AS challenges cross borders, universities are joining forces to find solutions.
Committed to advancing geriatric dentistry, Universiti Malaya (UM) is set to establish the Asean University Network–Geriatric Dentistry Thematic Network (AUN-GDENT) at its Faculty of Dentistry.
The first Asean-level academic network dedicated to geriatric dentistry and healthy ageing will serve as a regional platform to harmonise geriatric dentistry curricula, promote collaborative research, facilitate faculty and student mobility, support evidence-informed policymaking and develop a competent workforce capable of improving the oral health and quality of life of older adults across Asean.
The proposal, led by UM in collaboration with AUN-GDENT founding partners the National University of Singapore (NUS), Universitas Indonesia and Khon Kaen University, received formal approval from the AUN board of trustees during the 17th AUN Rectors’ Meeting in Singapore in July.
Recognising the strategic importance of the initiative in addressing the challenges of rapidly ageing populations in the region, the UM Management Committee has also approved an RM100,000 seed fund to support the establishment of the AUN-GDENT Secretariat at the Faculty of Dentistry.
The varsity, in a Sept 1 press release, said the funding will facilitate the network’s initial activities, including governance, collaborative programmes, digital platforms, research planning and regional engagement.
It added that as the secretariat, UM will provide academic leadership in coordinating regional initiatives, fostering partnerships and advancing innovative solutions that support healthy ageing.
Separately, UM marked another milestone with its appointment as Unesco Chair on Manuscript Heritage of the Silk Road.
The recognition places the varsity within the Unitwin/Unesco Chairs Programme – Unesco’s global network of more than 1,100 Unesco Chairs and university networks across over 130 countries dedicated to advancing research, education and international cooperation.
With Dr Mehdi Soltanzadeh appointed as chairholder, the Unesco Chair will provide a regional platform for research, teaching, training and community engagement in manuscript heritage.
Through the initiative, UM said it will serve as Malaysia’s regional coordinating centre for efforts to preserve, document, digitise and promote manuscripts connected to the Silk Road, as well as the historical intellectual exchanges between the Malay World and other civilisations.
This, it added, will support the development of a digital repository of manuscripts, establishment of documentation and metadata standards, coordination of collaborative research, and provision of postgraduate training in manuscript studies.
It will also facilitate field surveys across libraries, museums, archives and selected collections, while hosting international workshops, seminars, conferences, academic exchanges and joint publications with partners worldwide, UM said.
