UC San Diego and Perdana University Partner to Advance Medical Education and Research

Article Content

Officials of the University of California, San Diego and Perdana University in Malaysia have announced a plan to collaborate on further development of the Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine (PUGSOM). UC San Diego was chosen from among the top schools of medicine in the United States to lead this initiative.

“UC San Diego has a long history of excellence in education, research and medicine,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Our School of Medicine is ranked among the nation’s top graduate programs, and UC San Diego Health System has been ranked number one in San Diego for four consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. We are excited to share our expertise and knowledge in the power of academic medicine, and collaborate with Perdana University in joint research efforts.”

“Perdana University is delighted to work together with UC San Diego. This collaboration will bring tremendous opportunities to both institutions. This venture will drive Perdana University towards its goal of achieving international distinction as well as bring it recognition as an elite and successful academic institution,” said YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Chancellor of Perdana University.

The collaboration is designed to help Perdana University (PU) capitalize on the breadth and depth of UC San Diego’s experience in stimulating and helping to sustain San Diego’s status as a major research, health care and biotechnology hub.

“The 10-year joint collaboration will focus on enhancing and implementing a forward-thinking medical curriculum, a model for comprehensive patient care and a platform for innovative world-class research in Malaysia and Southeast Asia,” said David A. Brenner, MD, vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Opportunities for clinical research from a global health perspective will exist in many areas, including cardiovascular, neuroscience, tropical diseases, diabetes, cancer and trauma care.”

“This collaboration will help PU to achieve its vision of becoming a top-tier academic medical center serving the 21st century healthcare needs of Malaysia and the broader region,” said Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Mohan Swami, Chairman of Board of Governors of Perdana University. “It will also accelerate the growth of a vibrant biomedical research, biotechnology and pharmaceutical infrastructure, helping to elevate Malaysia as a global center for translational medicine.”

“This is an exciting and important collaboration that will benefit both universities through shared knowledge and expertise, and especially through joint research,” said Mounir Soliman, MD, MBA, assistant vice chancellor and executive director of UC San Diego Health Sciences International. “Joint research will help improve health in Malaysia and empower Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine to train the future health care workforce. Perdana University is the first medical school in Malaysia to offer graduate entry medical education similar to the United States model.”

Professor Dato’ Sothi Rachagan, Vice Chancellor, and PhD Barrister of Law of Perdana University also stated that UC San Diego Health Sciences will assist in creating and refining the organizational infrastructure and facilities necessary for the continued growth of the graduate medical school program, including faculty recruitment, academic program development, student enrollment and the advancement of research and clinical needs.

“We envision a collaboration that will facilitate two-way transfer of knowledge, operational expertise and accrued health care experience to the benefit of both institutions. We are committed to working closely with PU to listen, learn, then plan, and finally bring these plans to fruition,” said Soliman who will lead the planning and implementation of this venture.

The collaboration between UC San Diego and PUGSOM will include exchange of faculty, students and staff. Faculty members from UC San Diego will travel to PUGSOM as visiting faculty to facilitate collaborative educational and research programs. PUGSOM faculty members may travel to UC San Diego to gain valuable skills and knowledge.

“In addition to Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine’s strong education focus, there will be future opportunities for collaboration in biomedical research, including bioengineering and technology, as well as for planned new academic teaching facilities, which include a 600-bed hospital,” said Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Mohan Swami.

Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine was established in 2011 with the vision of contributing to the global community through the pursuit of excellence in education, research and service. PUGSOM is intended to promote intellectual discovery, generate and spread state-of-the art knowledge and be a center of excellence in medical education based on a graduate entry level approach. Perdana University was established as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative with the support of the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department.

University of California, San Diego Health Sciences is internationally recognized as a place where discoveries are delivered – bringing breakthroughs from the research lab to patients' bedsides. Established in 1968, UC San Diego School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the top research-intensive medical school programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report and, in 2014, had the ninth highest National Institutes of Health total funding of 136 schools of medicine in the U.S. Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences opened in 2000 as the only public school of pharmacy in the region, and the second in the State of California.

UC San Diego Health System, the region's only academic health system, is consistently ranked #1 in the San Diego metropolitan area by U.S. News & World Report with national rankings in 11 specialties. The health system is also ranked by the Leapfrog Group as a Top Hospital and with an A Hospital Safety Score, placing it among the safest hospitals in the United States. UC San Diego Health System is comprised of UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and UC San Diego Thornton Hospital, Moores Cancer Center (one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country), Shiley Eye Center, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and Jacobs Medical Center (opening 2016) in La Jolla, as well as other primary and specialty practices located throughout Southern California.