Congratulations to Dr. Gan Shiz Yee on Her Successful Completion of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Gan Shiz Yee on her remarkable achievement in successfully completing the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. The culmination of her academic journey was marked by an insightful and rigorous viva voce examination for her thesis titled: “Assessment of implementation and enforcement of smoke-free laws and policies among Malaysian smokers: A mixed method approach”.

Dr. Gan’s thesis addresses a critical and timely public health issue: the effectiveness of smoke-free laws (SFL) in shaping smoking cessation behavior and strengthening anti-smoking norms across Malaysia. Her findings provide actionable insights into the challenges and opportunities for improving SFL implementation, especially in underserved socioeconomic groups.

Dr. Gan’s work shines a spotlight on smoke-free laws’ influence on smoking prevalence and social norms in public spaces. Her analysis highlights specific challenges, such as tobacco industry interference, resource scarcity, and enforcement barriers, while identifying opportunities through community initiatives, multi-agency collaboration, and local leadership.

Her findings are of particular significance for policymakers and public health advocates, providing evidence-based strategies to strengthen tobacco control measures in Malaysia. Dr. Gan’s research aligns seamlessly with national public health goals and contributes to reducing secondhand smoke exposure and promoting healthier environments for all.

Her findings, published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (Gan et al., 2024), reinforce the need for robust enforcement and expanded smoke-free areas to align Malaysia with global tobacco control goals.

In her analysis, Dr. Gan highlighted key findings from the 2020 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Malaysia Survey:

• Smoking prevalence remains highest in nighttime entertainment venues (85.7%), followed by non-air-conditioned eateries (49.7%) and workplaces (34.6%).
• Support for smoke-free laws is strong among non-smokers and growing among smokers, with 66.6% of smokers supporting smoke-free eateries and 49.9% supporting smoke-free entertainment venues.
• Effective SFL enforcement requires addressing resource gaps, tobacco industry interference, and public awareness barriers.

Her mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative survey data and qualitative expert interviews, offers actionable insights for policymakers to strengthen SFL enforcement and advocate for comprehensive tobacco control policies.

Dr. Gan’s work aligns with Malaysia’s goal of reducing smoking prevalence to below 5% by 2040. Her findings will guide future public health strategies, focusing on protecting vulnerable populations and creating smoke-free environments to denormalise smoking.

We would like to acknowledge the guidance and support provided by her supervisors, Dr. Mahmoud Danaee and Associate Professor Dr Farizah Mohd Hairi, as well as the expertise of her examiners, Professor Dr Anselm Su Ting from the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Professor Dr. Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki.

The viva session, chaired by Prof Dr Lau Yee Ling, and supported by Professor Dr Azlina Amir Abbas representing the Deputy Dean for Postgraduate, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sabzali Musa Kahn as UM Senate Representative and Dr Victor CW Hoe as the Head of Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine.

We extend our heartiest congratulations to Dr Gan Shiz Yee on this outstanding achievement.

We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and look forward to her continued contributions to the field.