Celebrating the Legacy of Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh

A Memorial Lecture and Announcement of the 2019 and 2020 RBS Medical Research Grant Recipients

The Academy of Sciences Malaysia organised a Memorial Lecture in conjunction with the announcement of the Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh (RBS) Medical Research Grant recipients for 2019 and 2020.

The online session was broadcasted via Zoom, Facebook Live and ASM’s YouTube Channel. In attendance during the event was Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teoo Soo Hwang FASc, Chair of the RBS Medical Trust Fund Selection Committee. Together with her was the guest of honour Dato’ Parang Abai @ Thomas, Deputy Secretary General (STI Planning and Culture) from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia.

The Memorial Lecture was presented by Academician Distinguished Professor Datuk Dr Looi Lai Meng FASc. Her lecture was titled “Medical Research in a Doughnut World”. Following her lecture, Datuk Dr Looi addressed several questions from Webinar registrants as well as via the Facebook Q&A function, moderated by Datin Paduka Dr Teo.

After the Memorial Lecture came the announcement of the 2019 and 2020 RBS Medical Research Grant recipients. The 2019 RBS Research Grant is awarded to Dr Saiful Affendi bin Syafruddin from the UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute. His project titled “Investigating the Gluco-Corticoid Receptor NR3C1 Role in Supporting Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Pathogenesis” earned him the 2019 grant. Meanwhile, the 2020 RBS Research Grant is awarded to Dr Nurul Hashikin Ab Aziz from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her winning project is titled “Dosimetric Investigation on the Safety of Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography as Alternative Imaging Modality in the Treatment Management of Infants & Toddlers with Cleft Lip & Palate”.

The RBS Medical Research Grant is an annual programme under the RBS Medical Research Trust Fund to be awarded to one Malaysian young scientist to undertake research in the Medical or Biomedical field. ASM is responsible for receiving, reviewing, and evaluating submissions of the RBS Medical Research Grant. This year, ASM is awarding the 2019 and 2020 RBS Research Grants simultaneously.

Every crisis is a strong call to mobilise the entire research community to respond. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. The word “pivot” is on everyone’s minds lately. Researchers, universities, funders, philanthropies, and journalists have all pivoted to COVID-19. A Dialogue with Researchers session delves into the issue from the university and the researchers’ perspectives, and how researchers could tweak their research concept in line with the current situation. The dialogue is titled “Pivoting Your Research During COVID-19”, moderated by Professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo Hwang. It featured Professor Dato’ Dr Zulkifli Idrus FASc Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Also on the panel was Professor Dr Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam, Dean of the School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University. The dialogue is then followed by a Q&A session.

The power of a person’s life lies within the stories they leave behind. The late Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh bequeathed his entire estate to the RBS Medical Research Endowment Fund. His funds were primarily established to promote the education of the poor and needy, irrespective of race, colour, and religion. His invaluable contributions left a legacy for future generations of researchers in bringing the medical research field to the fore. With much love and warmth, Mrs Jagjeet Singh, the sister in-law of the late Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh closed the day’s programme with a closing a remark.