7th MyPSA NPRC 2024
MyPSA National Pharmacy Research Competition
The 7th MyPSA National Pharmacy Research Competition (NPRC) 2024 was organised by Persatuan Mahasiswa Fakulti Farmasi Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PMFFar UKM). It took place on 23rd, 30th and 31st March 2024 in hybrid mode. This year's theme, "Discovering the Potentiality of Future RxInnovators," set the tone for the event. Alongside the main competition which was held physically this year, various online side activities were held, including the Young Researchers Challenge (YRC), Young Researchers Webinar and Advanced Level Webinar.
Webinars
The 7th MyPSA NPRC 2024 commenced with webinars, including the Young Researchers Webinar, designated for Year 1 and Year 2 students, and the Advanced Level Webinar, tailored for Year 3 and Year 4 students. However, students were also allowed to join both sessions if they would like to deepen their knowledge of research skills. The Young Researchers Webinar featured 2 talks, with Prof. Dr. Kalavathy Ramasamy from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) delivering the first talk titled “The Basics of Research Writing”, and Prof. Dr. Asrul Akmal Shafie from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) delivering the second talk with the title “Understanding Literature Review in Research”. There were also 2 talks delivered in the following Advanced Level Webinar. The first topic was “Effective Data Analysis Techniques and Tools in Research”, presented by Dr. Wan Safwani binti Wan Kamarul Zaman from Universiti Malaya (UM). The final topic of the day, “Perspective on Successful Scientific Writing and Publishing” was shared by Dr. How Chee Wun from Monash University Malaysia. Kahoot quizzes were also conducted after both webinars to assess participants’ comprehension.
Young Researchers Challenge
The Young Researchers Challenge (YRC) was held online on 30th March 2024 (Saturday). YRC participants are required to present their research ideas and answer questions from the judges during the Q&A session. With 40 participants organised into 10 groups, the topics mainly covered clinical pharmacokinetics, medication therapy management, personalised medicine, patient education, and quality of care and use of medicines. Before the competition day, participants were arranged with mentor-mentee sessions, which were conducted after the Young Researchers Webinar. Mentors provided constructive feedback on their research ideas and drafts, to assist them and ensure they were well-prepared.
Main Competition
This year, the main competition was held physically at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Campus (UKM KL). Three categories were opened for the main competition, including Category A: Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacometrics, Pharmacoepidemiology, Pharmacovigilance & Pharmacoeconomics, and Pharmacy Education, Category B: Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmacology, and the last category, Category C: Research Proposal Presentation. There were 2 rounds held for Category A and B, while only 1 round was conducted for Category C.
Main Competition: Day 1
The first day of the event started off with the opening ceremony, graced by honourable guests, including Prof. Amrahi bin Buang, the President of Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS), Prof. Dr. Mohd bin Makmor Bakry, the Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, UKM, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Malina binti Jasamai, the programme advisor of 7th MyPSA NPRC 2024, and Ms. Melissa Sia Yun Shan, the President of Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association (MyPSA). After the opening ceremony, the event moved on with the preliminary rounds of Category A and B. Participants presented their research works at the poster exhibition area, followed by a 5-minute Q&A session. The first day concluded with the announcement of the top 5 finalists from each category, progressing to the final round the next day.
Main Competition: Day 2
The second day of the competition began with a relaxed session to loosen up the tension of the participants. An interactive session was held to break the ice among participants, followed by a sharing session by Alpro Pharmacy. After that, the final rounds of Category A and B were conducted, with each participant delivering a 10-minute slide presentation, with a 5-minute Q&A session. Category C: Research Proposal Presentation was held right after the lunch break. Participants from Category C presented their research proposal with their e-posters and also answered questions from the judges. Then, the event continued with the closing and award ceremony, which started off with Doa recitation and speech delivery by the VIPs, including Ms. Chiah Xin Yi, the Project Director, Ms, Ng Guo Yi, the Vice President 1 of Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association (MyPSA)Ms. Melissa Sia Yun Shan, the President of Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association (MyPSA), Mr. Issac Danker, the National Advisor of MyPSA, and Dr. Nurul Ain bin Mohd Tahir, the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Alumni, Faculty of Pharmacy UKM. The winners of all competitions were announced during the award ceremony. The closing ceremony, which ended at 5:00 p.m., marked the conclusion of the 7th MyPSA NPRC 2024.
Winners (Main Competition)
