JAFRI MALIN HONOURED WITH NAM DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR AWARD 2026

Malaysian neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, Professor Dato' Dr. Jafri Malin Abdullah has been honoured with the NAM Distinguished Educator Award 2026 for his outstanding contribution to the teaching, training and academic development of neurosurgery in Malaysia.

Jafri, who is also Professor of Neurosciences and Chairman of the Brain and Behaviour Cluster at Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), received the award from The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, during the opening ceremony of the 26th Annual General Meeting and 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Neurosurgical Association of Malaysia (NAM) at The Zenith Hotel Kuantan.

The award recognises his contribution to shaping generations of neurosurgeons and clinical neuroscientists through his work in building the discipline within Malaysian universities and raising the standards of Malaysian neuroscience research internationally.

The award presentation was held during the opening ceremony of the two-day meeting, which took place under the theme "Beyond Boundaries 2026: Resilience, Evolution, Integration."

According to NAM, Jafri's work has helped shape generations of neurosurgeons and clinical neuroscientists while contributing to the development of neurosurgery within Malaysian universities.

He has also contributed to raising the standards of Malaysian neuroscience research internationally.

Jafri, an academic leader and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, obtained his Doctor of Medicine from USM in 1986 before pursuing neurosurgical specialisation and a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of Ghent, Belgium, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

He subsequently undertook advanced postdoctoral and specialist training internationally before dedicating his career to advancing neurosurgery, neuroscience education, research and clinical innovation in Malaysia.

His academic and research contributions span neuro-oncology, epilepsy, pain, neuropharmacology, behavioural neuroscience, neuroinformatics and neurotechnology.

He has also played a pivotal role in establishing advanced neuroscience research facilities and developing nine postgraduate programmes that have contributed significantly to the training of neurosurgeons, neurologists and neuroscientists.

A prolific academic and mentor, Jafri has authored at least 480 peer-reviewed publications, 10 textbooks and book chapters, while serving in 11 editorial and international academic roles.

His contributions have been recognised through the National Young Scientist Award, Academy of Sciences Malaysia Top Research Scientist Malaysia Award and Malaysian Scopus Research Excellence Award.

Through decades of service to education, mentorship, research and professional development, Jafri has contributed to the advancement of neurosurgical training, having trained at least 165 neurosurgeons, more than 120 neuroscientists and 50 clinical psychologists in Malaysia and internationally.

He is currently representing the Government of Malaysia through the Academy of Sciences Malaysia at the 81st United Nations General Assembly Brain Days Summit on Brain Health and Brain Economy in New York, United States.