LONDON: Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Director-General of Health, has been awarded the prestigious Fellowship Ad Hominem of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd).
This is an acknowledgment of his contributions in improving the nation’s health through various reforms and innovations coupled with the advancement of endocrine surgery, surgical training and research in Malaysia.
Noor Hisham received the fellowship during an induction ceremony in Edinburgh, yesterday cementing his place in an international network of over 17,000 Fellows and Members of RCSEd which has a history dating back to 1505.
This ad hominem fellow distinction is the most prestigious designation a surgeon can receive from the college.
“For a surgeon and an administrator, receiving the fellowship ad hominem to the world’s oldest and largest College of Surgeons is indeed the highest honour and a lifetime achievement. More importantly, this award is a global recognition from my international peers at the highest level. I am deeply humbled and excited at the same time by this honour, for me and my country," said Noor Hisham who presides over a range of national medical councils and committees.
Reading the citation, Vice President of RCSed, Professor Graham Layer said, “Datuk Dr Noor Hisham is an eminent surgeon and medical leader and a great friend of this Royal College of Surgeons and we are most grateful for his support and wise counsel.”
He added, “ I believe that he is someone who will undoubtedly continue to serve our College well and serve as a powerful ambassador for us in our global leadership and supporting programmes. The College admires his all-round achievements.”
The Fellowship Ad Hominem from RCSEd adds on to the array of recognitions received over the years.
He was recently appointed to the Executive Board of the International Society of Surgery (ISS) as the Councillor at Large (2017-2021), making him the first Malaysian appointee to the Board of this international society. He has also recently taken over as chair of the Global Surgery Committee of ISS.
It is understood that surgeons, proposed for the Fellowship ad hominem, have excelled in their careers and have made significant contributions to healthcare and surgery in a number of areas.
Noor Hisham received both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the National University of Malaysia and completed his Fellowship training in Breast and Endocrine Surgery from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (1997-1998). He is a Senior Consultant in Breast and Endocrine Surgery and currently still practices in Hospital Putrajaya in spite of his tight administrative schedule. He is a world-renowned endocrine surgeon, mainly due to his ground-breaking techniques and approaches that helped shape the landscape of thyroid surgery internationally.
He has been conferred with many local and international awards. These include the Fellowship of the Academy of Medicine Malaysia (2004), an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians London (2012), Honorary Degree of Doctor of Medicine from Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (2014), Honorary Fellowship of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (2015), Honorary Fellowship of the International College of Dentists (2016) and Honorary Doctorate in Medicine from Management and Science University (2017).