A Meaningful Day of Connection and Possibility at Universiti Malaysia Sabah

OAPTAR’s President and Operations Lead recently visited Universiti Malaysia Sabah, where they held productive meetings with leaders and academics from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Psychology and Social Work.

The visit, thoughtfully coordinated by Dr. Mohd Nazri Mohd Daud, Head of Family Medicine, opened valuable conversations about how universities, healthcare professionals and community organisations can work together to strengthen prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery and community wellbeing.

We were especially encouraged by discussions with UMS psychiatrists, including Dr. Nicholas Pang, on international professional engagement and possible collaboration in addressing alcohol-related problems.

Our visit to the Specialty Program for Alcohol and Drugs Abuse also highlighted opportunities to connect specialist clinical expertise with community-based interventions and workforce development.

The discussions went beyond planning for a future conference. Ideas included webinars and podcasts, capacity-building for school counsellors, student participation, research and documentation, and activities that translate professional knowledge into practical benefit for communities.

We were also delighted by Dr. Patricia’s proposal for Master’s students to contribute to academic and documentation work, while undergraduate students could gain experience as volunteers during the conference. This could provide meaningful exposure to drug demand reduction, mental health, social work and international event coordination.

The warmth, openness and willingness of everyone we met to contribute ideas and resources were deeply encouraging. We returned home with new relationships, potential areas of collaboration and a strong sense of shared purpose.

OAPTAR looks forward to building upon these conversations with UMS—bringing together academic knowledge, clinical expertise and community experience to create interventions and systems that endure beyond us.

Our sincere appreciation to everyone who welcomed us and made the visit so meaningful.