TDR Regional Training Centre in Western Pacific Region

The TDR Regional Training Centre in Western Pacific Region (RTC-WPR), launched on 3 October 2023 at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, marks a significant milestone for public and global health capacity-building in Malaysia and beyond. As one of the few designated centres in the Western Pacific, RTC-WPR bridges education, innovation, and implementation science to strengthen health systems across the region.

A Modern Learning Environment Built for Today’s Needs

The Centre has been purposefully designed to address the rapidly evolving landscape of public health learning. Its key features are not merely functional — they strategically enhance how knowledge is created, shared, and applied.

1. Advanced Online and Hybrid Teaching Ecosystem

The Centre integrates robust digital learning platforms that support fully online, blended, and hybrid teaching. This ensures accessibility for international participants and busy health professionals who require flexible learning arrangements. The system supports real-time interaction, breakout discussions, collaborative whiteboarding, and participation from multiple locations — essential for multidisciplinary and cross-country public health training.

2. Micro-Credential and Modular Learning Development

Through Microcredential@UM and other e-learning modules under the university’s initiatives, the RTC-WPR enables educators and experts to create short, competency-based courses targeted at specific skill sets. This approach is invaluable in public and occupational health, where practitioners often require rapid upskilling in areas such as outbreak investigation, health communication, or implementation research methodologies. Learners benefit from stackable modules, recognised badges, and flexible pathways towards formal qualifications.

3. Professional-Grade Video and Audio Production Facilities

The Centre houses fully equipped, studio-quality video and audio production facilities that enable educators and researchers to create polished multimedia content — including online lectures, advocacy videos, research communications, and community education materials — that significantly extend the impact and reach of public health messaging.

4. Live-Streaming and Event Broadcasting Capabilities

The RTC-WPR is also fully equipped to host hybrid workshops, symposia, panel discussions, and training-of-trainers sessions. Live-streaming capability ensures that regional collaborators — from ministries of health to academic partners — can participate in real time, promoting knowledge exchange and regional alignment in public health priorities.

5. Instructional Design and Post-Production Support

Recognising that effective learning requires more than good content, the Centre provides dedicated support for instructional design, graphic creation, and post-production services. This ensures that every training package is not only academically rigorous but also visually engaging, pedagogically sound, and accessible to diverse learners.

6. Podcast Production and Knowledge Communication Services

The Centre offers dedicated podcast recording and editing facilities that support the creation of high-quality public health podcasts, enabling researchers, educators, and practitioners to share insights, highlight emerging evidence, and engage wider audiences through accessible, conversation-driven knowledge communication.

Significance for Public Health

The Centre is not just a technological upgrade — it is a catalyst for regional excellence in public health education and practice. In an era marked by emerging diseases, shifting work environments, and rising NCD burdens, the ability to respond with timely, evidence-based and informed solutions is more important than ever.

The RTC-WPR positions Universiti Malaya as a key contributor to this agenda by:

• expanding access to advanced public health training beyond boundaries;
• enabling rapid knowledge and skills acquisition through e-learning;
• enhancing communication of scientific and community health messages through multimedia; and
• fostering interdisciplinary collaboration that brings together academics, practitioners, policymakers, and community partners to co-create practical, context-relevant solutions.

The Learning Centre reflects our commitment to advancing education and research. This versatile facility will be an invaluable resource for our academic and research community, empowering them to create, innovate, and share knowledge effectively. It symbolises the faculty and Universiti Malaya’s dedication to providing cutting-edge tools for future learning and the global health community.