By Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamad, Organising Chairman, CoR MSR 2012 Joint Scientific Meeting

 

Ms Chan Lai Kuan (President, Malaysian Society of Radiographers) and Professor Dato’ Humairah Samad Cheung (President, College of Radiology)

2012 CoR Inter-Universities Quiz  Winners, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

First prize winner for the Oral Presentation, Dr Sharon Tan from University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)

It was a definitely stimulating weekend for 401 registered participants at Equatorial Hotel, Penang. The theme for this year was Cancer Imaging.

The event started with a series of seminars organised by 5 different Special Interest Groups (SIG)- Head & Neck, Paediatrics, Musculoskeletal, Body Imaging and Interventional Radiology. A free oral paper presentation was also held with 9 papers presented. Associate Professor Dr Ng Chaan from MD Anderson gave a tutorial for those taking their Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists, UK or the Masters (Radiology) Programme, which was well attended by more than 20 trainees.

The scientific meeting began on the 31 Mar 2012, with welcome addresses by Professor Dato’ Humairah Samad Cheung (President, College of Radiology) and Ms Chan Lai Kuan (President, Malaysian Society of Radiographers). This was followed by a single track of 10 lectures delivered by local and international faculties. Another series of tutorials were again given by Assoc Prof Ng Chaan.

Siemens was gracious in sponsoring a lunch symposium with Dr Chander P. Lulla from India as the speaker. At the end of the 31 Mar 2012 session was the CoR Inter-Universities Quiz for the coveted Abdul Samad Sakijan Challenge Trophy. Two representatives each from University Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and the “Open System” took part. Most participants regarded this as the highlight of the conference. The day would not be complete without a sumptous faculty dinner. 19 CoR council members and invited speakers were treated to a nice dinner at Kampachi Japanese Restaurant, Equatorial Hotel, Penang.

The final day of the meeting saw 9 lectures delivered. All the lectures were well attended, informative and interesting. A total of 16 speakers, 6 foreign and 10 local experts with new talents amongst the speakers comprised the faculty. A total of 34 posters were also displayed. 21 vendors participated by displaying their latest products and new technologies.

The Organising Committee is greatly indebted to 4 secretariat helpers who worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of the event. They were supported by 6 audiovisual (AV) volunteers who took care of the audio-visual system. Interestingly, these 6 volunteers were University Malaya post-graduate students pursing their Masters and PhD in Medical Physics. Great job, everyone!

The 1st prize winner for the Oral Presentation was Dr Sharon Tan from University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). She earned herself a RM500 book voucher. The 2nd prize went to Dr Abdul Jalil Nordin of Universiti Putra Malaysia. The 3rd prize went to Ms Leong Sook Sam from UMMC.

In the Poster Presentation, CH Yeong, Basri JJ Abdullah et al from UMMC won the first prize of a RM400 book voucher. Sharifah Majedah et al from University Kebangsaan Medical Centre won the 2nd prize while Khairiah M Nor won the 3rd prize.

The winner of the CoR Inter-Universities Quiz was Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The pair won RM400 cash donated by Dato Dr Abdul Samad Sakijan and the Challege Trophy. The 2nd place went to the Open System team – a commendable achievement indeed.

The day ended with a lucky draw. The prizes were sponsored by IBA Molecular, Diagnostica Marketing, Covidien Healthcare, Equatorial Hotel, Penang and Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamad himself. Dr Abdul Rahman also donated 30 Angry Bird figurines for the organising committee, AV and secretariat helpers.

Throughout the 3-day event, the CoR secretariat also sold newly introduced CoR T-Shirts. These were priced at RM40 per piece. Almost a hundred T-shirts were sold and those missing out, may contact the secretariat to purchase them.

Congratulations to the Organising Committee and conference secretariat as well as a big thank you to all the participants and industry sponsors who made the joint scientific meeting a great success.