Three scholars including the recipient of the Merdeka Award, Professor Emeritus Dr. Ng Kwan Hoong and academic figure Professor Emerita Dr. Azirah Hashim and Professor Emeritus Dr. Liam Chong Kin were awarded the title of Professor Emeritus at the 61st University of Malaya Convocation Ceremony by His Royal Highness, Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah, Chancellor of Universiti Malaya.
Professor Emeritus Dr. Ng Kwan Hong, who is also the recipient of the Merdeka Award in 2020, is an expert in the fields of breast imaging, radiology protection, radiation dosimetry, medical physics education and risk communication.
He began his career at UM as a Science Officer in 1985 and later as a Lecturer (1990) and was appointed Professor in 2001. He has developed medical physics academic programs outside the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland which have been accredited by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine UK. He also contributes actively in the education of radiologists, clinical oncologists, biomedical engineers and several other allied health professional bodies.
The second recipient, Professor Emerita Dr. Azirah Hashim is a renowned academic in the field of Applied Linguistics and has served with distinction at the Universiti Malaya since 1986 until her retirement on 11 May 2021.
As an educator and research-minded academic, the abilities of Professor Emerita Dr. Azirah in showcasing academic leadership excellence through research, publication and consultancy is renowned. Her research is in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Studies of Language Relations in Southeast Asia, Higher Education in the ASEAN region and Legal Discourse.
The third recipient, Professor Emeritus Dr. Liam Chong Kin, is an expert in the field of respiratory diseases, especially in epidemiology, molecular target therapy and immunotherapy for lung cancer as well as genetic polymorphisms of asthma.
The 61st Universiti Malaya Convocation Ceremony which was held through 17 sessions beginning from 5th to 13th March 2022 celebrated 7,682 graduates including 454 Doctoral Degree graduates, 2,318 Master’s Degree graduates including Postgraduate Diploma in Education, 3,940 Bachelor’s Degree graduates, and 970 Advanced Diploma, Executive Diploma and Diploma graduates.