Students@SPM 2025: Postgraduate Orientation Programme for Semester 1 2025/2026

The two-day orientation was designed to introduce new students to the academic environment, faculty members, departmental structure, and the various academic and administrative processes at the Faculty of Medicine and Universiti Malaya. It also served as an opportunity for students to engage with staff and peers, promoting a supportive and collaborative learning community.

A total of 78 new postgraduate students participated in the programme, comprising local and international candidates from diverse academic and professional backgrounds.

The 2-day orientation programme was conducted synchronously in a dual location in the Senduduk Hall (DK8) and the TDR Regional Training Centre for Western Pacific Region, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM), Faculty of Medicine (FOM), Universiti Malaya (UM).

The first-day session began in the DK8, with the Welcoming Address and General Overview of the Public Health Programmes by the Head of Department, Professor Dr Victor Hoe Chee Wai Abdullah, followed by a photo session at the DK8 before the session was synchronously conducted in a dual location for MPH and DrPH Programmes. Details of the agenda are as follows:

Time	MPH (Venue: Dewan Senduduk)	DrPH (Venue: TDR RTC WPR)
10.00 am – 10.30 am	Rules and regulations (Q&A) MPH: Briefing of Disciplines	Rules and regulations (Q&A) DrPH: Briefing of Disciplines
10.30 am – 10.40 am	Epidemiology	Health, Policy and Management
10.40 am – 10.50 am	Statistics	Occupational & Environmental Health
10.50 am – 11.00 am	Family Health	Epidemiology
11.00 am – 11.10 am	Diet & Public Health Nutrition	Statistics
11.10 am – 11.20 am	Health, Policy and Management	Family Health
11.20 am – 11.30 am	Occupational and Environmental Health
11.30 am – 12.30 am	Selection of modules	Professional Internship & Public Health Attachment

The Rules and Regulations briefing was conducted simultaneously for both programmes. The session was led by the respective Programme Coordinators – Associate Professor Dr Nik Daliana Nik Farid for the MPH Programme and Dr Bala Murali Sundram for the DrPH Programme. The discipline briefings were presented by the Heads or representatives of each discipline; Epidemiology by Dr Lim Sin How, Statistics by Associate Professor Dr Abqariyah Yahya, Family Health and Diet and Public Health Nutrition (on behalf for Dr Ng Ai Kah) by Dr Nur Afiqah Mohd Salleh, Health, Policy and Management by Associate Professor Dr Nik Daliana Nik Farid (on behalf of Associate Professor Dr Farizah Mohd Hairi), and Occupational and Environmental Health by Associate Professor Dr Lim Yin Cheng. Then followed by the Selection of Modules by Associate Professor Dr Nik Daliana Nik Farid for MPH and the briefing on DrPH Professional Internship and Public Health Attachment by Professor Dr Victor Hoe.

After the lunch break, the programme continued synchronously in a dual-location format. The MPH session began with an engaging Ice-Breaking Session involving both new and current MPH students, designed to foster interaction, networking, and peer support within the cohort. This was followed by an interactive sharing session with MPH alumni entitled “How to Survive Your MPH Degree”, where graduates shared valuable tips, experiences, and strategies for navigating coursework and research project.

Simultaneously, the DrPH students attended a parallel session titled “How to Survive Your DrPH Degree”, which offered insights into the challenges and expectations of doctoral-level public health training, emphasising leadership, research planning, and time management.

The second-day session began with a Meeting with Academic Supervisors, arranged according to the availability of supervisors. This session provided new students the opportunity to meet their supervisors, discuss their module selection, research interests, and gain an initial understanding of expectations and guidance in relation to postgraduate research. The session fostered early communication between supervisors and students, setting a positive foundation for academic mentorship and collaboration.

The department would like to welcome the new candidates who are joining the programme in Semester 1, 2025/2026 and wish all of you the best throughout the academic journey. The Department expresses its appreciation to all faculty members, administrative staff, and student volunteers who contributed to the success of the event. Continued efforts will be made to further enhance the orientation experience in future semesters.