From IMU to Postgraduate Studies at Malaysian Universities

Students who have a passion for a particular subject will most likely continue their studies at postgraduate level. For those who are interested in medical biotechnology (MB), a strong interest in pursuing research would also be an asset. These are what two medical biotechnology alumni from the International Medical University (IMU) are doing. They are currently pursuing their postgraduate degrees in local universities in Malaysia. An IMU Alumnus, Sophia Sok Ping Meow, is currently pursuing her master’s degree at University of Malaya (UM). Her project is on investigating the cell death mechanism induced by natural compound on human cancer cells.

“IMU MB has equipped me with a wide range of knowledge. The laboratory technical skills I acquired during the hand-on practical session allowed me to adapt to the current laboratory environment in a short period of time. Last but not least, I am grateful that I am familiar with doing literature search and format of a scientific paper during my final year project write up that eased my journey into postgraduate study.”

She chose to study medical biotechnology at IMU because of the interesting and comprehensive programme structure offered by IMU; from basic essential biotechnology modules to bioinformatics and to enterprise management. Furthermore, there is no doubt that IMU is a well-known private medical and health science university in Malaysia. “The Bachelor’s degree in Medical Biotechnology at IMU actually stimulated self-directed leaning that allowed students to brainstorm for problem solving and made learning proactively rather than the traditional “spoon feeding” practice. IMU MB also prepared students to undertake their postgraduate studies and working environment as we learnt about current state-of-the-art issues via the sharing from IMU lecturers.” Currently in the final year of her postgraduate study in School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, USM, Penang, another IMU alumnus, Syarifah Nur Syakira Syed Saberi, is working on a project about Detection of Pork DNA in Pharmaceutical Tablet.

“During my medical biotechnology degree, there are many best learning experiences. I gained practical skill in the lab and was exposed to new instruments that I had never encountered before. Most of the instruments that I had used during MB IMU were applied to my project. Thus, the experience helped me a lot in understanding the theoretical aspect of the instruments.”

“I have done a lot of presentations in the class and the experience has helped me to reduce my anxiety in presenting in front of the audience. Also, I went to a few class trips and visited many interesting places, such as Yakult factory, Ajinomoto factory, Institute of Medical Research, and many more.”