On 16 June 2025, the successful conclusion of the PopMed Multimedia Presentation for the Year 1 students of the Universiti Malaya Medical Programme. As part of the academic module, students were divided into 22 Problem-Based Learning (PBL) groups and were tasked with producing both a scientific poster and a 3-minute health promotion video. This year’s theme focused on substance use among youth in Malaysia, and each group was encouraged to explore a specific topic relevant to this public health issue.
The students addressed a diverse range of topics, including heroin abuse, steroid use among young athletes, sugar addiction, overconsumption of energy drinks, and the dangers of skin whitening products. Despite having no allocated budget, the students demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness and creativity. Using only mobile phones to shoot their videos, they experimented with various camera angles, learnt basic cinematography techniques, and edited the videos themselves. Many of the videos featured engaging plots with unexpected twists, highlighting their storytelling ability and innovative thinking. The final products reflected outstanding teamwork, initiative, and commitment.
The videos were assessed by faculty members from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, along with two invited industry experts, Mr James Lim, a founding member of INSAN, an NGO dedicated to storytelling through documentary films, music and writing, and Mr Kenneth Lee, a trainer from Sony Corporation. The assessors were highly impressed by the quality and professionalism of the student productions. They commended the students for their ability to communicate scientific information clearly, engage the audience effectively, and produce content that would be well-suited for social media outreach.
During the closing ceremony, Prof. Victor Hoe, Head of Department, presented awards to the top three winning groups.
🏆 1st Place – Group 3 – A Tale of Two Lives: Methamphetamines
🏅 2nd Place – Group 14: Bitter SWEET: Dangers of Sugar Addiction as a Coping Mechanism
🥉 3rd Place – Group 16: Fueling the Rise: A Mockumentary of Energy Drink Abuse
The external assessors remarked that these winning entries displayed a level of professionalism that suggests the students are already equipped with the knowledge and skills to create effective health communication content.
The video assessment was based on multiple criteria, including clarity of public health messaging, factual accuracy, audience engagement, creativity, narrative structure, and technical execution.
In addition to the video component, students also competed in a poster presentation session. The posters were evaluated by academic staff from the department and showcased the students’ ability to synthesise and present public health information in a concise, visual format. The top three poster winners were:
🏆 1st Place – Group 14 – “Addiction to Sugar: Exploring the Role of Sugar in Substance Abuse and Emotional Dependency Among Malaysian Adolescents”
🏅 2nd Place – Group 7 – “Espresso Yourself … but Not Too Much”
🥉 3rd Place – Group 21 -“Shisha: Sweet Flavour, Deadly Vapour”
The panel of judges from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine included:
- Professor Dr Wong Li Ping
- Associate Professor Dr Nik Daliana Nik Farid
- Associate Professor Dr Farizah Hairi
- Dr Lim Sin How
- Dr Nur Afiqah Mohd Salleh
- Dr Siti Idayu Hasan
- Dr Alston Chong Wai Kwong (Sports Medicine Unit)
The success of this initiative showcases the potential of student-led multimedia projects in fostering health awareness, critical thinking, and collaborative learning.
The Department would like to acknowledge the contribution by Ms Nor Zurina Zainol, Ms Noorazlina Mohamad, and Ms Nur Hashimah Kaman Redzawan, who assisted in conducting and organising the activity.
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