On 25 June 2026, the President and representatives from the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society attended the award ceremony for the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Award for Best Student in Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), Universiti Malaya, organised by the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. Dr Mohamad Zulfikrie Abas, a dedicated father of three, is the winner of this award for the fifth year in a row. He attended the award ceremony with his wife, Dr Nur Farahin binti Abdul Arif.
Dr Mohamad Zulfikrie Abas is a public health physician and researcher whose work focuses on the epidemiology and management of non-communicable diseases, particularly Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Malaysia. He pursued the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) programme at the University of Malaya, where his research centred on leveraging large-scale national health data and advanced analytical methods to better understand diabetes outcomes and complications among Malaysians.
During his doctoral training, he conducted research using the Malaysian National Diabetes Registry, exploring long-term trends, clinical outcomes, and predictors of diabetes-related complications. His work emphasised the use of machine learning and population-level data to support evidence-based public health decision-making while maintaining a strong focus on the practical applicability of research findings in healthcare settings.
Beyond academic research, Dr Zulfikrie completed a field attachment at the Hulu Langat District Health Office, where he was exposed to the operational aspects of public health practice. The attachment provided hands-on experience across multiple public health units, including communicable disease control, non-communicable disease programmes, occupational safety and health, and family health services. This experience strengthened his understanding of how public health policies and interventions are implemented at the district level and reinforced the connection between research, healthcare services, and community health outcomes.
Throughout his DrPH journey, Dr Zulfikrie actively disseminated his research at national and international scientific meetings. His contributions have been recognised through several conference awards, including the Best Oral Presenter Award at the 23rd National Public Health Colloquium 2023, the Excellent Abstract Award at the China–ASEAN Forum on Public Health in Beijing in 2024, and the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 10th International Public Health Conference in 2024. These recognitions reflect his commitment to advancing public health knowledge and communicating research findings effectively to academic, professional, and policy audiences.
His academic and professional interests include diabetes epidemiology, chronic disease prevention, health data analytics, predictive modelling, and the application of data-driven approaches to improve population health. Through a combination of research, field practice, and scientific engagement, Dr Zulfikrie continues to contribute to the development of evidence-based public health strategies in Malaysia, and now works at the Institute for Clinical Research, National Institute of Health, Malaysia.
Today’s ceremony was officiated by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Dato’ Dr Yang Faridah Abdul Aziz. She highlighted that we celebrate not only the outstanding achievement of our award recipient, but also recognise the invaluable dedication and mentorship of the supervisors, whose guidance has nurtured excellence in research and public health scholarship. This award reflects our shared vision of advancing a Global Health Sciences Centre that champions academic excellence, innovation, and meaningful community engagement. More importantly, it honours the enduring legacy of Dr Wu Lien-Teh, a global public health pioneer whose work continues to inspire generations of health professionals and researchers. She hopes this award will continue to serve as a flagship of academic excellence while recognising the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine for its unwavering commitment to nurturing future public health leaders for Malaysia and beyond.
Dato’ Seri Dr Anwar Fazal, President of the Society, reminded us that remembering Dr Wu’s legacy is never about the past alone—it is about inspiring future generations to lead with purpose and courage. He encouraged the recipient to pursue lifelong learning, perhaps even after a PhD, embracing the journey of “Blood, Sweat and Tears (BST)” while always “Getting Things Done (GTD)” with determination. Reflecting on Dr Wu’s leadership in founding the Anti-Racism Society and Anti-Opium Society, he concluded that true public health leaders are guided by competence, conscience, and courage—values that continue to embody Dr Wu’s enduring legacy.
Professor Dr Victor Hoe Chee Wai Abdullah, Head of Department for Social and Preventive Medicine, emphasised that the award recognises excellence not only in academics, but also in leadership, community engagement, professionalism, and overall academic standing. Through a transparent and rigorous selection process, one exceptional recipient emerged from a record 11 shortlisted candidates.
Professor Dr Claire Choo Wan Yuen and Professor Noran Naqiah Mohd Hairi reflected that the recipient has been an exceptional, highly self-driven learner whose spirit of independent learning has always been his defining strength. With only gentle guidance from his supervisors, he consistently exceeded expectations through his own initiative, while remaining humble, respectful to his teachers, and ever willing to share his knowledge with others. They expressed that they were not only proud to have been part of his journey, but even prouder to witness his remarkable growth into a future public health leader.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Mohamad Zulfikrie Abas expressed his deep humility in receiving an award bearing the name of Dr Wu Lien-Teh, describing it as “truly an honour.” He paid heartfelt tribute to his supervisors, Professor Noran and Professor Claire, for believing in him “even before I believed in myself” and for continually challenging him to grow beyond his comfort zone. Reflecting on his journey, he reminded the audience that “behind every number and every statistic, there is a real patient, a real family, and a real community,” which beautifully captures the spirit of public health and echoes Dr Wu Lien-Teh’s legacy of combining scientific excellence with compassion. He also calls on the younger generation of public health physicians to harness research and innovation to build a healthier, more sustainable healthcare system for future generations.
This year, we also celebrated the success with 10 other shortlisted candidates, Dr Yap Jun Fai, Dr Mohd Zahiruddin, Dr Kamesh a/l Rajendran, Dr Ng Rui Jie, Dr Nor Fauziah Salaton, Dr Munazieraa Ab Aziz, Dr Kalaivane a/p Kannadasan, Dr Musastika Mustaffa, Dr Guganesan a/l Krishnamoorthy and Dr Tengku Nuraihan Zafirah Tengku Zainal Abidin, to recognise their success.
This award was set up by the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya in 2021. It aims to inspire fellow awardees to continue their passion in public health and to follow in the footsteps of Dr Wu Lien-Teh. He was a highly respected public health physician and an internationally acclaimed plague fighter in the medical fraternity. Not only was he the first Malayan student who graduated from the University of Cambridge in Medicine, but he was also the first nominee from Malaya to be considered for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1935. With the advent of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Wu’s contributions as a plague fighter a century ago, right from the face mask design and implementation of a variety of public health measures, epitomise his control strategies since the beginning of this pandemic. The selection process for this award is conducted by an independent panel of academicians set up by the Faculty of Medicine and approved by the Senate of Universiti Malaya, with 4 domains of evaluation (leadership, community engagement, academic standing and professionalism). The awardee receives a medal, a RM 1000 cash prize and a certificate from the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society.
Representatives from the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya:
- Professor Dato’ Dr Yang Faridah binti Abdul Aziz, Dean, Faculty of Medicine
- Professor Dr Victor Hoe Chee Wai bin Abdullah, Head, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
- Professor Dr Claire Choo Wan Yuen, Winner’s Academic Supervisor
- Associate Professor Dr Lim Yin Cheng, Event Coordinator
- Dr Catherine Thamarai Arumugam, Master of Ceremonies
- Professor Dr Sanjay Rampal Lekhraj Rampal
- Professor Dr Wong Li Ping
- Professor Dr Mas Ayu Said
- Professor Dr Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki
- Associate Professor Dr Abqariyah Yahya
- Dr Bala Murali Sundram
- Dr Rama Krishna Supramanian
Representatives from the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society:
- Professor Dato’ Seri (Dr.) Anwar Fazal, President
- Dr Hor Chee Peng, Secretary-General
- Mr Clement Liang Chow Ming, Honorary Treasurer
This report was prepared by Dr Hor Chee Peng, Secretary-General of the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society. Photos were taken by Muhamad Zulhilmi Mohd Zaini (VICFOM), technical, multimedia and live streaming were conducted by Muhammad Haizril Arif Md Mokhtar.
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