Monday, September 22, 2014

Greetings readers.

We hope that you are having a good year so far. As we are well beyond the mid-mark for 2014, have we achieved what we have set out to do in the beginning of this year, or have we shelved our aspirations as the year progresses? For those of us who are a little behind, there are still several months left to get going on those key performance indicators we have set for ourselves. If you want to know what the various CRCs have been up to in the last several months, check out this issue of CRC newsletter. This publication will be an avenue to present the current work of our organisation as well to highlight the latest in the field of clinical research globally.

In this issue, we continue our emphasis on a new milestone in research methodology. The focus on patient-centred research outcomes is the epitome of research that matters to patient, which is CRC’s core purpose since its origin. This newsletter will also highlight the essence of any important research published by CRC in the last several months. Please do read the actual publications to discover more about the studies and their findings.

As we welcome Dr Shahnaz Murad as our new Deputy Director-General, I am reminded of the words of Ralph Nader, a well-known political activist. He said leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. Dr Ho Tze Ming of the Quality Assurance Unit in his interview for this issue, did highlight the lack of capable second liners in CRC. Perhaps, CRC need to intensify its efforts in developing and mentoring future leaders.

In our last issue, we featured the development of CRC Sarawak. Here, we look at how CRC Perak began and flourished. This is not merely an exercise in nostalgia. We hope their step by step development will inspire the newer CRCs to dream big. I am happy to report that we have three new CRCs this year, one each in Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim, Hospital Sultanah Fatimah, and Hospital Duchess of Kent. Our network grows to 30.

By the time we step into the last quarter of the year, CRC will be in the middle of its annual conference. The National Conference for Clinical Research travels to Kuching in late September this year. We look forward to a stimulating event in East Malaysia. Check out www.nccrconference.com.my for details on the talks and speakers.

As this newsletter continues to evolve, our editorial team search for ways to keep the look fresh and the content engaging. We hope the CRCs will be very much part of this publication, and we welcome feedback and contributions.

Thank you.
Dr Goh Pik Pin
Editor-in-Chief, CRC Newsletter

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