Going back in history, the second Bachelor of Pharmacy programme in Malaysia was established under the Faculty of Medicine on 1st March 1995, driven by the need of the country to train more pharmacists for the healthcare sector and healthcare-related industry. At the time of its establishment, there were only seven academic staff members; Prof. Yeoh Peng Nam, who was the first Head of Department, the late Prof. William Marlow, Dr. Rajan Radhakrishnan, Dr. Chung Lip Yong, Dr. Chua Siew Siang, the late Assoc. Prof. Syafiq Abdullah and the late Assoc. Prof. Hadida Hashim. Lecturers from other departments within the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Science also contributed their teaching manpower for the programme. The administrative office back then was located at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine while the offices for academic staff were mainly located at the present location for the Department of Nursing. Teaching facilities were within the same location while practical classes were conducted at MD1 and MD2, Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Dr. Yeoh Peng Nam
The First Head of
Department of Pharmacy
Universiti Malaya
On 26 June 1995, the Department of Pharmacy opened its doors to the first batch of thirty-six students. The first-year students were introduced to basic sciences including physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, drug literacy, general, physical and organic chemistry. Then in their second-year, the students took on pharmacopoeias, purity and official standards, quantitative analysis, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical technology, pharmacology and clinical pharmacy. In their third-year, students were exposed to more clinical pharmacy and industrial pharmacy modules. Students were also required to conduct original research, produced a dissertation and present their findings before graduation. The first batch students completed their studies within three and a half years. The duration of study for subsequent batches was increased to four years due to introduction of additional university courses under the semester system. The second intake welcomed forty students and the number for each intake increased to seventy to eighty students in subsequent years. The Department of Pharmacy produced 1200 pharmacy graduates between 1995 and 2019.
Pioneering batch 1995; Front row (from left): Dr. Rajan Radhakrishnan, Dr. Chung Lip Yong, Prof. Dr. Annuar Zaini (Dean of Faculty of Medicine), Prof. Dr. Yeoh Peng Nam (Founding Head), the late Prof. William Marlow, Mr. Athouan Nathan (Medical Laboratory Technologist)
In 1999, two floors of a new four-story building were officially opened to accommodate the Department’s growing activities. In 2001, the Department started to provide postgraduate training in Masters in Medical Sciences by research and the Doctor of Philosophy programmes. The interest and enthusiasm in postgraduate education continued to flourish. Up to 2019, the Department have had more than 80 Masters in Medical Sciences graduates and PhDs.
On 1st September 2019, the Faculty of Pharmacy was officially announced and was the newest Faculty in the Universiti Malaya. The first Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Malaya is Prof. Dr. Hasniza Zaman Huri with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Najihah appointed as the Deputy Dean (Academic) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rozana Othman appointed as the Deputy Dean (Research and Development). The Faculty of Pharmacy comprises four main teaching departments, which are: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Life Sciences and Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice.
The newly established Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Malaya is expected fulfil the function of a full academic centre. The management recognized the need to upgrade and expand the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum, teaching and research facilities in line with the five-year strategic plan 2020-2025. The new 4-year pharmacy undergraduate curriculum was recently approved, with the introduction of two new masters level postgraduate courses (Masters in Drug Discovery and Masters in Quality Assurance).
Currently, the Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Malaya is expanding its activities in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, research and training, student mobility programmes, national and international networking. Facilities are also being upgraded or in planning. These include the Faculty of Pharmacy Cube, which is equipped with multimedia facilities, teaching and learning rooms, bedside teaching facilities, teaching and research equipment and others.
The Heads of Department of Pharmacy/ Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy Universiti Malaya since its inception in 1995.
Last Update: 12/06/2023