Tan holds his own among experts
PRESENTING your research to a group of subject matter experts in a competition is the kind of recognition most professionals aspire to do.
This may seem like a daunting task for a student, but not for Gerald Tan, Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia’s (NUMed) fourth year medical student, who did just that during his summer holidays.
Judges at the National Clinical Research Poster Competition finals were surprised.
Out of hundreds of entries from fully-qualified doctors and specialists, they had shortlisted just five finalists.
It was not until the five came forward to present their entries did the judges realise that, among the experts, they had shortlisted a medical student, Tan.
Director-General of Health Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah officiated the National Cancer Institute Research Meeting in Putrajaya on Aug 30.
It was during the this meeting that Tan found himself presenting his work, “Do routine serum blood tests predict clinical outcomes in osteosarcoma patients?”, to the judges and crowd, a competition the judges described as of high quality.
He had already exceeded expectations by being the only student to reach the finals.
However, that was not the limit of his success. The monumental feat was achieved during the official prize-giving ceremony, when his name was called out as the first runner-up.
“It was a surreal experience to be presenting my work to a crowd of experts. I have to admit I was slightly nervous when I realised that I was competing against people who had spent years in medical research!
“My training at NUMed enabled me to present my research well, but being named first runner-up was beyond my wildest dreams!” Tan said.
The inspiration for Tan’s poster occurred while he was undertaking a research project in the United Kingdom last year. He had been selected from a group of students at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia to spend the summer at Newcastle University, the parent university in the UK.
He settled in quickly as he discovered that the only thing separating the two campuses was geographical distance.
Since its establishment in 2009, NUMed has offered its students the opportunity to undertake a summer research project in the UK.
The similarities of Newcastle UK and NUMed, from the design of the campus
to teaching style, help students adapt quickly to life in the UK, allowing the students to maximise their experience.
Utilising the research facilities at Newcastle UK, Tan embarked on his eight week research project.
Sharing his time between the Institute of Cellular Medicine at Newcastle UK and the North of England Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Service at Freeman Hospital, he was under the supervision of orthopaedic cancer surgeon Craig Gerrand.
Freeman Hospital is one of the only five centres commissioned in England for the treatment of bone cancer, affording Tan the opportunity to collect significant and unique data.
“I dedicate this achievement to my
supervisor Craig Gerrand, whom without his guidance, this would not have been possible.
“I’d also like to thank NUMed for giving me the chance, in the UK and Malaysia, to develop my research experience and skills. I am truly grateful to the university,” Tan said.
Dean of Research at NUMed, Dr Michaela Goodson, said: “We are immensely proud of Tan’s work. For a NUMed student’s research to be successfully competing against the work of people who have spent their life in the medical field, is a special moment for the university.
“It is successes like these that have a knock on effect and make more students want be involved in research. As a
result, we are planning to increase the research opportunities we offer here and overseas.”
Ranked among the best in the world for medical research, Newcastle is developing its capabilities at NUMed further.
A dedicated research laboratory is being opened on the campus. It will allow students and faculty members to undertake laboratory-based research projects, paving the way for more success stories like Tan's.
Newcastle University UK has established an international branch campus in Johor to provide its undergraduate degrees in Medicine (MBBS) and the Biomedical Sciences (BSc).
Both programmes offer opportunities
for periods of study in the UK. A one year Foundation Certificate in Biological and Biomedical Sciences is also available, the successful completion of which will lead to progression to the MBBS or BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences programme.
All programmes of study are equivalent to those of Newcastle’s UK-based provision, and lead to the award of the same degrees.
By choosing to study at NUMed Malaysia, students will obtain a reputable UK qualification from an internationally recognised university with a significantly less cost than that of studying in the UK.