Internship programmes during the Discovery Year session 2011/2012

As explained in UBD website, in the GenNext programme, students are required to participate in the Discovery Year programme to broaden their knowledge and give invaluable experience in a real world setting. This is normally undertaken in the third year of study, in the 5^th and 6^th semesters of a candidature. During the 2011/2012 session, Biomedical Science undergraduates Cohort 1 went during their fourth year of study, while half of the Cohort 2 went during their third year of study.

In general, the Discovery year options are as follow: 

1. SAP 1 semester (16 mc) and 4 breadth modules in UBD (16 mc).
2. SAP 1 semester (16 mc) and Internship/Community services/Innovation or Incubation projects 1 semester (16 mc).
3. Internship/Community Service/Innovation or Incubation projects  1 semester (16 mc) & 4 breadth modules in UBD (16 mc).
4. SAP 2 semesters (32 mc).

Students are required to undertake any one of the 4 possible options in the Discovery Year.  In some cases, a student may have a one year internship programme or innovation and incubation projects.  In such cases, the student will be required to take at least 8 additional modular credits of breadth modules at UBD. The actual programme to be undertaken should be worked out with the Faculty or Programme advisors and is subject to the availability of places as well as a selection process. 

During the 2011/2012 session, the undergraduates from Bachelor of Health Sciences (Biomedical Sciences) Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 went for internship programmes during their Discovery Year (DY). The programmes were successful in exposing the undergraduates to real life working and research experiences. It was the first batch of undergraduates to go for these programmes in UBD. The following are the undergraduates and their respective internship employing organizations.

1. The Otto-Meyerhof Centre and Clinical Research in Heidelberg and Krankenhaus Nordwest, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The undergraduates are Fakhriedzwan Fitri Hj Idris, Dk. Nadirah Ahmad and Duratul Ain Durani.

Photo taken with Dr. Andreas Fritz (supervisor) and Professor Datin Seri Laila Jasa Dr Uta Meyding-Lamadé (supervisor), who is also a consultant neurologist at NSRC and Head of the Neurology Department at Krankenhaus Nordwest (KHNW) Hospital

2. United Arab Emirates University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology. The undergraduates are Siti Nur Bazilah Ghazali and Nur Syamimi Matzin.

3. Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt. The undergraduates are Siti Sarah Othman, Nurul Fatini Binti Haji Abdul Malik and Mohd Hanis Bin Awang Masri.

4. Dr. W. Colin Duncan's research group, Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Reproductive Biology, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK.  The undergraduates are Hazirah Zainal Abidin and Zety Erwinna Hj Ali Adin.

Photo taken during their trip to an island

5. Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics laboratory, Biomedical Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia. The undergraduates are Nurul Adhwa Hj Abd Rahman, Nur 'Aqilah Mursidi and Zaidah Rizidah Murang.

Photo taken with Shawn Keng (a final year UPM undergraduate)

Photo taken with Associate Professor Dr Cheah Yoke Kqueen (supervisor)

6. University of Malaya, Medical Microbiology Department of University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia. The undergraduates are Zaharuddin Hj Abd Rahman and Fuitze Tan.

7. Jerudong Park Medical Centre. The laboratories are Specimen area, Hematology, Microbiology, Blood bank, Biochemistry and Immunology. The undergraduates are Masliza Liussin, Nadzirah Hj Md Said, Ummikalsum Dayan and Eric Lim.

Finally, we wish the juniors of our faculty and other faculties in UBD to have an enjoyable internship programmes for their Discovery Year in the coming academic session. 

In Focus: Fakhri

After a very long time, InFocus section is back in action! Let us get to know this young man from Cohort 1 of Bachelor of Health Sciences (Biomedical Science). He has officially finished the 4-years degree programme, and will InsyaAllah be graduating this coming September. 

Fakhri in general

What is your full name?

Fakhriedzwan Fitri Haji Idris

Where do you live?

Kg. Peninjau, Jerudong

When is your birthday?

30^th June 1988

What are your hobbies?

Hiking, surfing the net

Describe yourself in three phrases.

Responsible, organized, loyal

What are the 3 things you can't live without?

Money, laptop, handphone

What is your favourite quote?

You have to go through the worst to get to the best - anonymous

Fakhri as a Biomedical Scientist at IHS

Describe BHSci BiomedSci based on your experience.

It is an enjoyable programme where you experience a lot of things definitely. Covering a variety of topics and you get to experience different sorts of experiments during the practical sessions. If you are a type of person who likes laboratory and doing experiments, then this programme may be suitable for you.

What are your favourite modules?

Microbiology and haematology.

Describe your most memorable moments at the faculty.

The most memorable for me was basically the time spent with my coursemates especially when IM was still at the old building, fighting for a parking space at the bus stop.

Describe your final year project.

My final year project was on the salinity tolerance of mosquito vectors of human disease in Brunei. So basically I had to visit different places with brackish water (water that is salty but not as salty as seawater) around Brunei which were potential sites for breeding of mosquitoes. Larvae were collected and species were identified. Subsequent experiment was monitoring the larval development of identified species in brackish water from the egg stage to adult mosquito. It was tiring but fun.

Where did you go for your internship programme during the Discovery Year? Describe your experience.

I went to Germany for the Discovery Year and did my internship at the Otto-Meyerhof Centre and Clinical Research in Heidelberg and Krankenhaus Nordwest, Frankfurt am Main. It was a valuable experience. First, my colleagues and I have to be independent (you have no option), commuting between Frankfurt and Heidelberg for the first two weeks (just imagine if you commute from Bandar to Belait every day), a couple of morning runs to catch the train, meeting interesting people, you did experiments which you’ve never done in UBD, visiting places (sponsored), cool weather. The difficulty was that it’s hard to find halal food if you don’t know where to go.

Fakhri on personal matter

How do you define love?

Love is when you can give and receive equally, respect and understanding.

What do you look for in your ideal lady?

Someone who can be a good wife and a good mother.

Do you have celebrity crushes?

A lot..hehe..

What is your favourite song? Do you wish to be a singer?

You are my love by Kim Yeon Woo and I don’t want to be a singer because I just don’t have the voice.

You are titled to be the Mr Metrosexual and Mr Perfectionist in Cohort One (based on the votes). Any comments on that?

Am I? I don’t consider myself as metrosexual because I’m miles away from being one. Mr. Perfectionist? I’m not denying this fact. I just want to be organized and I know whatever you do things won’t be perfect as a whole but I believe it is those little things that you perfected makes the whole thing seems perfect.

Why do you use only one single blue pen throughout the semester? Is there a hidden secret behind it?

Well it’s not only throughout the semester but I have been using the same brand since I was in Form 3. There are no special reasons as to why I choose to stick with it.

Fakhri's future plans

You have officially finished the 4-years Bachelor's programme. What do you wish to do after the graduation?

Sleep!!! And just do nothing..haha..I’m planning to continue with master after this.

Which branch of Biomedical Sciences do you want to pursue?

Medical microbiology but more towards virology.

Any advice/words of success for the juniors?

Work hard and try to keep the flame burning all the way.

IFGH on 14-16 June 2012

For the programme details, and registration form, please go to the official website. It would be an interesting few days to meet professionals from many areas of Health Sciences. Everyone is welcomed to join!

ATTENTION: Venue has changed to the Mini Lecture Theater, UBD|IBM Building.

Foundation-laying ceremony for our Faculty's extension building

The Minister of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Awg Abu Bakar bin Hj Apong yesterday officiated the foundation-laying ceremony for the proposed extension building for the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB) Institute of Health Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

Also present at the event was the Deputy Minister of Education, Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yusoff bin Hj Ismail; permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries at the Ministry of Education (MoE); the Vice Chancellor of UBD; and senior officers from the Ministry of Education; as well as members of the PAPRSB Institute of Health Science.

The event commenced with the recitation of surah al-Fatihah and opening remarks by the Dean of PAPRSB Institute of Health Science, Dr Hjh Maslina Hj Mohsin.

Dr Hjh Maslina in her remarks said that the construction of the extension building, which started Oct 6, 2011, is in line with the current development of the institute. With the incorporation of the PAPRSB Nursing College to the institute in 2009, it has increased the number of academic teaching sources and additional programmes in various health professional disciplines.

The extension building, Dr Hjh Maslina added, will open up more research activities in specific health research in the faculty or cross-faculty research collaboration with other local health institutes or established universities abroad. She further disclosed that the extension project is one of the Ministry of Education's projects under the 9th National Development Plan.

It will have an environmental-friendly concept, be equipped with contemporary design, and will have five levels that include several lecture halls, lecturers' rooms and special rooms to accommodate teaching and learning needs, as well as a Clinical Simulation Centre.

The new building will also be equipped with state-of-the-art simulators and simulated wards which will be used by students to undergo practical training in their respective programmes. Simulated learning will empower the students to be more competent, critical and confident in the skills that they learn during their attachments at hospitals and health centres in the country.

The Clinical Simulation Centre is hoped to upgrade teachings in group work of inter-professional education, particularly for students taking Medical, Nursing and Midwifery programmes. Also featured in the building are several particular scientific labs that would practically meet international standards and will be used particularly for research activities and providing scientific labs services that are more advance for the need of the people nationwide.

Other interesting services include UBD Health Clinic, which will provide Primary Health Care experience for students and the UBD community and will also be open to residents around the university in general.

The project has been awarded to Tobishima (B) Sdn Bhd for a contract value of B$21,185,000, with a 20-month construction duration, and is expected to be completed by early June next year. Meanwhile, the architect for the project has been awarded to Arkitek Idris, Othman and Associates Consulting Engineers as C&S and M&E Engineer, and Hanafi Konsultan as the Quantity Surveyor.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin. Lyna Mohamad at LOCAL NEWS.