A Medical Technician at Radiology Dept. HUSM: Inaugural Speech By Professor Wan Ahmad Kamil Wan Abdullah (MRI

I am very proud of the progress of the Radiology Department throughout my service over the past 35 years. It has been so amazing, challenging and sometimes difficult, but most of all, rewarding me experiences that I will never forget. Thanks to all who made my career journey so memorable. Photo at the fluoroscopy room, Dept. of Radiology, Hospital USM (HUSM) Kubang Kerian, Kelantan in 1987. Me standing second from left at the middle row.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Inaugural Speech By Professor Wan Ahmad Kamil Wan Abdullah (MRI - Beyond Anatomy)

His interest in fMRI and MRS started when he got the chance to do his attachment at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia for two months under the sub-specialty MOU between USM and University of Sydney (USMUS). He decided to do a research in the field of MRI when a famous academician from University of Emori, USA told him, “Wan, almost all important aspects of diagnostic x-rays has been studied, but not MRI. There are so many new things you can do with MRI.”

Wan Ahmad Kamil began his career at School of Physics, USM Minden after completing his PhD at Royal Holloway College, University of London. The title of his doctorate thesis was Far Infrared Transmission Spectroscopy of Binary Semiconductors. To reminisce his time as a Physics students at University of London, he cherishes the opportunity of attending a lecture about Elementary Particles Physics by a Nobel Laureate, Professor Murray Gell-Mann from Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT). His excellence in the field of Physics and Physics Research has inspired Wan Ahmad Kamil to study Physics.

Prior to doing A-Level Program in Sunderland, he completed his secondary education at Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahmad (STAR), Ipoh in 1976. Throughout his years there, he participated actively in sports such as athletics, volley ball, and rugby. While he was in the U15 team of the school’s rugby team, he and his teammates bagged the national champion title. His life as a student at STAR had instilled a lot of values in him especially when it comes to friendship.

Tok Kenali (1870-1933)

Born in 10th of February 1958 at Pondok Kenali, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. He was the last born of Allayarham Wan Abdullah and Hajjah Rahmah, 82. He is the great-grandson of Tok Kenali, a prominent ulama’ and the pioneer figure in the development of Islamic Education Studies in Southeast Asia. His sister, Wan Nasihah used to serve as an MRSM principal and his brother, Wan Nasihuddin is an engineer.

Prof. Wan Ahmad Kamil has been blessed with 7 children namely, Dr. Wan Maryam (a Physics Lecturer at USM Pulau Pinang), Wan Muhammad (works in IT and based in England), Wan Musa (a businessman), Wan Sofiya (used to work for Nokia), Wan Sarah (currently doing medicine at University of Leicester), Wan Yusuf (recently completed his secondary education at MRSM Ulul Albab Kota Putra), and Wan Ilyas (a Form Five student at MRSM Ulul Albab Kota Putra).

His life as a student in London had given him memorable experiences that he can always cherish. He had made friends from all around the globe and they had opened up his mind about the beauty of diversity. He used to be the Secretary of Federation of Students Islamic Societies in UK and Ireland (FOSIS) and the Vice President of Malay Union of United Kingdom (KMUK). In 1981, he was chosen to represent the Muslim community in London for a dialogue whose panels comprised of Muslims, Jews, Protestant Christians, and Catholic Christians at a village near Danube River, Germany. The dialogue was fully sponsored by the Liberal Jewish Groups, London. During the dialogue, he was requested to call the Adhan for Friday Prayer in front of all the participants. From that day on, he began to understand that not all Jews support Zionism and the State of Israel.

Upon his return to Malaysia, he began his lecturing career at the School of Physics, USM. He was one of the first few lecturers who had been awarded with Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS). Between 1987 and 1991, he had twice attended courses in Physics at International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. In 1994, he was awarded with a scholarship of European Community Marie Curie Postdoctoral International Cooperation Fellowship to study Infrared Spectroscopy of Multiple Quantum Wells in High Magnetic Fields with a group of researchers at University of Essex, England.

In 1997, he began his career as a lecturer at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, and Oncology. Two years later, he was transferred to the Department of Radiology, School of Medical Sciences. Even though he is not particularly interested in theatre, he used to be involved in two theatre performances. In the theatre performance of Jihad Putera Jeram organized by the National Department for Culture and Arts Kelantan (JKKN), he played the character of Tok Janggut and in the theatre performance of Tok Kenali, he played the character of Sultan Muhammad IV.

He likes to frequent a coffee shop in his village to offer advice and to encourage the villagers to go to HUSM for a checkup. For the past 18 years, he still holds the position as the Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) of Maahad Ar-Rahmah Kenali, a school under the Kelantan Islamic Foundation (YIK) which was founded by his mother, Hajjah Rahmah.

At the national level, he is the President of Malaysian Association of Medical Physics for the past 12 years. He used to be a member of Nuclear Reactor Interest Group, a member of Lembaga Penawaran Kursus Akademik Universiti Malaysia Sabah,Universiti Malaysia Perlis, and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. He is also a member of Industry Advisory Panel of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. As an academician, he has supervised PhD and MSc students and has published a number of publications. He is often chosen to be the pre-examiner of manuscripts for a number of journals. In addition, he is also a committee member of Malaysian Confederation of Allied Health Professional Associations. In 1988, he was invited by the then Dean and Vice Chancellor of UMS to teach Signal Processing course at UMS until 2006.

Apart from his participation at the national level, he is also active in the international arena. He was the National Representative in the field of Diagnostic Radiology at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which is located in Vienna, Austria.

During the inauguration ceremony, the Dean of School of Medical Sciences, Professor Dr. Shaiful Bahari Ismail and the Head of the Radiology Department, Professor Madya Dr. Mohd Shafie Abdullah were present. Before the inauguration speech by Professor Wan Ahmad Kamil Wan Abdullah, he and the audiences were presented with a silat performance as a mark of respect to his interest in the art form.

To end his speech, Professor Wan Ahmad Kamil Wan Abdullah recited a poem entitled 'Nazam'. During the poem recitation, his wife, Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zain went up on the stage with a bouquet of flowers for her husband with 'Dealova' by Once playing on the background. Together, they went down the stairs and left the hall for post-ceremony refreshments.