History and Overview Establish FKBSK

In the beginning…

The idea of establishing the faculty came from the then Vice Chancellor of UTM, Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk Prof. Ir. Dr. Zulkifli bin Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali, after he visited Imperial College London in 2003.  The official programme included a visit to the Department of Bioengineering and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. The Vice Chancellor was so impressed with the multidisciplinary research at the institute that harnesses the intellectual resources of scientists, engineers, medical researchers and clinicians to improve people’s health and welfare. Some of the research conducted included cochlear/retinal implants, tissue engineering, real-time DNA sequencing, minimally invasive biosensor, virtual medical procedure and the application of robotic surgical devices.

Two years later…

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jasmy Yunus, then the Head of Electronics Engineering Department and an expert in medical electronics, has been given the task of setting up the new faculty.  Faced with a monumental task, Dr. Jasmy recruited lecturers throughout UTM who have expertise in the relevant field.  These pioneers are:

1. Prof. Ir. Dr. Sheikh Hussain bin Sheikh Salleh, who has research in speech therapy and signal processing.
2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rashdi Shah bin Ahmad, an expert in health physics and medical imaging.
3. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Hafidz bin Omar, a sport scientist with specialization in rehabilitation technology.
4. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq bin Dato’ Abdul Kadir, then had just completed his PhD from Imperial College London in the field of biomechanics & biomedical materials.
5. Dr. Eko Supriyanto, a contract lecturer with an expertise in medical electronics.
6. Mrs. Halijah binti Ibrahim, a sports scientist.
7. Mrs. Asha Hasnimy binti Mohd Hashim, a sports scientist with masters in biomedical science.

The years of sleepless nights…

For two years since 2005, the pioneering committee prepared documents upon documents for submission to the relevant ministries.  It was a colossal undertaking for the committee as the field of biomedical engineering is as massive, complex and diverse as the field of medicine itself.  Trying to cover the whole field from head to toe was nearly impossible, but the committee has vowed to ensure that the faculty became the champion in the field.  Workshops and meetings were organised regularly, and most of the time ended very late at night.  Document reviews were also conducted time and time again to try and achieve perfection.  Defending the documents in front of the panels from the Ministry has always been a gruelling experience.  The committee remained resolute, however, in their commitment to ensure success on every corner.  Failure was never in the minds, as it was never an option.

The historic day…

28th August 2007 marked the beginning of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Health Science in UTM.  The Ministry of Higher Education’s approval for the faculty’s establishment brought immense joy to everybody involved in the setting up of the new faculty.  It is the first ever full-blown faculty in Malaysia specifically dedicated to the field of biomedical engineering and health science.  The ministry has agreed to the importance of this field and how it can help to shape the future of the country.  A significant budget of RM68 million has been allocated for the initial building and infrastructure, with additional budgets for equipments.  All the hard work had finally paid off.  The challenge of the past two years has been overcome, and a greater challenge is about to begin…

The Pioneers (2005-2007)