SETIA ALAM, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The 14^th National Conference for Clinical Research (NCCR) which was organised by the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR), supported by both Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) and Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Centre (CREST), has come to an end earlier today. The three-day conference themed “Niche to Norm”, featured several research areas of interest in precision medicine, clinical trials and digital health. Set on a virtual platform, the conference brought people of various professions and disciplines together for a dynamic and interactive learning experience. The conference was officiated by the Director General of Health Malaysia, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who also delivered a keynote address to delegates on the first day of conference. 

The 14^th NCCR conference also featured the annual Wu-Lien Teh Research Awards, marking its 7^th collaborative year with the conference. The research awards serve to honor Dr. Wu’s legacy and to inspire the new and future generations to conduct research that matters to mankind. Encompassing both the Best Poster Award and Young Investigators Award categories, the conference received 170 e-posters submissions and 6 abstracts were chosen to be presented orally during the conference.  

Chan Huan Keat, a pharmacist from Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, was awarded the Young Investigator Award (YIA) winner for his work in evaluating the impact of government-led endeavours towards eliminating Hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030 in Malaysia. Using data sourced from 144 public hospitals across the country, Chan’s study observed the trend of hepatitis C patients treated and drug expenditure, between years 2013 to 2019.

Dr Alia Daniella from University of Malaya and Sivaraj Raman from Hospital Keningau were subsequently awarded the first and second runner-up of YIA awards. Using population-based registry, Dr Alia’s study investigated rate, patterns, and predictors of acute myocardial infarction readmissions in Malaysian public hospitals, whilst the latter’s research was on estimating the extent of catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) and cost drivers for the treatment of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral cancer. The recipients for YIA consolation prizes were Mahfuzah binti Ishak (Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah), Fara Waheda Bt Jusoh (Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah), Dr Jeffrey Lee Soon Yit (Hospital Sibu) and Dr Loo Ching Ee (ICR).

For the Best Poster Award, Dr Kurubaran Ganasegeran from Seberang Jaya Hospital was awarded the winner for his study on exploring public perceptions and reactions towards the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia via thematic analysis of Twitter content. Pharmacist Shantasaroopini from Hospital Pakar Sultanah Fatimah and statistician Masrol Hafizal from National Institutes of Health were awarded the first and second runner-up of Best Poster Awards respectively. The former’s research was on the prevalence of sarcopenia and associated risk factors in pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients, while Masrol’s work determined suicide rate and described characteristics of suicide among Malaysian elderly (60 years and above). As for the consolation prizes, the recipients were William Law Kian Boon (ICR), Christine Lau Li Ling (Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta) and Teh Hoon Shien (ICR).

In addition to the WLT Research Awards, the NCCR conference hosted a line-up of NCCR named lecture series, plenary, and symposium sessions, presented by over 20 international and locally renowned researchers. The program included developments in Covid-19 vaccine, precision genomics and drug development as well as adaptions of machine learning, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) for effective healthcare service delivery. 

For more info, please visit http://www.nccrconference.com.my 

Source: Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Name: Dr. Norizan Rosli
Tel: +603-3362 8803 / +6019-398 5712
Email : norizan@crc.gov.my 

--BERNAMA