Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences (JCSMHS), named after Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, AO, was established in 2005. The first two cohorts of its Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students were placed in Victoria, Australia from 2005 to 2006. In February 2007, JCSMHS commenced taking in students in the first year. JCSMHS was fully operational by 2009 with five cohorts of students from Years One to Five enrolled into the MBBS program in Malaysia.
In 2019, JCSMHS started offering the Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (MD) program in tandem with Monash University in Australia. The MD program is the same as the one conducted in Australia running concurrently in 3 campuses – Clayton, Malaysia and Gippsland – and has been accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC). This accreditation has provided an independent assessment of the quality medical education provided by Monash University Malaysia and will allow its graduates to practise in Australia and New Zealand without additional examinations.
Students complete their final clinical years at the Clinical School and the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru. Regional and rural experience is gained at the health care facilities and clinics in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Segamat, Johor. A mandatory 3-month attachment in Australia in Year 5 gives the students an opportunity to complete their degree by gaining a wider experience of General Practice in an Australian setting.
Teaching and Learning
Placing a special emphasis on the quality of its medical graduates, JCSMHS has introduced the latest educational technologies to enhance the teaching-learning process through MAPEL Lab and Learning Suites. In MAPEL Lab, plastinated specimens of resin infused real human parts combined with real-life models and interactive medical multimedia resources contribute towards a unique and highly effective learning experience for medical students. Digital microscopes linked to a computer network have added a new dimension to medical education at JCSMHS.
The Learning Suites enable active learning with features such as Mira cast, foldable furniture and operable doors to optimise space utilisation for a conducive, interactive learning environment. Clinical skills are taught with computerised teaching tools, models and human simulators. Some of these computerized human models have simulated breath or heart sounds while injections can be administered or suturing performed in others. Through these and simulated patients role-played by trained actors, students are able to practise their clinical skills in a controlled environment even from the first year. All these go a long way towards developing the attributes of a Monash medical graduate.
Research
Being part of a research-based university with emphasis on research-led teaching, the faculty comes from a wide variety of biomedical and clinical research backgrounds. Medical research is an important component of its activity in addition to producing medical graduates. To this end, JCSMHS has set up its own advanced research Labs spearheading research in Diabetes, Molecular Medicine, Toxicology, and Oncology, and is engaged in cross-discipline collaborations.