2024 Wu Lien-Teh public lecture

Born on 10 March 1879, Dr Wu Lien-Teh would have been 145 years old today. 

As a celebration of his life, The Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society organised the eighth edition of the Wu Lien-Teh annual public lectures at the Penang Institute yesterday. The speaker was Prof Dato Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, the President and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Monash University Malaysia. She was also the third recipient of the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Award for Leadership in Public Health.

Prior to her appointment at Monash University Malaysia, Adeeba was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya. She continues to be an Honorary Professor at University Malaya and as Adjunct Associate Professor at Yale University, USA. An infectious diseases physician by training, she is a passionate advocate for social justice, especially when it pertains to HIV prevention, treatment and care and drug policies. She presently serves as the Chairman of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation and is the Immediate Past President of the International AIDS Society. She is also the founding Chair of ROSE Foundation, an organisation that is committed to eliminating cervical cancer in Malaysia and regionally. At the international level, Adeeba has been an advisor to numerous WHO, UNAIDS and UNODC committees on HIV/AIDS and substance use. She is presently Vice-Chair of WHO’s Science Council and is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Global Council on Inequalities, HIV and Pandemics. Her achievements are recognised through several national and international awards including as a two-time recipient of the prestigious Merdeka Award and recently, as Tokoh Akademik Negara. In April 2015 she was honoured with a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from her alma mater, Monash University, for her role as a health advocate and contributions to medicine.

Pre-lecture ceremony. Anwar Fazal receiving a mock cheque from Chan Looi Tat who was representing Cheah Cheng Hye

“All awards are special but this Dr Wu Lien-Teh Award is extra special because of who Dr Wu was and how it so closely relates to my career as an infectious disease physician and public health practitioner. Dr Wu was also a trailblazer - so to be recognised in his name is a tremendous honour indeed.”

Adeeba with Anwar Fazal and the committee members of The Wu Lien-Teh Society