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COLLABORATING ACROSS DISCIPLINES

Impact Oriented Interdisciplinary Research Grant Programme (IIRG)

Problems in the real world are complex and often require solutions that bring together diverse ideas
and knowledge. To this end, the IIRG programme was established by the Research Cluster at
Universiti Malaya (UM). The grant programme aims to encourage UM researchers from various fields
to collaborate on innovative projects that can address some of the problems in our nation.

The main aim of IIRG research projects is to create an impact for targeted communities and
stakeholders. This involves careful planning and continuous engagement among the researchers,
research beneficiaries and stakeholders.

In late 2019, we were fortunate to receive IIRG funding for a study entitled "Incorporating Humanism in
Dental Education for the Wellbeing of an Aging Society" (IIRG001-19HWB). The project involves
researchers from four faculties: Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Languages and
Linguistics and Faculty of Medicine. Through three sub-projects, we are working to develop a dental
curriculum that can better train dentists to deliver oral health care for diverse communities, including
the vulnerable and the underserved.

The stories presented in this volume were created in sub-project 3, Developing Empathy among Dental
Students: Documenting the Life Stories of Older Adults (IIRG-19HWB-3). The project involved researchers
from the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Medicine, working
with our research participants who were dental students and older adults from our community. By
collaborating across disciplines, across the boundaries between university and society, as well as
across generations, we hope to improve dental education and in the long run, oral health care in
Malaysia.

Faculty of Languages Faculty of Dentistry Faculty of Medicine
& Linguistics

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