Strive to achieve the best possible health and sciences collaborations for the students, UTAR signed another memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iryo Sosei University on 7 March 2023 at UTAR Kampar Campus.

Present on behalf of UTAR were UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, Dean of UTAR Faculty of Science Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng, Deputy Dean (Student Development and Industrial Training) of UTAR M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (MK FMHS) Assoc Prof Dr Leong Pooi Pooi, Head of Programme (Clinical Physiotherapy Programme) of MK FMHS K. Premala, Head of Programme (Master in Data Management and Analytics & Postgraduate Diploma in Data Management and Analytics) of UTAR Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Dr Aun Yichiet, Senior Lecturer of Department of Physiotherapy of MK FMHS M. Mahadevi, Lecturer of Department of Physiotherapy of MK FMHS Heaw Yu Chi and Deputy Director of UTAR Division of Community and International Networking Dr Chen, I-Chi.

The guests from Iryo Sosei University were Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences Prof Dr Goh Ah-Cheng, Assistant Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences Dr Katsuhiro Furukawa and Assistant Professor of Faculty of Health Sciences Dr Yuichi Abe.

Welcoming Iryo Sosei University into UTAR’s MoU fraternity which spans across educational institutions as well as industry players based locally and internationally, Prof Dato’ Ewe enthused that the collaborative initiatives explored through the MoU will be mutually beneficial for both institutions. “As a not-for-profit university, by the people, for the people, UTAR’s role is not just to train students. We also believe that it is a must to support and collaborate with higher learning institutions and healthcare industries to keep our syllabi relevant so as to understand the needs of the healthcare industries and also the new technologies which will affect the industry’s workforce,” explained Prof Dato’ Ewe.  

He continued, “With this MoU, UTAR’s M. Kandiah FMHS and Iryo Sosei University will officially begin the strategic partnership to initiate joint projects and researches, staff and student exchanges, study visits, industrial placement opportunities, co-supervision of the postgraduate studies and et cetera. I strongly believe that this MoU will pave the way for a rewarding journey for both UTAR and Iryo Sosei University. The MoU will enable us to work even more closely in creating platforms which will enrich both staff and students’ academic experience, besides empowering them to explore learning opportunities beyond the classrooms.”

Lauding UTAR as a prominent and progressive university with enormous achievements, Prof Goh said on behalf of Iryo Sosei University, “I’m honoured to be at the signing ceremony and also look forward to working with UTAR in elevating institutional prestige in health sciences disciplines between the two universities.” Introducing Iryo Sosei University as a private university, located in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima in Japan, Prof Goh explained that Iryo Sosei University was previously known as Iwaki Meisei University and it was established in 1987 with an undergraduate School of Science and Technology and School of Humanities. He added, “The University initiated a graduate master’s programme in 1992 and a doctoral programme in 1994. In 2007, the school of pharmacy was established; Iwaki Meisei University was renamed Iryo Sosei University in 2019.”

Dr Yuichi presented a multimedia presentation on Iryo Sosei University to all the guests after Prof Goh’s speech.

The ceremony reached its highlight with Prof Dato’ Ewe and Prof Goh signing and exchanging the MoU documents. It was then followed by a souvenir presentation session and a group photograph.

Curtains were drawn after a meeting was held between the guests from Iryo Sosei University and the faculty members, who discussed other possible collaborations and programmes.

After the meeting, the Iryo Sosei University delegation toured the UTAR Hospital and several attraction spots at Kampar Campus.