CHIBA, Japan, 5 September 2026 — What began as a professional fellowship undertaken by a UNIMAS academic nine years ago has developed into a growing international partnership in paediatric orthopaedics.
A delegation from the Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), visited Chiba, Japan, on 4 and 5 September 2026 to participate in an academic programme organised by the Chiba Paediatric Orthopaedic Group (CPOG).
The programme, held at the Chiba Child and Adult Orthopaedic Clinic, also marked the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between UNIMAS and CPOG for another five years.
The UNIMAS delegation was led by Prof. Dr. Mohd Anuar Ramdhan bin Ibrahim. He was accompanied by Dr. Vernon Tan Sze Yuen as secretary, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faris Indra Prahasta bin Didi Indra and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ong Lik Han.
The partnership traces its beginnings to 2017, when Prof. Dr. Mohd Anuar underwent a Paediatric Orthopaedic Fellowship in Chiba.
The professional relationship continued after his training through regular teleconferences and webinars involving specialists in Japan, as well as academics and postgraduate students from UNIMAS.
These sustained academic exchanges led UNIMAS and CPOG to sign their first Memorandum of Understanding in 2022, formally establishing the partnership.
During the recent visit to Chiba, both parties renewed the MoU for another five years. The renewed agreement will support further collaboration in teaching, joint research, professional training, continuing education, academic exchanges and student and staff mobility.
Since 2022, UNIMAS postgraduate students and lecturers have participated in virtual clinical discussions with CPOG surgeons. These sessions have also connected them with specialists from Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines.
The meeting in September was the first combined UNIMAS–CPOG academic programme conducted under the MoU.
UNIMAS delegates participated in presentations and discussions with their international counterparts. The programme provided a platform to exchange knowledge on complex paediatric orthopaedic conditions, clinical outcomes and surgical approaches.
“The collaboration helps break international barriers by creating opportunities for our students and staff to interact with colleagues from other countries,” the delegation said.
“It allows us to share our clinical experience and surgical skills while continuing to learn from the knowledge and techniques developed by our international partners.”
The meeting may also open the door to a wider regional network. Surgeons from the Philippines expressed interest in developing a collaboration involving UNIMAS, CPOG and a participating institution from the Philippines.
There was also interest in organising a future joint academic programme involving the three partners.
Beyond clinical knowledge, the UNIMAS delegation was impressed by the discipline and punctuality demonstrated by the Japanese hosts. The programme adhered closely to its schedule while allowing open and constructive discussion of difficult clinical cases.
The collaboration will now move into its next phase.
UNIMAS is scheduled to host the second combined UNIMAS–CPOG meeting in 2029. Delegates from CPOG are expected to visit the UNIMAS campus and the UNIMAS Teaching Hospital as part of the programme.
For UNIMAS, the partnership is not merely an opportunity to learn from an international partner. It also provides a platform for UNIMAS academics and students to demonstrate their clinical capabilities and contribute to the international exchange of knowledge.
From one surgeon’s fellowship in 2017, the relationship grew into a formal MoU in 2022 and entered a renewed phase in 2026. Its next chapter will be written in Sarawak.
From left to right: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faris Indra Prahasta Didi Indra, Dr. Vernon Tan Sze Yuen, Clinical Prof. Dr. Takashi Saisu, Prof. Dr. Mohd Anuar Ramdhan Ibrahim, and Clinical Prof. Dr. Makoto Kamegaya, of CPOG pose for a photograph.
Clinical Professor Dr. Takashi Saisu and Clinical Professor Dr. Makoto Kamegaya from CPOG were signing the MoU documents in front of Prof. Dr. Mohd Anuar Ramdhan Ibrahim (the most right), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faris Indra Prahasta Didi Indra and Dr. Vernon Tan Sze Yuen (the most left).