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INFORMATION FOR

    Malaysia

    Site Institution: Centre of Excellence in Research in AIDS, University of Malaya
    Research Areas: Addiction; HIV; Tuberculosis; Viral Hepatitis, Prevention and Treatment; HIV testing and PrEP studies in MSM and TGW; mHealth Apps; Criminal Justice

    Site Description:
    The University of Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is known for its quality teaching and research. The Centre of Excellence in Research in AIDS (CERiA), located at UM, conducts epidemiological, clinical, and social science research on HIV and other infectious diseases, with a focus on marginalized communities - particularly people who inject drugs, people who experience incarceration, men who have sex with men, transgender women and others. Since the establishment of CERiA in 2007, the centre has conducted several epidemiological and prevention and treatment research projects involving HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected people who use drugs in various settings including the community, syringe services programs, compulsory drug detention centers and prisons.

    Drs. Altice and Kamarulzaman have collaborated together continuously since 2005 and have hosted numerous pre- and post-doctoral fellows at this site. They were involved in rolling out the first methadone maintenance treatment in the country as HIV prevention and were the first to do criminal justice/prison research to examine alternatives to health and rehabilitation by comparing community models of care to compulsory drug detention centers. They have conducted trials of both behavioral interventions and medication-assisted therapies for criminal justice populations transitioning from prison to the community as well as studies of tuberculosis (TB) in community and criminal justice settings.

    Ongoing research studies include:
    • Malaysian Implementation Science Training (MIST) Program in HIV
    • Developing an artificial intelligence-based mHealth intervention to increase HIV testing in Malaysia
    • Strengthening the HIV care continuum for transgender women living with HIV in Malaysia
    • Newer studies are examining risk among female sex workers and transgender women.
    Research areas and opportunities include:
    • HIV risk, tuberculosis, primary and secondary HIV prevention and intervention research within the criminal justice system and in collaboration with NGOs that provide health care services to transgender women and female sex workers.
    • Issues related to urban health, HIV, tuberculosis, health services research and addiction medicine.
    • Trials of behavioral interventions and medication-assisted therapies for criminal justice populations transitioning from prison to the community as well as studies of TB in community and criminal justice settings.
    • Research at the interface of HIV, TB, and addiction
    • RCTs of preventive therapies
    • Mathematical modeling, cost-effectiveness analysis

    Other features of the site include:
    • Ongoing relationships with different departments and schools within the university, relationships with Malaysian government including the Prisons Department, Ministry of Health, Anti-Drug Agency and Pink Triangle Foundation.
    • Ongoing relationship with the Malaysian AIDS Council, the country’s largest AIDS Service NGO that oversee the provision of HIV prevention and treatment.
    • In 2013, CERiA co-hosted the 7th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention –the largest open scientific conference on HIV that was attended by more than 5000 scientists, researchers and clinicians.
    • CERiA’s research spans over 20 different disciplines and is divided into six research categories (basic science/clinical/translational research, social and behavioral research, intervention research, and policy research/modeling-based research).

    Mentors

    GHES Alumni

    • Allison Mobley
      Ms. Mobley spent her fellowship year at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur under the mentorship of Abeeda Kamarulzaman, MBBS, FRACP, FASc and Frederick Altice, MD. Her research focused on treatment of opioid use disorder amongst an incarcerated population in Kuala Lumpur and investigated continuity of care from incarceration to the community for treatment of individuals with HTV and opioid use disorder. Ms. Mobley is pursuing her MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago and plans on applying into internal medicine residency. She is passionate about healthcare for the most vulnerable, in particular those who are incarcerated, and is pursuing a career dedicated to promoting health equity globally.
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    • Yilu Qin
      Dr. Qin will spend her fellowship year at the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA) at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia under the mentorship of Adeeba Kamarulzaman, MD, MBBS, FRACP, FASc, Frederick Altice, MD, MA, and Sheela Shenoi, MD, MPH. Her research will focus on mobile health technology and linkage to HIV care for individuals transitioning from prison to community in Malaysia, looking at implications for HIV and addiction treatment programs. Dr. Qin is a physician at Yale University. She is interested in developing her career as a global health researcher. Her experience working as a primary care physician using telemedicine has inspired her to investigate this technology as a tool to increase access to healthcare services. Her prior opportunities as a Fulbright-Fogarty fellow from 2014-2015 in China solidified her interest in pursuing global health research. She continues to be interested in working with marginalized populations and finding creative ways to increase access to healthcare.
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