Vaccine Allocation Strategies in Malaysia: Ethics and Social Justice

The first Malaysian doctor to gain a PhD in Health Informatics, Prof Awg Bulgiba is also the first public health physician in Malaysia to hold these 4 fellowships simultaneously (Fellow of Faculty of Public Health UK, Fellow of Public Health Medicine Malaysia, Fellow of Academy of Medicine Malaysia, Fellow of Academy of Science). He is currently Secretary-General for the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and President of the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health-KL (APACPH-KL), a Malaysian NGO dedicated to public health. As Project Director, he headed and completed Malaysia’s National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation 2021-2030 (NPSTI 2021-2030), which is setting the direction for STI in Malaysia until 2030.

Professor Datuk Norma Mansor is the Director of Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC) at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, a position she holds since 2013. Prior to this, she was the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration from April 2004 to June 2009. Among her notable appointments were Secretary of the National Economic Advisory Council in Prime Minister’s Department (2009 to 2011), advisor and consultant to various organisations which include the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, International Labor Organisation (ILO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU). As an academic, Professor Datuk Norma has written extensively in books and scholarly journals. She holds a Ph.D. and Masters from the University of Liverpool (UK) and a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) degree from University of Malaya. Her research interest includes public policy, governance and social protection. In recognition of her contributions, Professor Datuk Norma was awarded Emeritus Professorship by the University of Malaya at the October 2018 convocation. Professor Datuk Norma is also the President of the Malaysian Economic Association (MEA).

Professor Dr Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman is a Consultant Geriatrician at both UMMC AND UMSC. She returned to Malaysia in 2002 after her geriatric training in Cardiff, Wales,UK. Dr Shahrul served as Senior Lecturer in the geriatric unit and played a key role in the training and refining of the geriatric multidisciplinary team as well as the acute geriatric care services at UMMC.She embarked on her PhD 2006 and was awarded a Phd in Epidemiology and Population Health in July 2010. Both her training in geriartrics and epidemiology has been useful in her research activities as a founder member of the Ageing and Age Associated Disorders Research Group in University Malaya as well as the Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine. Dr Shahrul is also the project leader and PI of the High Impact Research group, Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research(MELoR). Having previously held position of Program Coordinator for Masters of Internal Medicine at UM, she is now Chair of the National Postgraduate Curriculum wriitng team for Internal Medicine. All these various clinical,teaching and academic roles has helped cement her committment to the development of clinical services,ageing research and medical education in Malaysia.

Tharani Loganathan is a Public Health Specialist with specialization in Health Economics, and a Medical Lecturer at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. She has 17 years working experience with the Ministry of Health, Malaysia in diverse areas, most recently in the field of Primary Health Care. She has a particular interest in Health Economics, Health Systems Research and Health Policy; towards advancing health system goals of achieving Universal Health Coverage. Tharani is a 2017 Equity Initiative Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia. As an Equity Initiative Fellow, Tharani Loganathan is part of the larger global network of the Atlantic Fellows community.

Dr. Ng Lee Luan obtained her PhD in Applied Linguistic from University of Otago, New Zealand. She teaches postgraduate courses related to research methodology and second language acquisition at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. Her current research interest includes computer assisted language learning, online learning, the use of computer assisted qualitative data analysis system in deciphering data in research projects as well as teaching and learning in higher education. She is also a certified trainer for the software, NVivo. She has been invited to conduct workshops related to qualitative data analysis and using computer assisted qualitive data analysis software in deciphering research data at various public and private universities locally and abroad. She has also participated in research projects with an interdisciplinary focus. Lee Luan has also been invited to review journal articles for overseas and local publication such as Frontiers in Psychology - Language Sciences, Pertanika Journal, Malaysian Journal of ELT Research, The Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction.

Rahul Mishra is a Senior Lecturer at the Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. He is also the Coordinator, International Master’s in European Regional Integration (IMERI) programme. Prior to this, he was a Consultant with the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. At the institute, his primary responsibilities were to coordinate training modules for visiting foreign diplomats and give lectures on Asian security and Southeast Asian issues. Dr. Mishra specialises on politico-security affairs of the Southeast Asian region, and role of major & middle powers in the Indo-Pacific region especially in the context of rise of China. His latest publications include India’s Eastward Engagement from Antiquity to Act East Policy (Co- authored with Prof. S.D. Muni, SAGE Publications, 2019).