The preceding decade has witnessed numerous new developments with regard to medical knowledge, medical technology and healthcare. To avoid being left behind,it is imperative that we initiate steps so as to be more innovative in exploiting these new advances for the benefit of patients, particularly in Malaysia and throughout the Asia Pacific region in general. In realizing this aim, the Malaysian government has taken the smart initiative in establishing the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI) which will function to manifest this aspiration particularly for the benefit of the public in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia as well as throughout Malaysia in general.
The main mission of AMDI is to function as the prime catalyst in producing scientists and dental and medical specialists who are competent, holistic and contemporary in their practice and profession as well as being capable of generating novel discoveries in the fields of medicine and dentistry. To realize this aim, AMDI will adopt a comprehensive approach embracing both clinical and pure sciences in training, service and research. It is envisioned that this "cross fertilization" philosophical approach will foster a fertile and inventive environment that will increase the probability of new discoveries in both dentistry and medicine. Hence, the AMDI infrastructure will be designed to facilitate this cross-fertilization approach.
The operational structure of AMDI, encompassing both clinical services and administration, will classify a functioning entity as a "cluster" which will comprise specialists from the various disciplines and specializations. This collaborative approach, involving both specialists and researchers, is in tandem with the USM aspiration to raise the standard of its research and teaching activities. AMDI will place great emphasis on medical and dental studies at the postgraduate level. The postgraduate medical and dental studies programmes will be offered by 4 centres that are supported by clusters that have been identified based on their strengths at existing schools in USM. The selection of programmes to be offered also took into consideration services yet to be provided by the Malaysian Health Ministry so that there will be no overlapping of programmes and unnecessary waste of government allocation.
With regard to academic programmes, AMDI will focus on postgraduate programmes such as Master of Medicine (Specialisation), Master of Science (Mixed Mode) and research mode programmes at Master’s and Doctorate levels. AMDI will also initiate efforts to offer sub-specialization medical courses such as Master of Medical Specialization and in medical sub-categories, for instance Master of Medical Specialization (Infectious Diseases). In the surgery sub-category, AMDI proposes to offer a Master of Surgery as well as a Master of Surgical Specialization course.
AMDI also plans to offer new programmes at Master’s and doctorate levels as well as new "sandwich" programmes, i.e., M.Med/Ph.D as a manifestation in academic terms the results of the integrative pure and clinical science approach propounded by AMDI.