Ian Martin Symonds (Malaysia)

Professor Dr Ian Symonds is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic and a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the IMU University. Prior to assuming this position in 2023, Prof Symonds served as Dean for the School of Medicine, IMU and was responsible for its Medical and Psychology programmes. Before joining IMU in June 2021, Prof Symonds was the Dean of Medicine and Head of the Adelaide Medical School, South Australia (2015-2020). He has extensive experience in academic and administrative gathered from his previous roles which included appointments as Dean of the Joint Medical Programme (2011-2015) and Professor and Head of Discipline of Reproductive Medicine (2004-2015) at the School of Medical and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales. Prof Symonds graduated with a medical degree from the University of Nottingham in 1983 and was a Research Fellow at the Cancer Research Campaign in Nottingham from 1989 to 1992. He undertook his specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Birmingham and was appointed as Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in 1998 at the Derby City Hospital. Prof Symonds was awarded a Masters Degree in Medical Sciences in Clinical Education in 2004. He also held national appointments which included that of President of the Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand (2019-2020) and Vice President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) (2016-2021) in which he was also a member of the RANZCOG’s board of directors (2014-2021). He was also appointed Chair of the Education Subcommittee of South Australian Medication and Training Advisory Council (2016-2021), Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2013) and served as an external examiner to local and foreign medical institutions. Prof Symonds holds adjunct Professorial Positions at the University of Adelaide, South Australia (since 2021) and the University of Newcastle, New South Wales (since 2015). Currently, he serves as Treasurer for the Australian and New Zealand Association of Health Professional Education (since 2022) and is the Dean of Education of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (since 2021).