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The Centre for Bioethics and Humanities aims to provide insights into the human condition, cultural sensitivities, ethical considerations, and care for self and others through interdisciplinary approaches, for the continuous improvement of health practices and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

About the Centre

The Centre for Bioethics and Humanities was inaugurated in 2021. It was previously the Department of Language, Communication and Culture.

  • The Centre manages the compulsory General Studies Subjects/Mata Pelajaran Pengajian Umum (MPU) for undergraduate programmnes. The MPU academic support programme consists of humanities subjects that enhance skills for personal and professional development.
  • The Centre seeks to support undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through  bioethics and humanities courses, delivered through dual teaching modes.
  • The Centre also offers Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes through webinars, workshops and conferences on bioethics and humanities.
  • The Centre invites research collaborators to provide new insights into contemporary approaches to healthcare through ethics and humanities.
  • Members of the academia, professionals and students with expertise and interests in relevant fields, are invited to be fellows of the Centre.

Message from the Director

DR-SHEBA-D.MANI-2

A/Prof Sheba D.Mani

Director, Centre for Bioethics and Humanities (CBH),
BA (UPM), MA (UKM), PhD in Post-colonial Literature in English (UKM),
Teaching English (Certificate) (LPTTC),
English Language Teaching (Access Certificate) (City & Guilds, UK )

“The Centre for Bioethics and Humanities engages in learner-centered learning experiences through academic support programmes to ensure meaningful exchanges that result in a broader understanding of humanity. We also encourage arts-based initiatives for creative practice and social inclusion. Our aim is to collaborate, educate and recommend strategies on improving the wellbeing of mankind through bioethics and humanities. We look forward to work with partners to shape this new initiative.”

What We Do

General Studies Subjects/Mata Pelajaran Pengajian Umum (MPU)

The MPU modules, offered to both Malaysians and international students are standardised compulsory modules for both public and private institutes of higher learning. Each student must undertake a total of 5-6 modules from the four (4) categories below:

  • U1 Appreciation of philosophy, values and history
  • U2 Mastery of soft skills
  • U3 Broadening of general knowledge on Malaysia
  • U4 Application of community management skills; example community service and extra curriculum activities

The modules offered are:

 

Category Module
U1 Bahasa Melayu Komunikasi 2
Penghayatan Etika dan Peradaban
Philosophy and Current Issues
U2 Bahasa Kebangsaan A
Thinking Critically and Creatively
English for Health Sciences
Academic Writing
History of Medicine
Arts Appreciation
Academic Communication
Art Fundamentals
U3 Worklife Balance from the Malaysian and Global Perspective
Integrity and Ani-Corruption
U4 Social Responsibility

Continuous Professional Development

The Centre serves as an educational hub to expand knowledge of ethics and humanities related to health education, health practices, workplace communication and the community in general.

Below are some of the workshops, webinar and conferences that we conduct. If you are interested to know more about it, drop us an email at [email protected].

Workshops

Workplace Communication: English for Health Professionals

The workshop is designed to help participants develop, enhance and refine their knowledge of the English language and communication skills in the context of the health profession. It is an interactive workshop that is structured to hone all four English language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The language focus is generated by topics related to workplace settings and will concentrate on the practical application of the English language.

Communicative Malay Language for Healthcare Practitioner

This workshop is designed to expose participants to the effective use of the Malay language as one of the main communication tools in the Malaysian medical context.

IELTS Preparation Programme

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qualification is required by most Malaysian, British, Canadian and Australian universities. This programme will focus on three key areas to help participants prepare for the IELTS:

  • mastery of language skills,
  • familiarisation with exam strategies, and
  • testing for proficiency.

Effective Presentation Skills

The workshop is designed to encourage the development of confidence and creativity through speech and presentation. The workshop will provide opportunities that builds participants’ confidence and systematically develop the skills needed to Page 5 of 1 succeed in their social and professional lives, while simultaneously developing their imagination and expressive abilities.

Basic Mandarin Language

This workshop is designed to expose participants to basic Mandarin language in the context of clinical and medical practice. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to apply pinyin to pronounce mandarin, apply basic grammar to construct mandarin sentence and demonstrate common clinical conversation.

Events

The Centre organises events to encourage creativity and perspectives on contemporary themes related to health through various forms of the arts.

Below is the list of events that are conducted annually. If you are interested to know more, drop us an email at [email protected].

Art Competition

The IMU annual visual art competition seeks to encourage emerging artists in higher education to express their visual interpretations of health and wellbeing. These representations offer insights into health, its social and cultural context, community needs and the expectations of the young generation. Since its inception in 2021, the competition has attracted nearly 250 entries from some 22 institutions.

Inspire

Inspire, a digital art gallery established in 2017, seeks to inspire, enliven and stir the imagination of students, academicians, and the community through visual art. It also provides a space for young artists to display their perspective of the world and for the viewers to interpret and appreciate the power of these artistic representations. The Inspire digital gallery features the entire collection of artwork received from the IMU Art Competition. Selected pieces are displayed in IMU Bukit Jalil Campus’ public spaces and hallways. For more information, visit the Inspire Gallery.

Poetry Competition

The IMU poetry competition is an annual event that welcomes both English and Malay language poems of any type and form. The aim of this competition is to provide a platform for emerging poets to channel their thoughts, perspectives and feelings through the transformative power of poetry. Ever since its launch in 2020, the competition has seen a growing interest and a promising number of participations from the community.

Humanities Day

Humanities Day is the triannual one-day event that showcases students’ creativity and ingenuity through their active participation in different arts and humanities modules in the General Studies Subjects, that aim to strengthen their communication, critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork skills. Through exhibitions, poster presentations, performances, debates and seminars, students present the different aspects of our human society and culture.

Special Interest Group in Health Humanities and Ethics

The Centre for Bioethics and Humanities (CBH) has established Special Interest Groups (SIG) in Health Humanities and/or Ethics to explore the challenges and debates surrounding health humanities and ethics in healthcare and the community.

Through the SIGs, we intend to foster dialogue and expand knowledge on health humanities and/or ethical issues among academics, practitioners, students, and the community.

The specific objectives of the SIG are to:

  • provide a cross-disciplinary forum for discussion among academics, practitioners, and students interested in health humanities and/or ethics
  • facilitate the building of networks and collaborations among individuals from different schools and organisations with similar interests
  • promote research and teaching in health humanities and/or ethics
  • encourage the exchange and dissemination of current developments in the area
  • grow leadership and expertise in the field of health humanities and ethics

We invite you to consider developing topics on Health Humanities and/or Ethics around Teaching and Learning scholarship, Community, Environment, and Clinical setting, among others.

All applications will be vetted by an interdisciplinary committee comprising members from the centre and representatives from the programme.

Applications can be submitted throughout the year.

For further inquiries, please contact us directly at [email protected]. Looking forward to your interest in championing a SIG for Health Humanities and/or Ethics.

Ethical Concerns in Consumer Products

In the current era of enhanced consumer buying power, the blooming of online shopping, and diverse advertising activities, it is essential to educate the public on ethical issues related to consumers.  Consumers have the right to choose products at competitive prices with satisfactory quality. Hence the objective of this special interest group is to create awareness of consumer products that are sustainably and ethically sourced, truthfully advertised, and offer real value to the consumers.

The group is planning to organise a series of activities such as live talks/sharing sessions/exhibition/contest to create awareness of ethical dilemmas such as ethical issues in marketing, selective marketing, identifying products with misleading claims and messaging, and misusing consumer data.

 

Intended Outcomes

  • To create awareness among IMU community and the public on ethical issues related to consumer products
  • To provide a platform for academic exchanges on ethical issues related to consumer products

A Prof ChM. Dr Lee Choy Sin Chairperson
A/Prof ChM. Dr Lee Choy Sin
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of
Pharmacy, IMU

Humanistic Approach to Patient-Centered Care through Interprofessional Education

Compassionate care, mutual respect, shared knowledge and goals, and collaborative practice among healthcare professional teams, patients, and their families, are essential prerequisites for improving population health. With the increasing burden of chronic diseases, there is a need for collaborative interprofessional team-based care to cater to the increasing number of complex patients that require care from multiple providers.

 

Intended Outcomes

  • To discuss how healthcare professionals would work with individuals from other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values.
  • To discuss how healthcare professionals can use the knowledge of one’s role and the roles of other professions to appropriately assess and address the healthcare needs of patients.
  • To discuss communication with patients, families, communities, and other healthcare professionals responsively and responsibly that supports a team approach to the prevention and treatment of disease.
  • To discuss the application of principles of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles.

A Prof Dr Chandramani Thuraisingham Chairperson
A/Prof Dr Chandramani Thuraisingham
Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine,
IMU

Improving Perceptions and Practice of Empathy Among Trainee Healthcare Professionals

The primary objective is to enable and improve perceptions and practice of empathy among health professionals in the practice of their healthcare activities. In the current scenario, trainees/students come across as “very robotic” in their expressions of empathy and there is the very minimal or negligible actual practice of empathy.

Teaching and learning through symposiums, role play, and critical review of activity videos can be used as learning tools.  Seminars/ webinars with international collaboration and sharing of case studies can stimulate and enhance the learning experience leading to innovations in care delivery.

 

Intended Outcomes

  • To discuss the role of expert health care professionals with good practice of empathy
  • To propose outcomes that can influence the practice of and guide policy / clinical practice guidelines for healthcare delivery in specific settings.

Dr Supathiratheavy Rasiah Chairperson
Dr Supathiratheavy Rasiah
Department of Community Medicine, School of
Medicine, IMU

Upcoming Events