Create Change: Associate Professor Chong Chun Wie
The gut specialist
A distinguished biochemist and microbial ecology expert, Associate Professor Chong Chun Wie is also the Deputy Head of School (Research) at Monash University Malaysia.
Dr Chong's studies focus on soil and gastrointestinal systems, examining the complex interactions between microbial populations and their environment, and how these communities evolve and adapt to different conditions.
His team is deeply engaged in exploring the intricate link between gut health and various diseases, such as Diabetes, Parkinson’s Diseases and Gastrointestinal Disorders. Dr Chong’s team has started a project to profile the Malaysian Gut Microbiome, and the initial results suggested a race-distinct gut microbial composition, reflecting the variation in diet and lifestyle across the different ethnicities. Dr Chong is particularly interested in understanding how the variation in the gut microbial composition interacts with drugs and diseases.
Dr Chong‘s groundbreaking research in microbiome has not only advanced our understanding of how microorganisms behave in different environments, but it has also sparked a paradigm shift in the field, significantly impacting the academic community.
Creating healthier community
Driven by his mission to improve our health management system, Dr Chong has dedicated his vast knowledge and expertise to the PRIME program. PRIME delivers prediabetes healthcare services and education through a mobile application. It educates patients with prediabetes on their condition and ways to prevent diabetes and empowers them to self-monitor and self-manage their condition. This transformative initiative won a gold award at ITEX in 2022 and is currently being tested at local pharmacies in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, demonstrating its significant impact on community health. The program also opens a possibility to incorporate gut health monitoring as part of disease management. Through rigorous research and analysis,
Dr Chong and his team are poised to make significant contributions to the scientific community's understanding of the gut microbiome. Their work represents a vital step forward in the quest to unlock the secrets of the microbiome and harness its potential to improve human health.
Academic Qualifications
- PhD, Microbial Ecology, University of Malaya, 2011.
- BSc (HONS) in Biochemistry, University of Malaya, 2005.
