GEORGE TOWN: A Penang-born medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland & University College Dublin (UCD) Malaysia Campus (RUMC) has emerged as the institution's 2022 student of the year.

       Por Chia Yin, a medical student at RUMC, also bagged the RUMC Award for first place in Surgery, Psychiatry, Family Medicine and Forensic and Legal medicine.

       The 24-yar-old, who was also chosen as this year's valedictorian, said she initially found it frustrating to study and attend online classes over the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       "It was hard to interact over the screen and talk over the microphone but due to supportive lecturers, I got used to it," she told reporters after RUMC's 22nd conferring ceremony here on Sunday (June 5).

       Por said it was an honour to be able to receive the awards and was looking at the bigger picture ahead.

       "Being a good doctor is much beyond just that... it's not just the amount of money we earn that defines us, it is our ability as doctors to make an impact in our patients' lives which matters," she said.

       Meanwhile, RUMC president and chief executive officer and registrar Prof David Whitford said after two years of conducting graduation ceremonies virtually, 92 doctors from the class of 2022 took their oaths and received their National University of Ireland medical degrees.

       "For this, we also invited those who graduated in 2020 and 2021 via virtual ceremonies, to join the conferring ceremony as graduation is a major life event and it should be celebrated with family and friends physically," he said.

       Earlier, Ambassador of Ireland to Malaysia, Hilary Reilly, graced the conferring ceremony which was also attended by RUMC's Dean Prof Premnath Nagalingam. – Bernama