and abroad, the organising committee for making the conference possible and extended a warm welcome to the participants.

Prof. Dr Lim Yang Mooi addressing her welcome speech

A total of 16 invited speakers from local and overseas institutes and 41 partipantsfrom various institutions were gathered at the seminar. One of the invited speakers, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Geoffrey A. Cordell from Natural Products Inc, Evanston, IL, USpresented his topic related to the integration of traditional and complementary medicine into health care systems. He mentioned that the integration of two medical systems require mutual respect and an awareness of few major issues.

Prof. Emeritus Dr. Geoffrey Alan Cordell share this talk

Furthermore, the Director of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Dr. Goh Cheng Soon has shared the latest information on the role of government in integrating T&CM into the mainstream health care system in Malaysia. She elaborated that the Ministry of Health involves in policy making, strategic direction determination, strategic action planning and implementation, and to ensure the safety and quality of T&CM services to the public.

Dr Goh Cheng Soon speaks at the seminar

The other invited speakers were Dr. Nor Saleha Ibrahim Tamin from National Cancer Institute, Dr. Teo Wei Boon from Perkin Elmer, Prof. Dr. William Cushley from University of Glasgow, Dr. Zakiah Ismail from IMR, Prof. Dr. Leong CheeOnn from IMU, Dr. Adrian Ng from CARIF, Prof. Dr. SeowHeng Fong from UPM, Dr. Yang Zao from UTAR, Prof. Victor Ng from NYMU, Prof. Dr. Lim Yang Mooi from UTAR, Dr. Ray Ong from Bio-Rad, Dr. LooiMee Lee from Taylor's University, Mr. AngEng Loo from CLMO, Ms. Illambarthi from Kinematic Resources.

Cocktail dinner was served at the end of the first day seminar. The dinner provides an avenue for all participants to network and initiate research collaboration.

Cocktail dinner photos

Before ending the seminar, there was an-hour forum held, chaired by Prof. Dr. Lim Yang Mooi to allow an in-depth discussion and brain-storming among the participants and speakers to generate creative ideas on furthering their cancer research.

Forum session with participants

Group photo with all participants, invited speakers and organizing committees

" Cancer Awareness Program"

21 February 2014

On 21 February 2014, Centre for Cancer Research (CCR) and Centre for Extension Education (CEE) of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) organized the Cancer Awareness Program in UTAR, Perak Campus. The aim of this two-day program was to create awareness among its participants via various talks on cancer and its prevention methods.

Day one had fun-filled aerobic and yoga session which started at 7.30 pm after which participants had refreshments followed by a lucky draw session. The winners were seen beaming after receiving their lucky draw prizes.

Day two started as early as 8.30 am with the registration of participants followed by the welcoming speech by the Chairperson of the program, Ms. Sheela Devi a/p Sukuru, , and Professor Ir. Dr. Lee Sze Wei, Vice President of R&D and Commercialization of UTAR. Interactive talks and workshops were lined up where the participants were exposed to a number of topics regarding different types of cancer and their preventive measures. Many of the participants shared and exchanged information with the speakers and other fellow participants. The nurses from Klinik Kesihatan Kampar also were present to offer free pap smear tests to participants.

Students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences set up booths to educate the participants on the different aspects of cancer. The hands-on workshops on breast and testicular examinations attracted many of the participants. Here they learned how to perform routine self-examinations at home. Participants gained a lot of valuable knowledge over the two-day program which created awareness on the importance of early cancer detection.

Aerobic & yoga session

Registration of participants

Our distinguished speakers

Our students from the various faculties showing off their talents at their self-created booths

Nurses from Klinik Kesihatan Kampar who were there to render free pap smear tests.

All those who made it successful

"Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers Workshop"

31 October 2013

On 31st October 2013, Centre for Cancer Research (CCR) organized a workshop on "Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers" for the postgraduate students from Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). The purpose of this workshop was to guide the postgraduate students in writing their research findings in clear, comprehensive and cohesive manner. The workshop was hosted by Associate Professor Dr Lim Yang Mooi. The invited speakers were Associate Professor Dr Kalaivani Nadarajah and Professor Dr. Mahani Binti Mansor from University Kebangsaan Malaysia.

A total of 16 postgraduate students participated in this workshop. In the first session, Dr Kalaivani briefed the students on writing various subheadings in manuscript. Besides that, she had given some examples on the common mistakes that were frequently made by the researchers. Furthermore, guidance on how to choose the appropriate journal for publication, and effective scientific communication were given. In the second session, a QA section was conducted for students to further discuss on how to improve their manuscript write up.

"Relay For Life 2013"

What a valuable way to spend your Saturday night!

Thirty students of Sungai Long campus together with their lecturers participated in the Relay for Life event which was organized by National Cancer Society Malaysia from 6:00pm Saturday 24 August to 10:00am Sunday 25 August 2013 at Dataran Petaling Jaya.

Relay for Life is a 16 hour overnight event, starting from dusk to dawn. Individuals, survivors and people from all walks of life came to together to take turns to walk the track continuously. This is a yearly event with objectives to Celebrate, Remember and Fight back. Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost to the disease and make a commitment to save lives by taking up the fight. There were games, performances and fundraising events in support of our cancer awareness cause.

Our students had a memorable time and saw how they could make a difference in someone's life that is battling with cancer. For the cancer survivors, it is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a battle for which they need all the support they can get from us.
Let's make a commitment to save lives by taking up the fight!

4 February: World Cancer Day

World cancer day was observed on 4 February 2013 in order to raise awareness about this illness as well as to promote the measures, early detection, prevention and treatment of the disease. The theme for World Cancer Day, 2013 was on "Cancer - Did you know?" The theme focused on dispelling the misconceptions associated with the disease.

Various events were organised by Centre for Cancer Research (CRC) to raise our collective voices in the name of improving general knowledge around cancer and dismissing misconceptions about the disease. There was a poster exhibition on Anti-smoking by the Unit Promosi of Pejabat Kesihatan Ulu Langat, while theNational Cancer Society Malaysia had cancer education and fund raising activities at South Lobby, Sg. Long campus.

We had three speakers who gave talks pertaining to cancer. Dr. Dalilah Kamaruddin, the Head/Medical Officer of Women's Detection Centre at National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) spoke about general cancer awareness, while our very own lecturer from the Nursing Department, Ms. Jayanthi Marimuthu, spoke about healthy lifestyle to prevent cancer. The third speaker, Dr. Yang Zhao, lecturer from the Chinese Medicine Department, shared with us on how to prevent cancer through Chinese Medicine. We learned a lot from these talks, and dispelled our myths and misconceptions about the disease.

Representatives from the National Cancer Society at their booth

Poster exhibition on Anti-smoking by the Unit Promosi of Pejabat Kesihatan Ulu Langat

Dr. Dalilah Kamaruddin, the Head/Medical Officer of Women's Detection Centre at National Cancer Society Malaysia asking a medical student to return demo on how to do breast self-examination

One for the album. CCR Chairman, Dr Lim Yang Mooi with the speakers, the organizing committee and CCR members.

Dr. Yang Zhao, lecturer from the Chinese Medicine Department, shared with us on how to prevent cancer through Chinese Medicine.

Our participants

BREAST CANCER EDUCATION SEMINAR

"About one in eight women will get breast cancer today." "The more advanced the cancer, the higher will be the mortality rate."

These grim reminders were shared by Dr Peh Kiam Heng, the Consultant General Surgeon from the Sungai Long Hospital in his talk - Talking about Breast Cancer during the Breast Cancer Education Seminar in Sungai Long Campus, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).

However, Dr Peh reiterated that breast cancer can be cured if it is detected early and given the proper treatment. One of the speakers, Ms Erica Au Yang, later testified to affirm this statement when she shared how she was diagnosed and cured of her breast cancer about 19 years ago. As a breast cancer survivor, Erica now works with the Breast Cancer Welfare Association to share her experience so that other women would be informed.

October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in conjunction with this awareness campaign the Centre for Cancer Research of UTAR organized a one-day Breast Cancer Education Seminar on 20 October 2012 to highlight the increasing incidents of breast cancer and how its mortality rate can be prevented by early detection. The seminar was held at the Sungai Long Campus in collaboration with the Akademi Sains Malaysia and the Centre for Extension Education (CEE), UTAR.

Earlier in the morning, Prof Dr Zhou Rou-Li, a visiting professor from John Hopkins University started off the morning session in her talk - Learn about Cancer for Cancer Subduing. Dr Zhou shared that through her research in cancer she has discovered and cloned a cancer associated gene that can be used as an important diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target. The biomarker has been patented in China, USA and Japan as LAPTM4B.

In the second talk on Cancer Therapy, Prof Dr Jing An Rui from China provided technical explanation on the methods used to treat various cancer disorders and its success rates. Akademi Sains Malaysia sponsored Prof Dr Zhou and Dr Jing's visit to Malaysia and their participation in the seminar.

After lunch, Dr Robert Chen from UTAR's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences gave a very lively talk on Pain and Palliative Care. This was followed by Ms Yew Su Fen who talked about Physiotherapy Intervention in Breast Cancer. Despite the heavy lunch, the participants were attentive and enjoyed the talk by the two interesting and lively speakers.

The demonstration and workshop that followed included a Breast Self-Examination session led by Ms Jayanthi and Physiotherapy Care for Lymphedema by Ms Yew. The participants were given hands-on training to carry out breast self-examination to look for suspicious lumps in the breast. The guys among the participants were also encouraged to feel the silicone breasts and look for the simulated lumps.

Overall, the participants enjoyed the talks and workshop and appreciated the information gained from the Breast Cancer Education Seminar.