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PROFESSOR DR.
OUR PEOPLE CHRISTINA TAN PHOAY LAY:
OUR BELOVED FAMILY MEDICINE SPECIALIST,
OUR STORY MEDICAL EDUCATOR AND LIFE-LONG LEARNER

TAN KAE YI
DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE

A family medicine specialist, a medical of Objective Structured Clinical Examination
educator and a life-long learner, these are the (OSCE) at the University of Chicago, and on their
various roles that Professor Dr. Christina Tan return they embarked on developing our OSCEs
Phoay Lay are always remembered of in the hearts from scratch. OSCE was then introduced as a
of her colleagues and students. Professor Tan was component of the final examinations of the
originated from Georgetown, and obtained her undergraduate medical programme (the New
medical training at the London Hospital Medical Integrated Curriculum, which started in 1998), and
College in Whitechapel, United Kingdom. the first stationed-OSCE was conducted
the
College in Whitechapel, United Kingdom.
successfully in 2003.
Professor Tan started her service at the
Faculty of Medicine and the University Hospital as
a medical lecturer in the Department of Primary
Care Medicine. Throughout her academic career, “Learning how to reflect
she has always exhibited additional outstanding
quality as a medical educator. Back then, teaching is a final important
expertise was assumed to be part of content ingredient in this recipe
expertise. “These early learning experiences as a
expe for lifelong learning”.
lecturer demonstrate to me a need for teachers to
learn how to teach first,” she said. Along the way,
she noticed that the old-fashion “teacher-centred” - Professor Christina Tan
teaching has been gradually replaced by a more
“student-centred” learning. Thus, she took initiative
to “re-learn” as a student and learn on the desire to
p provide optimum’s care. In a special opportunity, With her deepening interest in medical
she was awarded an International Fellowship in education, she received a medical education
Medical Education by the U.S.-based Education fellowship with the U.S.-based Foundation for the
Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in Advancement of International Medical Education
2000 that allowed her to spend 6 months at the and Research (FAIMER) in 2005-2006. This was a
University of New Mexico (UNM) in al Albuquerque, life-changing experience providing her an
New Mexico, which was well known in opportunity to network internationally with health
p problem-based learning (PBL) circles. On her pr professions educators. Her interest in medical
return, she pioneered the implementation of PBL in education led to further pursuit of postgraduate
the undergraduate medical curriculum in UM with qualifications in health professions education
Professor Dr. Nor Azila Mohd Adnan and Professor culminating in a doctorate.
Dr. Debra Sim Si Mui, who were equally
enthusiastic about medical education. Since then, The elements that have contributed to
PBL gained more support and continued to Professor Tan’s self-motivation or desire to learn
blossom in today’s new curriculum of the include the passion to get the best out of her
blossom
University of Malaya Medical Programme (UMMP). students, wanting to have a sound and fair
assessment for them, and having the strength and
Another factor that has been a driver in her resilience to pursue further training for better
desire to learn is to do with assessment. Teaching patient care. Lastly, she shared with us this
and learning go hand in hand with assessment. ta take-home message: “Learning how to reflect is a
Together with the late Professor Dr. Rokiah Pendek, final important ingredient in this recipe for lifelong
they were trained for the preparation and conduct learning”.

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