Dean's Welcome

A Welcome from the Dean of Perdana University Graduate  School of Medicine

When we founded Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine (PUGSOM) in 2010, we knew we were initiating an enormous transformation to the medical scene in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. A group of collaborators including the Malaysian government, local business leaders and Johns Hopkins Medicine in the United States were setting out to build – from the ground up – a new university and affiliated academic health center with a mission to improve health throughout the region.  Our goal is to transform the landscape of medicine by training future leaders in clinical care, research, education and health policy who are dedicated to excellence, integrity and service. With the enrolment of the Class of 2015 on 13 September 2011, we are on our way to accomplish that vision. 

In collaboration with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, PUGSOM is a private medical institution located on a 150-acre campus in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the first graduate school of medicine in the country and offers a four-year doctorate of medicine degree. Our approach is designed for outstanding students who are fully prepared to commit to lives of leadership in the medical field.

PUGSOM faculty are pioneers. They are leaders interested in implementing a new model of teaching and learning – one that is student-centric. They are attuned to the differences in how students learn best and interested in working collaboratively to advance at least one branch of Perdana University’s three-part mission: research, clinical care, and education. Their approaches are grounded in the precepts of bedside teaching and mentorship used at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) for more than 100 years.  Such an enterprising faculty seeks students with the same level of energy, intelligence, and dedication; students who are excited to be part of an inaugural class that will transform medical education in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.   

While PUGSOM will benefit from JHUSOM’s long and storied history, it will also benefit from the recent developments in medical education. In response to the rapidly changing extent of scientific and public health knowledge, leaders at JHUSOM spent 5 years developing a new medical school curriculum based on the precepts of individuality.  The Genes to Society (GTS) medical school curriculum debuted at Hopkins in 2009 and at PUGSOM in 2011.  The GTS framework provides the foundation for the advancement and understanding of individualized, 21st century medicine – medicine that sees wellness and disease on a continuum, and individual disease from the integrated perspectives of biology, culture and environment.  GTS also informs our holistic approach to future clinical care and research.

On behalf of the students, staff, and faculty of PUGSOM, thank you for visiting our home on the Web. We invite you to search for facts or take a closer look for information about our mission, our student-centred approach to medical education, and our unique collaboration with Johns Hopkins. We are confident that in a few minutes of browsing you will learn why the establishment of Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine and Perdana University Hospital, an integrated medical school, teaching hospital and research facility, represents a major step in Malaysia’s advancement as a hub of excellence in improving human health and well-being.  We welcome you to join our transformative adventure.

Looking forward,

Charles M. Wiener, M.D.
Dean/CEO, Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine