Fusionex and IMU Introduce Big Data Analytics to Accelerate Medical Education and Research

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia

Multi-award-winning data technology provider, Fusionex, and Malaysia’s pioneer private medical and health sciences university, the International Medical University (IMU) are taking a bold step to integrate Big Data Analytics (BDA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in IMU’s medical and health sciences programs. In order to equip future healthcare providers with the right set of skills and knowledge, this collaboration will see five IMU undergraduate programmes each piloting a BDA module.

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Fusionex Founder & Group CEO Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh (left) exchanging a Memorandum of Agreement with International Medical University (IMU) Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Pook during the Healthcare Big Data Analytics Forum held at IMU Campus. (Photo: Business Wire)

The five programmes are Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons), BSc (Hons) in Medical Biotechnology, BSc (Hons) in Dietetics with Nutrition, BSc (Hons) in Nutrition, and BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science. These will be some of the first non-ICT degree programmes to integrate BDA as part of its syllabus.

In order to meet the future technological needs of the industry, Fusionex will be utilising its AI and BDA platform, Fusionex GIANT, to be incorporated within the programmes offered by IMU.

These programmes will provide four outcomes: an overview of the analytics life cycle, how analytics is contributing to the healthcare industry, why making data-driven decisions is key for an organization, and effectively using analytical and AI skills in solving healthcare-related problems.

Fusionex and IMU have also expressed commitment to integrating the technology and medical fields with the exchange of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). The MoA was exchanged by IMU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Pook and Fusionex Founder & Group CEO Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh during the Healthcare Big Data Analytics Forum.

The forum was held at the IMU campus and was jointly organised by IMU, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and Fusionex.

The MoA sees both parties leveraging on their respective strengths – Fusionex utilising BDA and AI, and IMU lending its expertise and knowledge in the healthcare industry – to work together on various aspects of medical Research & Development (R&D) including cancer informatics, advanced drugs, vaccine design, and healthcare analytics.

In order to construct a self-learning AI project, the program needs to be fed with billions of data points. Only with such extensive training can an AI start to visualize, diagnose, test, and predict medical outcomes intelligently, with speed and precision.

To achieve this, the GIANT platform connects to the IMU data points, consolidates, and analyses the data through its AI technology to unearth patterns and trends, and generate valuable insights for the IMU R&D team to utilise. These insights offer benefits that cannot be quantified in value, including reducing the diagnosis and treatment periods for patients and making breakthroughs in medical research, ultimately saving lives. Even unstructured data outside the university including new medicines on the market and their effects, or new discoveries and announcements by the Ministry of Health or World Health Organization, can be compiled and fed into the AI engine in furtherance of IMU’s R&D efforts.

As part of the partnership under the MoA, the research teams from IMU will also be equipped with knowledge on BDA and AI, especially on how to most effectively use GIANT, including finding patterns within data and analysing the insights derived from such data. Fusionex trainers, data scientists, and subject matter experts will be on hand to educate and assist IMU to manage the technology provided to attain BDA and AI readiness.

Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh, Fusionex Founder and Group CEO, said: “We are excited to be pioneering this AI-powered medical research initiative together with IMU. Their farsightedness in transforming their medical education and research to become data analytics ready and AI-driven is commendable. The Fusionex team will work towards improving medical education and research to advance the medical industry and healthcare as a whole.”

“It has always been IMU’s focus to be an innovative global centre of excellence in learning and research, which is why we are always ready to team up with experts in the field of technology – particularly in Big Data Analytics (BDA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – like Fusionex. This is the direction that healthcare is heading towards, and it is of utmost importance to IMU to future-ready our students in this field so that they are fully equipped to take on the future of healthcare upon graduation. I am excited to see where this collaboration with Fusionex will take us and how it can be extended to other programs in the future to benefit our students,” said Professor Abdul Aziz Baba, Vice-Chancellor and CEO of IMU.

About Fusionex

Fusionex is an established multi-award winning data technology provider specializing in Analytics, Big Data, IR 4.0, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. Its offerings are focused on helping clients unlock value and derive insights from data. Featured on Forbes, Bloomberg, Gartner, IDC, Forrester, Edison, and Huffington Post, Fusionex is the largest Big Data Analytics company and market leader in ASEAN, bringing state-of-the-art, innovative, and breakthrough data-driven platforms to its stable of clientele (including Fortune 500, FTSE companies, large conglomerates, as well as a wide array of small and medium enterprises [SMEs]) that spans across the United States, Europe, as well as Asia Pacific. Fusionex is also a MDEC Global Acceleration and Innovation Network (GAIN) company as well as an MSC R&D MGS award recipient.

Gartner’s 2018 report on Modern Analytics and Business Intelligence shortlisted and commended Fusionex’s data technology platform. In addition, Fusionex has been identified as a Major Player in IDC’s MarketScape Report for Big Data & Analytics. Fusionex is the only ASEAN-based company to be featured in both reports, cementing its credentials in the data technology market for this region.

To learn more about Fusionex, visit www.fusionex-international.com

About The International Medical University (IMU)

Founded in 1992, the IMU is Malaysia’s first and most established full-fledged private medical and health sciences university. Today, the IMU offers over 20 health professional programmes at pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Health Sciences, and Postgraduate Studies. IMU has established a solid global network that provides students with greater learning and training opportunities through its credit-transfer agreements with over 30 world’s prestigious universities. In the IMU, students are aspired to be future healthcare professionals who are committed to lifelong learning and imbued with a sense of good citizenship, leadership and ethical behaviour. IMU has been awarded the SETARA 2017 – Outstanding under the Mature University category by the Ministry of Higher Education. IMU also received the self-accreditation status by the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA). The self-accreditation status entitles a higher education provider (HEP) to accredit its programmes except for programmes that require accreditation and recognition of the relevant professional body. IMU was the only private Malaysian University in this category to receive these achievements.

International Medical University is a medical education arm of IHH Healthcare Berhad (5225) (IHH), a public listed company in Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Stock Exchange. IHH is a leading international provider of premium integrated healthcare services operating in the home markets of Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and India. The Group also has a growing presence in China and an expanding network across Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (“CEEMENA”). Known as one of the largest listed healthcare groups in the world, IHH presently operates over 10,000 licensed beds in 50 hospitals across 10 countries.

For more information please visit IMU website at www.imu.edu.my or its blog at http://imunews.imu.edu.my.

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