Prof. Zulkifli Ahmad

Prof. Dr Haji Zulkifli bin Ahmad (USM)

Prof. Zulkifli Ahmad (right) exiting the hall after delivering his professorial talk at USM Health Campus. Behind him is Prof. Syed Hatim Noor; 20 November 2011

Biodata
Prof. Zulkifli Ahmad was born on 24 July 1954 at Kampung Bakar Kapor, Sungai Petani, Kedah. He is the eldest of 6 siblings. His father, Haji Ahmad bin Ariffin was a schoolteacher. His mother, Hajjah Akiah bt Othman was a full-time housewife. Professor Zulkifli was raised first by his grandmother, Hajjah Che Yah bt Said at his village before he moved to Alor Star to begin shooling.

He attended schools in Alor Star. He first attended Sekolah Rendah Iskandar. He then Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid (Sultan Abdul Hamid College, SAHC) where he completed Form 6 (Upper 6). 

He then proceeded to study Medicine at University of Malaya (now Universiti Malaya) for 6 years (1973-1979). He obtained his MBBS degree in 1979. He did his Housemanship and became a Medical Officer at Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Bahru. He was transferred to Hospital Daerah Kulim, Kedah in 1981. A year later he was posted to Kuala Nerang, Kedah as Medical and Health Officer at Pusat Kesihatan Besar Kuala Nerang, as well as Acting Health Officer for Daerah Padang Terap/Sik, Kedah. Here, he was working on Public Health (Kesihatan Awam).

In 1981, he married Prof. Dr Rogayah bt Ja'afar form Johor. They were blessed with 4 children, a son and 3 daughters: Mohamad Ariff, Noor Akmal, Noor Amalina and Noor Adilah.

In 1982, he joined the USM Medical School in Penang as Trainee Lecturer in the Department of Community Medicine. 

In 1984, he proceeded to do his postgraduate studies in MSc in Public Health for 2 years at the University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. He completed his studies in 1986 and returned to USM as a Medical Lecturer.

He had several posts in the USM Medical School: Head of Department in the Department of Community Medicine (1991-1994); along with the other lecturers, he was Founder of MSc in Family Medicine program, which later became a separate department - Department of Family Medicine.

In 1998, he was promoted to Associate Professor and continued to do his PhD at Universiti Malaya. He returned to the USM Medical School and headed the Department of Community Medicine (2002-2003).

In 2002, he attended a postgraduate certificate course in Global Nutrition IT under the Swedish International Development Program (SIDA) at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

He also obtained a few other fellowships to attend other courses and conferences, including the conference on Network of Community Oriented Educational Institutions for Health Sciences, Advanced Asian Course in Tropical Epidemiology which was organised by SEAMO-TropMed, several Tobacco Control Workshops which were organised by ThaiHealth and Rockefeller Foundation, and WHO Visiting Fellowship in Environmental Health, speciafically tobacco control.

His area of interest is Family Health and his main research fields are Tobacco Control and Child Health. He has supervised many postgraduates in both these fields. 

He has produced more than 60 academic publications and papers, learning modules, and academic books. He was the former Chief Editor for the Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine. He was the former Editor for the Malaysian Journal of Nutrition. He is presently on the Panel of Advisers for the Archives of Orofacial Sciences.

He was promoted to full professorship in 2006. His professorial talk was delivered to the public on 20 November 2011 at USM in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.

In 2007, he was seconded to the USM School of Dental Sciences as the Deputy Dean Research and Postgraduate Studies. He still holds the post today.

At the USM School of Dental Sciences, he was involved in developing several postgraduate courses, including: MDSc in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, MDSc Restorative Dentistry (Conservative, Prostodontic, and Periodontic), MDSc Pediatrics, MDSc Public Dental Health, and PhD Public Health Dentistry.

He has been invited by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Universiti AIMST, and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, as an Assessor of their academic curriculum for Public Health program. 

He was an External Examiner for the undergraduate medical program at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He was also an External Examiner for the MSc in Tropical Health program at the University of Queensland, Australia.

He has been involved as a speaker and facilitator in many workshops, especially on Scientific Writing.

He is actively involved in promoting health and tobacco control activities, including Hari Bebas Tembakau Sedunia, expositions and health talks, specifically cigarette addiction, prevention, and tobacco control. 

He is active in associations and social work. He had held the post of Chairman and Deputy Chairman for the Parents-Teachers Association (PIBG) in Sekolah Kebangsaan Kubang Kerian 1 and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Zainab 1, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. He was a former Committee Member for the Malaysian Public Health Medical Specialist Association (Persatuan Doktor Pakar Kesihatan Awam Malaysia) and the Malaysian Medical and Health Educationists Association (Persatuan Pendidik Sains Perubatan dan Kesihatan Malaysia).

In 2011, he was elected as a Member to the USM Senate.


Source:
Program booklet "Syarahan Umum Pelantikan Profesor", Profesor Zulkifli Ahmad, "Pengawalan Tembakau di Malaysia: Antara Ekonomi, Politik, Agama dan Kesihatan", Ahad, 20 November 2011, 8.45am-12pm, Dewan Utama, Kampus Kesihatan, USM

Further information:
Prof Dr Hj Zulkifli Ahmad at the School of Dental Sciences 

Websites:
Department of Community Medicine, USM
School of Dental Sciences, USM
Hall of Fame, School of Dental Sciences, USM