KUALA LUMPUR: The first Malaysian doctor to receive a prestigious scholarship from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) after 22 years is hoping that this will pave the way for others.
Urologist Assoc Prof Dr Christopher Ho Chee Kong (pic), who got the International Guest Scholarship Award, wants to encourage other doctors, surgeons and trainees from Malaysia to apply for it.
The 41-year-old consultant urologist and sexual medicine physician at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said: “This will open up your minds and make it better. So, I hope that this award has already opened up the opportunity.
“It has already created the awareness and if there’s anyone who wants me to be the referee or the middle person, I’m more than happy to do so.
“If I can do it, I’m sure you can. I’m just a normal person, I have been trained locally, I did my undergraduate as well as my post-graduate studies at UKM.
“I don’t have anything special but we need to persevere and work hard and I believe that you also need the backing of your seniors,” said Dr Ho, who was among the only 12 surgeons out of some 10,000 applications to receive the award at the ACS Annual Congress in Washington DC from Oct 16 to Oct 20.
Dr Ho said he had the opportunity to mingle and network with surgeons from US and other countries, adding that these ties opened up more links for students, researchers and doctors from Malaysia to attain training overseas.
He also presented his paper Surgical training in Malaysia: Challenges and roadmap, which detailed its history and current programmes, during the congress.
“By sharing with them what is going on, I hope that I will be able to further collaborate with them, using my position to help my juniors and trainees who want to go to US.
“Now, most of us traditionally go to either Australia or Britain to do medicine. Very few have actually gone to America for training,” he said, adding that by getting more exposure, it was hoped that more surgeons with different types of training could come together and improve the service in Malaysia.
Dr Ho also visited the world-renowned University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre where he observed robotic surgery on prostate and kidney cancers –performed by prominent urology professor Dr Claus Roehrborn.
UT Southwestern has produced six Nobel Laureates – more than any other medical schools in the world.
“That speaks a lot for how prestigious and good the university is. They also have world renowned surgeons such as Prof Dr Roehrborn and Prof Dr Margeret Pearle,” he said, adding that robotics surgery was second nature there.
During his stay there, Dr Ho was also mentored by Prof Dr Arthur Sagalowsky, another prominent urologist.
Thanking College of Surgeons of Malaysia president Prof Dr Hanafiah Harunarashid who had been instrumental and given him a good referee report, Dr Ho said he felt proud as a Malaysian to be recognised by the ACS.
The award – totalling US$10,000 (RM42,00) – allows young surgeons from countries other than the US or Canada to attend clinical, teaching and research activities and take part in ACS Clinical Congress’ activities.
Only two other Malaysians have received the award – Dr Goon Hong Kooi in 1987 and Dr Robert Patrick Jalleh in 1994.
No comments:
Post a Comment