Abstract:
Faculty Research Day is an inspiring annual research conference hosted by the Faculty of Health
Sciences (FHS). Faculty Research Day is traditionally organised by the Research Office on behalf of
the FHS. This event allows staff and students, research entities, and partner organisations to interact,
share knowledge, and showcase their innovative research.
Our 2024 Faculty Research Day theme, ‘Navigating Health Disparities in Vulnerable Communities,’
is well aligned with the FHS Research Office’s mission to stimulate an inclusive, collaborative, multidisciplinary,
and transdisciplinary research environment. This theme emphasises interventions
to promote health care for vulnerable populations, maternal and child health, chronic disease
management, and the paradigm shift for patient care—from diagnostics to therapies to clinical
management, including responses to the impact of climate change on health. Our Faculty Research
Day provides educational opportunities through keynote addresses on these critical areas by
experts and thematic oral and poster presentations. Additionally, this event allowed students and
staff from various schools and departments to connect, work together, and develop innovative
research projects aimed at navigating health disparities in vulnerable communities, advancing the
FHS’s transdisciplinary research mandate while improving the visibility and impact of our work, and
promoting transformative research that leads to social impact.
The FHS Research Day has traditionally involved undergraduates, postgraduates, and postdoctoral
fellows as key participants and part of the organising team. In the 2022 and 2023 Faculty Research
Days, undergraduate students were emphasised. The establishment of the TURF Symposium in
2022 and 2023 reinforced this inclusive approach. However, the 2024 Faculty Research Day shifted
its focus towards postgraduate students, incorporating research methods workshops to support
them in efficiently completing their research projects.
