Celebrating youth innovation at MINDSPARK Grand Finale
Puan Sri Wendy Ong emphasising on how we can respond to Dementia.
Monash University Malaysia in close collaboration with AvantHealth, successfully concluded the MINDSPARK Grand Finale: “Igniting a Dementia-inclusive Future”, bringing together students, healthcare advocates, academia, industry leaders, and non-governmental organisations in support of dementia awareness and inclusion.
The Grand Finale marked the culmination of a year-long collaboration that began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AvantHealth and Monash University Malaysia in April 2025, followed by the official launch of the MINDSPARK competition in June 2025 attended by Pn Nori Abdullah. Through this initiative, student teams were empowered to conceptualise and execute community-driven dementia projects with a RM 6,000 seed fund provided by AvantHealth.
Distinguished guests at the event included Puan Sri Wendy Ong, Tan Sri Hasmah Abdullah (Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia), Emeritus Prof. Yuen Kah Hay (Chief Scientific Officer, Avanthealth), Mr Eric Kiu (Chief Operating Officer, Avanthealth), and Prof Tan Maw Pin (President, Dementia Association of Malaysia), alongside representatives from community partners.
The finale featured presentations from three finalist teams, who shared the impact and outcomes of their six-month project implementations aimed at fostering dementia awareness, social inclusion, caregiver support, and community engagement. Each team demonstrated creativity, compassion, and a strong commitment towards building a more dementia-inclusive society through sustainable and youth-driven solutions.
Following the final judging session, the winning team was awarded the MINDSPARK Champion title together with a RM 10,000 development fund to further expand and sustain their initiative within the community.
The program organisers - Dr Fung Wai Yee, Dr Wang Leong Seng and Dr Dinesh Sangarran Ramachandram, who is also a Merdeka Award recipient, expressed heartfelt appreciation to all judges, mentors, collaborators, healthcare advocates, university partners, and supporters whose contributions made the initiative possible and strengthened ongoing efforts aligned with Malaysia’s National Dementia Action Plan.
Through initiatives such as MINDSPARK under the broader AvantMind Matters movement, AvantHealth continues its commitment towards advancing brain health awareness, empowering communities, and encouraging proactive conversations surrounding dementia prevention and inclusion.