Page 14 - Pulse@UM Issue 4/2019

our people, our story

department was almost zero 34 years ago; pharmacology and even venom pharmacology.
there was not a single HPLC system or similar This I did through inter-departmental
analytical instrument. Almost all the available collaboration, principally with academic staff
research facilities were of the classical from the Departments of Anaesthesiology
Pharmacology (tissue/organ baths and whole and Biochemistry (now known as Molecular
animal models) type. University research Medicine).
grants were often limited to less than RM
20,000, which could hardly buy a decent piece In all the above challenges, I learned to be
of lab equipment. flexible with the use of my knowledge/skills
and adaptable with regards to the needs of the
There was also difficulty obtaining postgraduate time or the resources available. The goal I thus
students, as we did not offer science degree set for my academic career was – to inspire
courses at the Faculty of Medicine in the early a desire to learn, to impress key learning
80’s. Furthermore, teaching demand was high, concepts, to imprint effective thinking, and
because we had to handle undergraduate to instill ethical work-practices among our
medical (MBBS) and dental (BDS) degree graduates. Our university graduates should
courses, besides helping to teach the university first and foremost be a THINKER before
hospital’s diploma courses in nursing (SRN) becoming a worker.
and medical laboratory technology (MLT).
My feedback to the University as one who
I was told right from the beginning of my has given 34 years of my prime time of life in
academic career that teaching was to be my educating future health care leaders is – NOT
priority, for this was the main business of to neglect or overlook teaching achievements of
a university! My scientific research would lecturers, while maintaining a healthy research
obviously have to play second fiddle. So instead environment. The university should help to
of conducting laboratory experiments, I started develop responsible human beings and not
research in medical education, experimenting merely producing marketable human capital.
with different teaching-learning innovations at
minimal funding cost. This is what I think of PULSE:
p-passionate teacher,
It was not until much later (in the 90’s), with u-uncompromised researcher,
increased government funding on R&D l-lifelong learner,
and the commencement of Pharmacy and s-sustainable leader, and
Biomedical Science courses, that I began to e-effective team player.
resume active science-based research. I also
learned to diversify my area of research from Professor Sim served at UM from 15 October
analytical pharmacology, to include classical 1984 until 19 May 2018.

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