Speakers

Suzana Shahar

Place of Birth : Malaysia
Position : Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Field of study : Nutrition in Aging, Epidemiology of Aging and Health

Prof. Suzana Shahar is a Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Healthy Aging and Wellness Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; and an Honorary Fellow of the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association. She is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She obtained her BSc (Hons) (Dietetics) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and, then, pursued her study to obtain MMed Sci (Human Nutrition) and PhD (Human Nutrition) from the University of Sheffield. Her research interest is in nutrition, wellness, and aging. She has led a nationwide project on ‘Neuroprotective Model for Healthy Longevity among Malaysian Elderly’, funded by the Ministry of Higher Education; and currently leading a clinical trial to reverse cognitive frailty among Malaysian older adults funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, under the auspice of the World Wide Finger Trial. She also led the Newton Impact Fund Scheme on Developing Salt Reduction Policy for Malaysia and received two more internationally funded grants from Queen Mary University of London and Resolves to Save Lives based in the USA. She has filed two formulations for the improvement of oxidative stress and cognitive function in the aging population, ie. TP3in1 juice and Cosmos Caudatus powder. She has published more than 300 publications. She is also involved as a committee member of several guidelines spearheaded by the Ministry of Health under the umbrella of the National Coordinating Committee of Food and Nutrition. She serves as a committee member of the International Research Networking on Dementia Prevention, WHO Working Guideline Committee of Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline, and Consortium on Longitudinal Study on Memory (COSMIC). She is the founder of the Centre for Healthy Aging, UKM, and the Senior Citizen Centre (PAWE UKM). She is working closely with several industries as a consultant in research and also health including Malaysian Biotropics Sdn Bhd, Uno Nutrition, Mead Johnson, MARDI, Alpro Pharmacy, Biosinergy, Sapura Kencana, and Perbadanan Putrajaya.

• Research Assistant Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1993
• Tutor Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1993-1998
• Lecturer Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1998- present
• Associate Professor Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2003
• Programme Coordinator of Masters in Health Sciences Clinical Nutrition Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2005-2009
• Chief Editor, Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2006-2010
• Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2010-2015
• Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2010-present
• Head, Centre of Healthy Ageing and Wellness Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016- present
• Deputy Leader, Grand Challenge on B40 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2017- 2019
• Leadership Committee International Research Network on Dementia Prevention 2017- present
• Research Scientific Committee COSMIC (Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium) 2017-present
• Working Committee World Health Organization Guideline on Dementia Risk Reduction 2018
• Chair National Kesum Initiative 2019-present
• Deputy Country Director ASEAN Networking on Research in Aging 2019-present
• Research Advisor Biotropics Malaysia Berhad 2019-present
• Fellow Malaysian Dietitians’Association 2019
• Dean Faculty of Health Sciences 2019 (August)-present