A Brief History of University of Malaya (UM)
Universiti Malaya, or UM, Malaysia’s oldest university, is situated on a 922 acre (373.12 hectare) campus in the southwest of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It was founded on 28 September 1905 in Singapore as the King Edward VII College of Medicine and on 8th October 1949, it became the University of Malaya with the merger of the King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College (founded in 1928). The University of Malaya derives its name from the term ‘Malaya’ as the country was then known. The growth of the University was very rapid during the first decade of its establishment and this resulted in the setting up of two autonomous Divisions on 15 January 1959, one located in Singapore and the other in Kuala Lumpur. In 1960, the government of the two territories indicated their desire to change the status of the Divisions into that of a national university. Legislation was passed in 1961 and the University of Malaya was established on 1st January 1962.
Centre of Excellence for Research in Infectious Diseases and AIDS (CERIA)
The Centre of Excellence for Research in Infectious Diseases and AIDS (CERIA) at the Faculty of Medicine (FOM), in University Malaya, was established in 2007 by Founding Director, Professor Dato’ Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman. Our mission at CERiA is to conduct multidisciplinary research, advocacy and education to address the major health and social issues associated with HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases in Malaysia. As the only HIV and infectious disease research centre of this caliber in Malaysia, it is our aim to undertake research with global relevance and local responsiveness. With generous funding support from national and international agencies and organizations, CERiA’s research spans over 20 different disciplines and is divided into 6 research categories (i.e. basic science/clinical/translational research, social and behavioral research, intervention research, and policy research/modeling-based research) and 8 overarching themes. In order to support our mission, CERiA collaborates with a broad range of world renowned researchers, industry leaders, and subject matter experts.