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		BACKGROUND
	
				
	
Technological change is occurring at an unprecedented rate in the global agri-food value chain. New biotechnologies are a major part of this transformational change, including precision agriculture technology and new plant breeding techniques such as gene editing for targeted modification of plant genomes. In combination with innovative practices for monitoring and managing food and agricultural systems, they are opening up new pathways to delivering sustainable food production systems of the future.
It is, thus, important that key stakeholders along the value chain and regulatory authorities share the latest scientific knowledge on the 
	
safety assessment, updates on status and advancement as well as regulatory approach towards potential adoption of these technologies. There is also increasing recognition of needs to engage and educate the broader community and consumers through innovative communication tools to impart knowledge and mitigate any misperception of these technologies.
This seminar to be held back-to-back in Singapore and Malaysia aims to bring together key stakeholders to share scientific updates and facilitate stakeholders' engagement, addressing issues and perspectives on new biotechnologies, safety assessment, regulatory development and communication strategies.



		PROGRAM
	
					Malaysia, September 18, 2024
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					Singapore, September 19, 2024
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Note: Topic and title of presentations are subject to change upon final confirmation with invited speakers.
			
							Download Malaysia Program
					
			
							Download Singapore Program
					

		ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
	
					Malaysia, September 18, 2024
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Dato' Dr Mohamad Zabawi bin Abdul Ghani, Director General, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia
Dato' Dr. Mohamad Zabawi serves as the Director-General of MARDI and possesses expertise in soil science, particularly in soil conservation, agroecological zonation, climate change, green technology, and water stress physiology. He obtained his Ph.D. in Water Stress Physiology and an M.Sc. in Tropical Agriculture from The Reading University in 2006 and 1993, respectively. His B.Sc. in Agriculture Science, specializing in Soil Physics and Conservation, was earned from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 1988. Dato' Dr. Mohamad Zabawi is actively engaged in various climate change-related committees and has delivered technical papers on climate change, green technology, and biomass energy in local and international forums, while also contributing to environmental publications.
Mr Timothy Harrison, Regional Agricultural Counselor, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
TMr Timothy Harrison joined the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in July 2021 as regional agricultural counselor for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. In this role, he oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) activities in the region, including crop reporting and forecasts, trade promotion, and bilateral cooperation on agriculture and food security.  Previously, Mr Harrison was FAS's first head of post in Astana, Kazakhstan.  He has also served as agricultural attaché in Mexico City and worked at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Prior to joining USDA, Mr Harrison worked on agricultural trade policy issues and market development in the private sector.  He holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and a master's degree in International Trade and Investment Policy from George Washington University.
Mr Geoffry Smith, ILSI SEA Region
Mr. Geoffry Smith is President of ILSI Southeast Asia Region based in Singapore, and a Representative of the branch to the ILSI Global Assembly. He is also the Chairman of the Essential Micronutrients Foundation, a non-profit organization which addresses micronutrient deficiencies globally as a public health issue. In addition, he is Director of Nutrition Strategies International which deals with food and nutrition issues in developing countries. Mr. Smith serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Smith was the Global Director, Health Chelates for Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals, and directed the global business for these compounds in food and nutrition as well as pharmaceutical applications. He was responsible for the global project within Akzo Nobel addressing iron deficiency anemia.
Prof Wayne Allen Parrott, Professor, University of Georgia, USA
Prof. Wayne Allen Parrott received a degree in agronomy from the University of Kentucky, and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1988, where he is now a Distinguished Research Professor. Since arriving at Georgia, he has been conducting research on the development, use and safety of transgenic (i.e., GM) and edited crop plants, using grant monies from USDA-NIFA, NSF, DOE and the United Soybean Board. He has published a guide for environmental risk assessment of GMOs, along with ~ 120 journal articles in refereed publications and 15 book chapters. He has served terms on the editorial boards of Plant Cell Reports, Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, and Crop Science. He has served as elected chair of the biotechnology section of the Crop Science Society of America and of the plant section of the Society for In Vitro Biology, and is a fellow of both societies, as well as of the AAAS. He served a term as a co-director for the NSF Plant Genome Research Program, and currently serves as the past-secretary and annual meeting program chair for the American Society of Plant Biologists. He is actively engaged in training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and teaches graduate-level courses in crop genetics. He formerly taught undergraduate courses in agroecology and sustainable agriculture. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and other countries, and advised legislators and regulators in the various countries on the requisites for a functional regulatory system that ensures the safety of GM products.
Mr Amin Asyraf Tamizi, Research Officer, Agri-Omics and Bioinformatics Programme, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Research Centre, MARDI, Malaysia
Mr Amin Asyraf Tamizi is a Research Officer at the Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Research Centre, MARDI, where his current research focuses on CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing of local rice cultivars and the molecular systematics of Nepenthes carnivorous pitcher plants in Peninsular Malaysia.

Mr Amin graduated from Michigan State University, the United States, in 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Biotechnology. His core expertise lies in Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology, and he has served MARDI for ten years (since 2014). During this time, he has been integral to the team that genetically engineered disease-resistant Arabidopsis, rice and papaya, and recently he developed a new CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system for local rice. Additionally, Mr Amin has applied his expertise in molecular systematics to identify and publish several new species of Nepenthes pitcher plants that he and his team discovered in remote mountains. His research findings have been published in nearly 20 journal papers covering the fields of genomics, genetic engineering, gene editing, and molecular taxonomy.
Dr Kumitaa Theva Das, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
 Dr. Kumitaa Theva Das completed her BSc in the US and did her PhD in one of the pioneer labs of genome editing in the US. With more than fifteen years of experience in genome editing, she focuses on developing CRISPR as a therapeutic tool against infectious diseases.

Her national and international funded CRISPR projects have been published in high-impact journals including Nature Medicine and Nature's Scientific Reports, and garnered her numerous awards, including one which led to her attachment at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Kumitaa Theva Das is a co-chair for one of the sub-groups of Malaysia's Genetic Modification Advisory Committee and is part of the ad hoc technical expert group on genome editing under the United Nations Environment Program. She also works with international bodies to improve policies to make genome editing as a gene therapy accessible to low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Kumitaa Theva Das frequently shares her expertise in genome editing through public speaking engagements, including TEDx talks and appearances in mass media.
Dr Tan Yong Quan, Covering Specialist Team Lead, Bioengineering, National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, Singapore
Dr. Tan Yong Quan is the Covering Specialist Team Lead of the Bioengineering Team at the National Centre for Food Science under the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). He is leading risk assessment and regulatory work related to foods enabled by modern biotechnology at the SFA. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Singapore.
Dr Gabriel Romero, Executive Director, Philippines Seed Industry Association (PSIA), Philippines
Dr. Gabriel Romero is the Executive Director of The Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA), and Country Head Philippines of North Hill Group. Prior to that, he was the Senior Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Lead of Monsanto Philippines for 10 years. He also served as Genebank Manager, Director of Crop Biotechnology Center and Acting Deputy Executive Director for Research at the Philippine Rice Research Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from University of California, Davis, USA, and a Master of Philosophy in Plant Breeding from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a BS in Biology from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños. Among his awards are The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), Outstanding Young Scientist from the National Academy of Science and Technology, and Faces of Biotechnology from the Department of Agriculture.
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Executive Director, Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC), Malaysia
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan is the Global Coordinator of the BioTrust-ISAAA and the Executive Director of Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC). She has a PhD in science communication and Master of Biotechnology from University of Malaya, and a degree in Microbiology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Petri Dish ­- the first science newspaper in Malaysia and also co-founded Science Media Centre Malaysia. She started the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulations and Communications (ASCA) and developed the 1st science communication training programme for scientists in Malaysia. Maha also initiated the Science Communication Advisory Board under COMSTECH (Pakistan) to promote science communication in OIC Member States. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University Malaysia and AIMST University; sits on Industry Advisory Panel for seven universities; and served as a Biosafety Outreach specialist for UN FAO, Sri Lanka. Maha is listed as the world's 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American Worldview 2015. She is also listed in the honorific list of Women in Biotechnology Law and Regulation, Biotechnology Law Report (USA) 2015. Maha won the 2010 Third World Academy of Science Regional Prize for Public Understanding of Science for East, Southeast Asia and Pacific Region. She is a board member of the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) and is also on the advisory board for Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation (Iran), Alliance for Science (USA); and Farming Future Bangladesh; and Genetic Literacy Project (USA). Maha is also on the editorial board of the European Federation of Bioeconomy Journal. She is also on the Selangor Bio Advisory Council to provide advice on bioeconomy development in the state. She has published chapters, papers and articles on science/biotech communication, bioeconomy and biotechnology development.
Prof Dr Rofina Yasmin Othman, Honorary Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Dr. Yasmin, is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya having served the University as an academic, researcher and administrator for more than 30 years.  Her research explored the application of molecular tools to facilitate solutions for agriculture particularly of tropical crops. Concurrently she has a keen interest in policies, ethics and socioeconomics of science and technology. She was a two-term member of the National Biosafety Council and is currently a member of the National Bioethics council. She is a fellow and council member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and is the chairman of MRANTI Corporation, a National Technology Commercialization Accelerator and Technology Park initiative reflecting her experience in this area. This included secondments as Undersecretary of the National Biotechnology Division at the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation and appointments as Director of the University's tech transfer office (UMCIC). She is also currently chairman of Life Science Venture firm Xeraya Capital and founder of Leaf Edge Technologies, an innovation platform focusing on promoting uptake of advances in plant science R&D.
Ms Li Xin Kang, Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Secretariat, Singapore
Ms Kang Li Xin serves as the Secretariat for Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Singapore, which is a national advisory committee tasked with overseeing and offering scientifically rigorous advice on the research, development, production, release, use, and handling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within Singapore. Through supporting the Subcommittee of Public Awareness in GMAC, she organises outreach activities aimed to enhance the public's awareness and understanding of GM technology. Ms Li Xin is also part of the Research Office in Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore (A*STAR) where she contributes to the governance of research in A*STAR, in compliant with the Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA).
 
					Singapore, September 19, 2024
											Expand
					
Mr Timothy Harrison, Regional Agricultural Counselor, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Mr Timothy Harrison joined the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in July 2021 as regional agricultural counselor for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. In this role, he oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) activities in the region, including crop reporting and forecasts, trade promotion, and bilateral cooperation on agriculture and food security.  Previously, Mr Harrison was FAS's first head of post in Astana, Kazakhstan.  He has also served as agricultural attaché in Mexico City and worked at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Prior to joining USDA, Mr Harrison worked on agricultural trade policy issues and market development in the private sector.  He holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and a master's degree in International Trade and Investment Policy from George Washington University.
Mr Geoffry Smith, ILSI SEA Region
Mr. Geoffry Smith is President of ILSI Southeast Asia Region based in Singapore, and a Representative of the branch to the ILSI Global Assembly. He is also the Chairman of the Essential Micronutrients Foundation, a non-profit organization which addresses micronutrient deficiencies globally as a public health issue. In addition, he is Director of Nutrition Strategies International which deals with food and nutrition issues in developing countries. Mr. Smith serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Smith was the Global Director, Health Chelates for Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals, and directed the global business for these compounds in food and nutrition as well as pharmaceutical applications. He was responsible for the global project within Akzo Nobel addressing iron deficiency anemia.
Prof Paul Teng, Dean and Managing Director, National Institute of Education International (NIEI), Nanyang Technology University, Singapore
Prof. Paul Teng is Dean and Managing Director of NIE International Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU Singapore; Senior Fellow, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Philippines and Associate Senior Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Singapore. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in food security, commercialization and biosafety of crop biotechnology, agrotechnology innovations/ systems agriculture, bio-entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. He has over thirty years of experience in agri-food issues from positions in international organizations (the International Rice Research Institute, WorldFish Centre), U.S. universities (University of Minnesota, University of Hawaii) and the private sector. Prof. Teng currently is science adviser to two venture funds and several startups in the agtech and biotech space in the U.K. and Singapore.
Prof. Teng has won numerous awards for his work such as the Eriksson Prize in Plant Pathology (Royal Swedish Academy of Science), an Honorary Doctor of Science (from Murdoch University, Australia) and is a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society, the International Society of Plant Pathology, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He is a Past-Chair, Genetic Modification Advisory Committee, Singapore and is also Immediate Past Chairman, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Inc. He has edited/co-edited fifteen books, authored/co-authored four books and published over 250 technical papers. His latest edited book (2024) is "Food Security Issues in Asia".
Prof Wayne Allen Parrott, Professor, University of Georgia, USA
Prof. Wayne Allen Parrott received a degree in agronomy from the University of Kentucky, and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1988, where he is now a Distinguished Research Professor. Since arriving at Georgia, he has been conducting research on the development, use and safety of transgenic (i.e., GM) and edited crop plants, using grant monies from USDA-NIFA, NSF, DOE and the United Soybean Board. He has published a guide for environmental risk assessment of GMOs, along with ~ 120 journal articles in refereed publications and 15 book chapters. He has served terms on the editorial boards of Plant Cell Reports, Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, and Crop Science. He has served as elected chair of the biotechnology section of the Crop Science Society of America and of the plant section of the Society for In Vitro Biology, and is a fellow of both societies, as well as of the AAAS. He served a term as a co-director for the NSF Plant Genome Research Program, and currently serves as the past-secretary and annual meeting program chair for the American Society of Plant Biologists. He is actively engaged in training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and teaches graduate-level courses in crop genetics. He formerly taught undergraduate courses in agroecology and sustainable agriculture. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and other countries, and advised legislators and regulators in the various countries on the requisites for a functional regulatory system that ensures the safety of GM products.
Assoc Prof Tan Meng How, Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) & Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC),  Singapore
Assoc Prof Meng How Tan is a tenured associate professor in the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He received his bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from University of California Berkeley, his master's degrees in aeronautics and biomedical engineering from California Institute of Technology and NTU respectively, and his PhD in developmental biology from Stanford University. After postdoctoral training in Stanford, he returned to Singapore to set up his independent laboratory, focusing on the basic biology and translational applications of DNA and RNA editing. To date, he has published corresponding authored papers in top academic journals, including Nature, Nature Methods, Nature Chemical Biology, and Nature Communications. He received the Outstanding Young Principal Investigator Award from AIChE-SLS in 2019 and was named an EMBO Global Investigator in 2020.
Dr Tan Yong Quan, Covering Specialist Team Lead, Bioengineering, National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, Singapore
Dr. Tan Yong Quan is the Covering Specialist Team Lead of the Bioengineering Team at the National Centre for Food Science under the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). He is leading risk assessment and regulatory work related to foods enabled by modern biotechnology at the SFA. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Singapore.
Dr Gabriel Romero, Executive Director, Philippines Seed Industry Association (PSIA), Philippines
Dr. Gabriel Romero is the Executive Director of The Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA), and Country Head Philippines of North Hill Group. Prior to that, he was the Senior Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Lead of Monsanto Philippines for 10 years. He also served as Genebank Manager, Director of Crop Biotechnology Center and Acting Deputy Executive Director for Research at the Philippine Rice Research Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from University of California, Davis, USA, and a Master of Philosophy in Plant Breeding from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a BS in Biology from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños. Among his awards are The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), Outstanding Young Scientist from the National Academy of Science and Technology, and Faces of Biotechnology from the Department of Agriculture.
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Executive Director, Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC), Malaysia
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan is the Global Coordinator of the BioTrust-ISAAA and the Executive Director of Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC). She has a PhD in science communication and Master of Biotechnology from University of Malaya, and a degree in Microbiology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Petri Dish ­- the first science newspaper in Malaysia and also co-founded Science Media Centre Malaysia. She started the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulations and Communications (ASCA) and developed the 1st science communication training programme for scientists in Malaysia. Maha also initiated the Science Communication Advisory Board under COMSTECH (Pakistan) to promote science communication in OIC Member States. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University Malaysia and AIMST University; sits on Industry Advisory Panel for seven universities; and served as a Biosafety Outreach specialist for UN FAO, Sri Lanka. Maha is listed as the world's 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American Worldview 2015. She is also listed in the honorific list of Women in Biotechnology Law and Regulation, Biotechnology Law Report (USA) 2015. Maha won the 2010 Third World Academy of Science Regional Prize for Public Understanding of Science for East, Southeast Asia and Pacific Region. She is a board member of the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) and is also on the advisory board for Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation (Iran), Alliance for Science (USA); and Farming Future Bangladesh; and Genetic Literacy Project (USA). Maha is also on the editorial board of the European Federation of Bioeconomy Journal. She is also on the Selangor Bio Advisory Council to provide advice on bioeconomy development in the state. She has published chapters, papers and articles on science/biotech communication, bioeconomy and biotechnology development.
Dr Andrew D. Powell,CEO, Asia BioBusiness Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Dr Andrew Powell is the CEO of Asia BioBusiness Pte. Ltd. and also acts a Global Senior International Industry Advisor to Edinburgh Innovations, the commercialisation arm of Edinburgh University. He has worked as a consultant since 1995, primarily focusing on the agriculture and food sectors. Projects have included agri-food sector policy, food security, agtech and food tech, and management of open innovation systems. Clients come from both the private (MNCs and SMEs) and public sectors. Dr Powell is a highly effective resource mobiliser with a global network across all areas of life science but especially in food and agriculture. He has been active in Risk Communication for more than 20 years, conducting training and offering advice to both public and private sector clients.

Dr Powell is the driving force behind the Communications Leadership in Future Foods Program (CLIFF) that seeks to improve engagement with consumers by utilising risk communication strategies. He is also Chairman of the not-for-profit Agri-Biotech Knowledge Information Centre Ltd. in Singapore, and is a mentor for The Yield Lab Asia Pacific and Big Idea Ventures agri-foodtech accelerators in Singapore, as well as SVG Ventures | THRIVE in N. America.

Dr Powell graduated from the University of Edinburgh with honours in Biology and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary. He has held research and academic positions at the University of Guelph, the National Institute for Health Sciences in Tokyo, and Tsukuba, Japan and the National University of Singapore.
Prof Dr Rofina Yasmin Othman, Honorary Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Dr. Yasmin, is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya having served the University as an academic, researcher and administrator for more than 30 years.  Her research explored the application of molecular tools to facilitate solutions for agriculture particularly of tropical crops. Concurrently she has a keen interest in policies, ethics and socioeconomics of science and technology. She was a two-term member of the National Biosafety Council and is currently a member of the National Bioethics council. She is a fellow and council member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and is the chairman of MRANTI Corporation, a National Technology Commercialization Accelerator and Technology Park initiative reflecting her experience in this area. This included secondments as Undersecretary of the National Biotechnology Division at the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation and appointments as Director of the University's tech transfer office (UMCIC). She is also currently chairman of Life Science Venture firm Xeraya Capital and founder of Leaf Edge Technologies, an innovation platform focusing on promoting uptake of advances in plant science R&D.
Ms Mazlina Banu Jaikubali, Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Secretariat, Singapore
Ms Mazlina Banu Jaikubali serves as a Secretariat for the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) in Singapore. In this role, she provides essential support to the national advisory committee tasked with overseeing and offering scientifically rigorous advice on the research, development, production, release, use, and handling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within Singapore. As part of GMAC's Subcommittee for Public Awareness,  Ms Mazlina plays a key role in organizing outreach activities aimed at enhancing public awareness and understanding of GMOs. She is also part of the A*STAR Institutional Review Board (IRB) Secretariat, operating under the Research Office of A*STAR. This position involves contributing to the ethical review processes of research initiatives, ensuring they meet the standards and regulations set by A*STAR and authorities.
 

		ORGANIZER
	
				
				

		CO-ORGANIZERS
	
				
				
				

		CONTACT
	
	
If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the following:
	For Malaysia:

Dr. Rogayah Sekeli and/or Dr. Zulkifli Ahmad Seman

Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)

Email: lynn@mardi.gov.my ; szula@mardi.gov.my
	For Singapore:

ILSI Southeast Asia Region

Singapore

Tel: 65 6352 5220

Email: event@ilsisea.org.sg


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Over the past two decades, advances in scientific research have led to increasing evidence of the beneficial role of complex carbohydrates, in providing important micronutrients, dietary fiber and phytochemical, as well as some with specific components that serve certain functional benefits. In line with these increasing scientific evidence of regulatory development having taken place, especially pertaining to health claims. There is on the other hand on-going scientific debates, popular trends and social media coverage that have centered on the types and amount of carbohydrates intake in relation to health conditions such as overweight, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, with resulting confusion for consumers and misperception of dietary carbohydrates.
The 1-day IN-PERSON symposium will revisit the role of carbohydrates in human nutrition, providing scientific and regulatory updates from experts, researchers, and regional regulatory personnel. It will discuss scientific approaches, identify research gaps, and recommend dietary guidance and food regulations for health promotion and disease prevention in the SEA population.
	
Click below to download the Summary Report:
			
							Download Summary Report
					

		PROGRAM AND SPEAKERS
	
					Opening and Welcome Remarks
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Mrs. Boon Yee Yeong is the Executive Director of ILSI SEA Region, based in Singapore. ILSI SEA Region was established as a regional branch of the world-wide scientific-foundation ILSI in 1993, covering ASEAN and Australasia. Mrs. Yeong oversees the Branch's operation, scientific programs and partnership activities, working closely with stakeholders from private sectors, leading academic institutions, international organizations and key government and health agencies throughout the vast geographical region. ILSI SEA Region facilitates programs that address pertinent nutrition, food safety and sustainability topics as well as issues for the improvement scientific decision for public health benefits.

Mrs. Yeong obtained her BSc and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kings College (previously Queen Elizabeth College) University of London, and has over the past decades actively served to build scientific capacity and nutrition improvement for the target population in the region.
Dr. Mahenderan Appukutty is an Associate Professor of Sports Nutrition and Coordinator of the Sports and Wellness Clinic at the Faculty of Sports Science & Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia. He has served as the Vice President (2020-2024) and Assistant Hon Secretary (2006-2020) of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM) before taking office as President in 2024. Dr. Appukutty also serves as Vice President of the Malaysian Association of Sports Medicine (MASM) and Council Member of the Malaysian Society of Body Composition (MSBC). He was elected to the Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies (FANS) as an Executive Council Member (2019-2023). In 2021, he was appointed Scientific Advisor of the ILSI SEA Region. He also serves on the Clinical Care Committee for the World Obesity Federation since 2013. Dr. Appukutty's research interests and focus are on functional food and exercise science. He was awarded as a Fellow of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (FNSM) in 2016 and a Fellow of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (FMASO) in 2022. He chairs the Malaysian Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines (MoH) and contributed as a key writer for the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines. He has worked closely in the capacity building of nutritionists in the region (Southeast Asia Nutrition Leadership Program, SEAMEO-RECFON, Indonesia) and also served as Chairperson of the Malaysian Nutrition Leadership Programme (MyNLP) and South East Asia Public Health Nutrition Leadership Programme (SEAPHN LP).

Dr Appukutty holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences focusing on nutrition, immunity, and exercise performance from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, an MSc in Sports Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia, and a BSc (Hons) in Nutrition and Community Health from Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Ms. Ts. Zailina Abdul Majid, a Food Technologist since 2000 in Ministry of Health, by qualification, holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Technology (Food Technology), University of Science Malaysia (1995) and a Master of Science (Food Science), National University of Malaysia (2013).

At present, she is the Director for the Policy, Strategic Planning and Codex Standard Division, Food Safety and Quality Programme under the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Her main responsibilities are on formulating of national policies on food safety, promulgation of national legislation, overseeing the management of food analysis, risk assessment, and communication and consumerism activities. She is also responsible in managing international issues of Codex, WTO, SPS and TBT, regional issues pertaining to ASEAN, APEC, etc, including bilateral, multilateral agreements as well as FTAs.  She also attends Codex, ASEAN and other international meetings to ensure Malaysia's positions are upheld.

She is also the Secretary for the Malaysian Food Analyst Council, Assistant to the Chair for Codex Committee of Fats and Oils and at the ASEAN level, and Vice Chair for the Task Force for ASEAN Food Safety Regulatory Framework Agreement (TF AFSRF).
					Session 1: Carbohydrates and Its Role in Human Nutrition and Public Health Guidance
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Mr. Geoffry Smith is President of ILSI Southeast Asia Region based in Singapore, and a Representative of the branch to the ILSI Global Assembly. He is also the Chairman of the Essential Micronutrients Foundation, a non-profit organization which addresses micronutrient deficiencies globally as a public health issue. In addition, he is Director of Nutrition Strategies International which deals with food and nutrition issues in developing countries. Mr. Smith serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Smith was the Global Director, Health Chelates for Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals, and directed the global business for these compounds in food and nutrition as well as pharmaceutical applications. He was responsible for the global project within Akzo Nobel addressing iron deficiency anemia.
Prof. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry is currently Senior Advisor, BMRC, A*STAR, Singapore. Until recently, he was Deputy Executive Director of the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) and the Director of the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, A*STAR. He trained initially as a food scientist. He obtained his MSc and PhD in Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He was a Board member of UK Food Standards Agency. Prof. Henry is on the Board of Directors of International Life Sciences Institute South East Asia Region (ILSI SEA Region), and Advisory board of Monell Chemical Senses Centre, USA. In 2010, he was awarded the British Nutrition Foundation prize for his outstanding contribution to nutrition. He was made a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Scientists and Technologists (2012). Prof. Henry was recipient of the NutraIngredients-Asia NutraChampion Awards 2019, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) - W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award & Lectureship 2019, 100 Most Influential Asian Scientist - 2019 Edition, Asian Scientist Magazine, and the prestigious Niigata International Food Award 2018 known as "Asian World Food Prize". He was the scientific commentator on the highly successful TV program "Food Detective. He continues to be actively engaged in improving the food and nutritional status of people in the ASEAN region and beyond.
Prof. Joanne Slavin is a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, teaching Advanced Human Nutrition. She holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Registered Dietitian (RDN). Notably, Prof. Slavin was a member of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), contributing significantly to the national nutrition guidelines.

Prof. Slavin's extensive research contributions include over 350 scientific articles covering diverse topics such as dietary fiber, carbohydrates, whole grains, protein, snacking, gut health, brain health, and sustainable agriculture. In addition, she had delivered over 400 scientific presentations globally. Prof. Slavin also actively engages in science communication initiatives as a Science Communicator for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), while also holding membership in esteemed scientific societies such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).
Dr. E Siong Tee is Nutrition Consultant for TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultanc, Malaysia. He is also Adjunct Professor for International Medical University and a Member of the Board of Directors of ILSI SEA Region and Scientific Coordinator of ILSI Malaysia Country Committee. Dr. Tee was Head of the Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until his retirement in February 2002, after serving for 30 years. He is a member of several Technical Working Groups of the Ministry of Health Malaysia, including the committees related to Malaysian Food Regulations and Codex Alimentarius. He initiated the formation of the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Network in 2014 and is the current Chairman of the Network.
					Session 2: Science of Carbohydrate Quality and Its Impact on Health
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Prof. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry is currently Senior Advisor, BMRC, A*STAR, Singapore. Until recently, he was Deputy Executive Director of the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) and the Director of the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, A*STAR. He trained initially as a food scientist. He obtained his MSc and PhD in Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He was a Board member of UK Food Standards Agency. Prof. Henry is on the Board of Directors of International Life Sciences Institute South East Asia Region (ILSI SEA Region), and Advisory board of Monell Chemical Senses Centre, USA. In 2010, he was awarded the British Nutrition Foundation prize for his outstanding contribution to nutrition. He was made a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Scientists and Technologists (2012). Prof. Henry was recipient of the NutraIngredients-Asia NutraChampion Awards 2019, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) - W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award & Lectureship 2019, 100 Most Influential Asian Scientist - 2019 Edition, Asian Scientist Magazine, and the prestigious Niigata International Food Award 2018 known as "Asian World Food Prize". He was the scientific commentator on the highly successful TV program "Food Detective. He continues to be actively engaged in improving the food and nutritional status of people in the ASEAN region and beyond.
Dr. Amy Lin is a Senior Principal Scientist leading the Food Carbohydrate Platform at the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation at A*STAR, a Singapore government research entity. Her general research area is carbohydrates and health and structure-function relationships of carbohydrates. Amy's particular interest is slowing the starch degradation process into glucose and controlling carbohydrate utilisation between digestion and colonic fermentation. She is an expert in starch degradation enzymes and starch molecular & granular structure, and she is experienced in potato and wheat quality. Dr. Lin is a former faculty member at Purdue University (USA), the University of Idaho (USA), and Washington State University (USA) and a visiting associate professor at the National Taiwan University (Taiwan). She formerly served as the Chair of the Carbohydrate Division at IFT and AACCI (renamed "Cereals & Grains Association); a Scientific Committee member for the past conferences of Food Hydrocolloids and IUFoST. Dr. Lin is also an Associate Editor of Cereal Chemistry and Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre and has a leading role in Starch Digestion Consortium Inc. (non-profit).
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andrew Holmes has general interests in microbial diversity, its evolutionary origins and ecological applications. He did his PhD studies at the University of Queensland before postdoctoral stints at the University of Warwick, UK and Macquarie University. In 2002 he joined the University of Sydney where he is now Associate Professor in the School of Molecular Bioscience and Microbiome Project node leader in the Charles Perkins Centre. He has particular interests in the relationship between food and health. His research focusses on how diet manipulation via food components influences the host-microbiome interaction and potential for informing public health guidelines or diet interventions in chronic disease. He is currently a Fellow of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.


Dr. Koo Hui Chin is an associate professor at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology. She received her Ph.D. (Nutrition) from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2017. She started her first career as a clinical dietician in the Ministry of Health from 2007 until 2013, prior to pursuing her PhD. She is one of the writers for the revision of "Strategy for the Prevention of Obesity-Malaysia", (SPOM), a national level guideline. Several awards have been received by her, such as the Outstanding Researcher Award from Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology and the Publication Prize Award from the Nutrition Society of Malaysia. She has authored and co-authored a number of research papers related to whole grain, diabetes, childhood obesity and chrono-nutrition. Several research grants have been awarded by the Ministry of Higher Education and other institutions to conduct studies, particularly in whole grain, diabetes and chrono-nutrition. Dr. Koo was featured in leading local newspapers, sharing her knowledge of nutritional health too. She is quite skilled at altering healthy dishes and has a passion for nutrition.
					Session 3: Science and Innovation Updates in Carbohydrates
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Asst. Prof. Anadi Nitithamyong spent her academic career at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University (INMU), Thailand where she served as the Deputy Director for Education and Special Affairs from 2008 to 2011 and Deputy Director for Policy and Planning from 2015 to 2016. Her research interest and experience involve food processing and product development for nutritional and functional purposes, particularly in dietary fibre related areas.  Currently, she is the Immediate Past President of the Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT), and a member of the Nutrition Association of Thailand (NAT).  She is also a member of the Panel of Science Advisors of ILSI SEA Region and is the Coordinator of its Thailand Country Committee. Dr. Nitithamyong received her PhD in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
Dr. Sophie Vinoy obtained her PhD from the French Paris University of life science in human physiology. She is the nutrition senior group leader in global research department of Mondelēz International. She is strongly involved in the European International Life Science Institute at the cross section of academic and industrial scientific partnership. Her primary interest is the impact of food on postprandial metabolism linked to metabolic disease prevention involving food behaviour, low grade inflammation and microbiota modulation. Her main publications are on carbohydrate metabolism and investigated specifically health interest of starch digestibility, as well as satiety. She is co-author of several patents related to foods and health interest.
Dr. Santad Wichienchot is an Associate Professor, Director of Center of Excellence in Functional Foods and Gastronomy, and Vice Dean for Research Innovation and International Affairs, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Thailand. His research focuses on functional carbohydrates, prebiotics, functional food/ingredient for gut-brain health. He is research program administrator, principal investigator and co-investigator of 38 completed research projects in last 16 years. He holds 12 patents and research collaboration with 12 companies. He has published 48 articles in the last 5 years in peer-reviewed and internationally referred Food Science & Technology and Life Science Journals. He had been published 5 book chapters, 1) "Prebiotic oligosaccharides: origins and production, health benefits and commercial applications" in 2011; 2) "Prebiotics and dietary fibers from food processing by-products"; 3) "Sustainability of nutraceuticals and functional foods" had been published in John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2017.; 4) "Polyphenols from food processing by-products and their microbiota-gut-brain axis based health benefits", had been published in 2021 by Elsevier. 5) "Dietary fibers: Structural aspects and nutritional implications. In Food Hydrocolloids Functionalities and Applications" had been published in 2021, Springer Nature Inc. He is invited speaker and participate in international conferences. He is currently serving as reviewer in several International Journals in Food and Health Sciences. Dr.Santad Wichienchot received his PhD in Biotechnology with Food Science and Technology background. He had experience in research work on prebiotics and gut microbiota at University of Reading, UK during he was studying in PhD. and during postdoctoral study. He got a Best PSU Advisor in Science and Technology Award in 2020 and a Best PSU Researcher in Science and Technology and Health Science Award in 2022.
Dr. Sangeetha Shyam is currently a Maria Zambrano Fellow at the Rovira i Virgili University, IISPV & CIBEROBN, Spain. She is a Working Group Member of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies, that develops guidelines to improve reporting standards in nutrition trials internationally. Dr. Shyam is an esteemed alumna of the Interstellar Initiative by the New York Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Agency for Medical Research & Development, which recognizes promising early-career researchers. Prior to her fellowship, she served as a Senior Lecturer at the International Medical University, Malaysia, from 2013 until 2022. Her scholarly achievements include 40 peer-reviewed publications, 3 invited editorials, 4 book chapters, and 1 international technical report.

Some of Dr. Shyam's research work includes a year-long dietary trial targeting metabolic risks in Malaysian women with prior Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), which includes programming a Malaysian Diet Database Calculator and a project exploring the association between nutrition transitions and obesity using nationwide datasets. Her international postdoctoral research work in the UK, Spain and Singapore focused on obesity, dietary patterns, pancreatic cancer and glycemic index values of non-Western foods.

Dr. Shyam actively participates in research dissemination and capacity building. She is an Associate Editor for the Malaysian Journal of Nutrition and has organized conferences, chaired sessions, presented internationally, and delivered public talks for the Ministry of Health, Malaysia & Nutrition Society of Malaysia. She was recently elected as a Fellow of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia for recognition of her contributions towards nutrition in the country.
Dr. Stephan Theis is Head of Nutrition Science and Communication at BENEO-Institute. His responsibilities include the scientific research activities on the nutritional and health benefits of Beneo's functional carbohydrate ingredients worldwide. Stephan joined the Suedzucker/Beneo Group in 2001. He graduated with a diploma in Nutrition Science from the University of Giessen, Germany and obtained a PhD (Dr. rer. nat) from the Technical University of Munich. He is actively involved in international scientific committees and collaborative research projects including several Committees of the International Life Science Institute (ILSI).
					Session 4: Regulatory Updates of Carbohydrates and Promotion Programme in Southeast Asia
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Dr. E Siong Tee is Nutrition Consultant for TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultanc, Malaysia. He is also Adjunct Professor for International Medical University and a Member of the Board of Directors of ILSI SEA Region and Scientific Coordinator of ILSI Malaysia Country Committee. Dr. Tee was Head of the Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until his retirement in February 2002, after serving for 30 years. He is a member of several Technical Working Groups of the Ministry of Health Malaysia, including the committees related to Malaysian Food Regulations and Codex Alimentarius. He initiated the formation of the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Network in 2014 and is the current Chairman of the Network.
Ms. Ts. Zailina Abdul Majid, a Food Technologist since 2000 in Ministry of Health, by qualification, holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Technology (Food Technology), University of Science Malaysia (1995) and a Master of Science (Food Science), National University of Malaysia (2013).
At present, she is the Director for the Policy, Strategic Planning and Codex Standard Division, Food Safety and Quality Programme under the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Her main responsibilities are on formulating of national policies on food safety, promulgation of national legislation, overseeing the management of food analysis, risk assessment, and communication and consumerism activities. She is also responsible in managing international issues of Codex, WTO, SPS and TBT, regional issues pertaining to ASEAN, APEC, etc, including bilateral, multilateral agreements as well as FTAs.  She also attends Codex, ASEAN and other international meetings to ensure Malaysia's positions are upheld.
She is also the Secretary for the Malaysian Food Analyst Council, Assistant to the Chair for Codex Committee of Fats and Oils and at the ASEAN level, and Vice Chair for the Task Force for ASEAN Food Safety Regulatory Framework Agreement (TF AFSRF).
Ms. Priscilla Li works within the Policy and Strategy Development team in HPB. She leads pieces relating to Nutri-Grade and sugar reduction, maternal and child health, as well as food labelling and claims.

She is an accredited practicing dietitian and a certified nutrition support specialist. She received the Ministry of Health - Healthcare Manpower Development Award and obtained fellowship at Cambridge University Hospital and St Georges' Hospital in the UK.
Dr. Roseline Yap started her career as an academic and scientist in the field of nutrition. Currently, she is the Managing Editor for Malaysian Journal of Nutrition. Roseline has been a Council Member of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM) since 2012 and currently is the Honorary Treasurer. Her passion is in the field of community nutrition therefore she is in the expert committee for several programmes such as Nutrition Month Malaysia, Positive Parenting including leading the nutrition promotion programme, NSM Roadshows 2.0.
Ms. Megawati Suzar, Fonterra Brands (M) Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia
	
Note: Topic and Title of presentations are subject to change upon final confirmation with invited speakers.
			
							Download Program
					

		VIRTUAL POSTERS
	
	
Virtual posters were submitted by academicians and researchers, students, healthcare professionals, government, policy and regulatory authority, and industry innovators, in line with the symposium's session themes.
	
Browse through and download their abstracts and e-posters below!
			
							View Posters and Abstracts
					

		ORGANIZER
	
				

		CO-ORGANIZERS
	
				
				

		CONTACT
	
	
If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the following:
	For Local Participants:

Dr. Tee E Siong

Malaysia

Email: estee@nutrihealth.com.my
	For Overseas Participants:

ILSI Southeast Asia Region

Singapore

Tel: 65 6352 5220

Email: event@ilsisea.org.sg


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This two-day seminar will:

Update on food consumption and nutrients quality for Indonesia and Southeast Asia target population
Update on latest science and innovations in food processing and processed food for health and NCD prevention
Share nutrient profiling and healthier choice programs in Indonesia and Southeast Asia and lessons learnt
Provide insight on consumer trends and perceptions of healthier food choices for strategies and guidance
Discuss industry engagement for product development and consumer education

												Registration				
												Venue Location				
						Registration
											REGISTRATION FEES




*Note:Local registration fees are only applicable to participants residing in Indonesia.
						Venue Location
											The two-day seminar will be held IN-PERSON at:

Hotel Borobudur Jakarta

Jalan Lapangan Banteng Selatan No. 1, 10710 Jakarta, Indonesia
Please refer to the map below:


	
Click below to complete the online registration:
			
							Register as Local Participant
					
			
							Register as Overseas Participant
					

		Program and Speakers
	

		DAY 1 (December 4, 2023): Nutrition and Food Processing: Status, Trends and Innovations for Food Guidance
	
					Welcome Remarks, Opening and Keynote Speech
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					Session 1: Nutrition and Food Quality: Updates on Science and Technology
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Dr. Widjaja Lukito, University of Indonesia, Indonesia
Dr. Widjaja Lukito is lecturer of food and nutrition in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia. He also serves as an Advisor to SEAMEO Regional Centre for Food and Nutrition under the auspices of the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization, University of Indonesia. Dr. Lukito was the Director of the Center in the years 2004-2008. Since 2009, he has also been acting as the Coordinator of the ongoing development of Human Nutrition Research Cluster, Medical Education and Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia. He was Special Staff to the Ministry of Health, Indonesia in 2004-2009, and in the Presidential Advisory Council for health. Dr. Lukito received his medical degree in 1986 from Airlangga University in Surabaya, Indonesia and his PhD in Medicine in 1995 at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include nutrition, aging and non-communicable diseases, and their linkages with metabolism. He is the Immediate Past-President of the Indonesia Clinical Nutrition Society, and the Past President of the Asia Pacific Clinical Nutrition Society.
Dr. Helda Khusun, Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Food and Nutrition (SEAMEO RECFON) and Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. HAMKA (UHAMKA), Indonesia

Dr. Helda Khusun is senior researcher and coordinator of the postgraduate training program at SEAMEO RECFON, and lecturer at UHAMKA, Indonesia. Her research areas are dietary assessment and dietary pattern analysis, as well as determinants of obesity including cultural influences. She currently focuses on nutrition transition, especially on the influence of food choice and its determinant in dietary pattern and impact on obesity and NCDs. Dr. Khusun is currently principal investigator evaluating multi-component behavioural determinants of health in adolescents (MEDAL) using a web-based application across three countries in Southeast Asia, a collaborative research study with National University of Singapore. Her existing and previous grants and commissioned work include the Indonesia food barometer study and Socio-cultural research on protein transition (SCRIPT) in Southeast Asia, both collaborations with Taylor-Tolouse University Center. Dr. Khusun obtain her degree in food technology and nutrition from IPB University, Master of Community Nutrition from University of Indonesia, and PhD in Public Health Nutrition from University of Queensland, Australia.
Dr. Umi Fahmida, SEAMEO RECFON and University of Indonesia, Indonesia

Dr. Umi Fahmida is a senior researcher and program coordinator of Early Childhood Care, Nutrition, and Education (ECCNE) at SEAMEO RECFON, and lecturer at the Department of Nutrition Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia. Her research interests are in the nutrient and non-nutrient interaction related to child growth and development.  In the past 20 years, she has been working with diet modelling using linear/goal programming (LP) to develop and evaluate food-based recommendations, and to use the identified nutrient gap to develop food multi-mix using locally-available nutrient-dense foods. Under "Model of partnership to translate guidelines into practices for the optimal diet of Southeast Asia community", Dr. Fahmida and her team promoted the LP approach in Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines for both communities, school and workplace settings.  Currently, she is involved in the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Action Against Stunting Hub, an interdisciplinary multi-centre multi-country study, as Country Lead for Indonesia. Dr. Fahmida holds Ph.D. in Nutrition and MSc in Community Nutrition from Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Indonesia and Bachelor in Agriculture Technology from Faculty of Agriculture Technology at Bogor Agriculture University.
Dr. Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand

Assoc. Prof. Wantanee Kriengsinyos has 20 years of professional experience in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Her current research involves metabolic studies of food products in development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); body composition and energy expenditure; diet and behavior modification for patients with diet-related chronic diseases; and protein quality and amino-acid metabolism. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Kriengsinyos has also developed experience in nutrition policy and was a part of the team that successfully worked to ban partially-hydrogenated oils in Thailand. She currently leads a promotion project on implementation of healthier food logos to combat NCDs through reduction of sugar, fat, and sodium consumption in the Thai population. Currently, Dr. Kriengsinyos is chair of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics program at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. She received a doctorate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada, and holds a Registered Dietitian credential from the United States.
					Session 2: Food Processing and Processed Food - Technological Advances and Role in Nutritious Food Supply 
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Dr. Puspo Edi Giriwono, Southeast Asia Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (SEAFAST) Centre, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Indonesia

Dr. Puspo Edi Giriwono is Director and Head of SEAFAST Center-LPPM IPB and lecturer, Department of Food Science and Technology, IPB University, Indonesia. Dr. Giriwono obtained his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular nutrition from Tohoku University in 2012. He is involved in various research projects on effects of bioactive/functional compounds on inflammation and related cellular signaling, and effects of antioxidants on health. In 2019, Dr. Giriwono completed the Retooling Vocational Competency Program for Lecturers in Food Safety, Coffee Technology, a collaboration with the Directorate General of Institutional Knowledge, Technology, and Higher Education, Indonesia. He was also training instructor on Risk Analysis with FAO/WHO/Ministry of Health in 2019; with Directorate Standardization of Processed Food, Indonesian Drug and Food Authority (BPOM) in 2020; and with the Center for Food and Drug Research and Studies, BPOM, in 2021.
Prof. Purwiyatno Hariyadi, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Indonesia

Prof. Purwiyatno Hariyadi is a Professor in Food Processing and Engineering at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, IPB University, Indonesia. He is actively involved with many professional organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) and Institute for Thermal Process Specialist (IFTPS). Prof. Hariyadi has been consulting for government ministries and agencies including BPOM and Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia, as well as for food industries. His research interests are (i) post-harvest handling and processing; especially for palm oil and (ii) food processing and engineering; especially on sterilization, pasteurization and aseptic processing/packaging, including irradiation of foods. In 2012, he was elected to the Indonesian Academy of Sciences as a member of the Commission of Engineering Sciences. In 2016, Prof Hariyadi was elected to the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST - IUFoST). He is also a member of the CODEX National Committee since 2010, and he served as the Vice-Chair of Codex Alimentarius Commission from 2017- 2021. He was the president of the Indonesian Palm Oil Society (2005-2009) and the President of the Indonesian Association of Food Technologist (IAFT) for two periods (2006-2008; and 2008-2010). Prof. Hariyadi is also the Chief Editor of the monthly magazine of FOODREVIEW Indonesia. He obtained his Ph.D. in Food Chemistry (with minor in Chemical Engineering) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1995).
Prof. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, Biomedical Research Council (BMRC), Agency for Science and Research (A*STAR), Singapore

Prof. Jeyakumar Henry is currently Senior Advisor, BMRC, A*STAR, Singapore. Until recently, he was Deputy Executive Director of the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) and the Director of the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, A*STAR. He trained initially as a food scientist. He obtained his MSc and PhD in Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He was a Board member of UK Food Standards Agency. Prof. Henry is on the Board of Directors of International Life Sciences Institute South East Asia Region (ILSI SEA Region), and Advisory board of Monell Chemical Senses Centre, USA. In 2010, he was awarded the British Nutrition Foundation prize for his outstanding contribution to nutrition. He was made a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Scientists and Technologists (2012). Prof. Henry was recipient of the NutraIngredients-Asia NutraChampion Awards 2019, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) - W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award & Lectureship 2019, 100 Most Influential Asian Scientist - 2019 Edition, Asian Scientist Magazine, and the prestigious Niigata International Food Award 2018 known as "Asian World Food Prize". He was the scientific commentator on the highly successful TV program "Food Detective. He continues to be actively engaged in improving the food and nutritional status of people in the ASEAN region and beyond.
Prof. Ciarán Forde, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Prof. Ciarán Forde leads research on how the sensory properties of foods influence calorie selection, eating behaviour and energy intake and metabolism in adults and children. In 2015 he established and led the 'Sensory and Ingestive Behaviour' at the Clinical Nutrition Research Center in Singapore. From mid-2021 he joined Wageningen University and Research as a Professor and Chair in Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour in the Division of Nutrition and Health. Prof. Forde has published over 100 scientific articles and book chapters, and presented his research at over 180 national and international scientific meetings. He is currently Executive Editor for the journal Appetite, a Section Editor in 'Nutrition Behaviour and Food Intake Regulation' for the European Journal of Nutrition, and an Editorial Board member for Nutrition Bulletin, Journal of Future Food and Journal of Texture Studies. Prof. Forde has previously spent over 11 years in food research roles in the UK (GSK), Australia (CSIRO) and Switzerland (Nestlé Research). He received his BSc in Food Chemistry and a PhD in Sensory Science from the Dept. Nutrition at University College Cork in Ireland.


					Session 3: Consumer Trends and Guidance
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Dr. E Siong Tee, TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy, Malaysia

Dr. E Siong Tee has been a Member of the Board of Directors of ILSI SEA Region since 1996 and Scientific Coordinator of ILSI Malaysia Country Committee since 2005. He is currently a Nutrition Consultant for TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy, Malaysia. Dr. Tee was Head of the Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until his retirement in February 2002, after serving for 30 years. He was Nutrition Advisor to the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Ministry of Health Malaysia from 2002-2011. In that capacity, Dr. Tee was Chairperson or member of several technical committees related to food regulations and Codex Alimentarius. He is still a member of the National Advisory Committee on Food Regulations and several Codex sub-committees. Dr. Tee is also President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM). In this capacity, he has led the implementation of various community nutrition promotion programs, including the annual Nutrition Month Malaysia program. He initiated the formation of the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Network and is the current Chairman of the Network. He was recently elected as Vice-President of the Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies (FANS). Dr Tee is also Adjunct Professor of the International Medical University, Malaysia.
Mr. Adhi Lukman, Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (GAPMMI), Indonesia

Mr. Adhi Lukman is the current Chairman of GAPMMI, the Indonesian Food & Beverages Association. Founded in 1976, the organization creates a conducive business climate for the food and beverage industry in Indonesia, strives to provide healthy food products for the community and strengthen member capabilities in the fields of food safety, processing, health and nutrition. In addition to his role with GAPMMI, Mr. Lukman works with several organizations, as Chairman of Permanent Committee for Development of Food Industry, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KADIN); Commissioner National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN); Member of Working Team of Indonesia's National Productivity Board (LPN); Member of Expert Working Group of National Food Security Council (DKP); Member of National Codex Committee; and Executive Board of AFBA (ASEAN Food and Beverage Alliance), among others. Mr. Lukman graduated from IPB University in Food Technology and Human Nutrition in 1984.
					Panel Discussion: Processed Foods and Consumer Guidance
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					Moderator:

Dr. E Siong Tee, TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy, Malaysia
Panel Members:

Ministry of Health, Indonesia
BPOM, Indonesia
Prof. Purwiyatno Hariyadi, IPB University, Indonesia
Prof. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, A*STAR, Singapore
Mr. Adhi Lukman, GAPMMI, Indonesia


		DAY 2 (December 5, 2023): Nutrient Profiling and Healthier Choice Programs: Implementation, Challenges and Strategies
	
					Session 1: Understanding Food Labeling and Nutrient Profiling
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Ms. Pauline Chan, ILSI SEA Region

Ms. Pauline Chan is the Director of Scientific Programs for ILSI Southeast Asia Region, a global scientific organization that seeks to improve public health through the advancement of science in the areas of nutrition and food safety. ILSI SEA Region is headquartered in Singapore and covers the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand. Pauline has extensive experience in developing scientific programs and facilitating dialogue between scientists, government regulators, and industry to address regional and international issues in nutrition, food safety, sustainability and health. A frequently invited resource speaker at conferences and seminars, Ms. Chan is a registered dietitian (RD) with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Ms. Chan received her M.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics from New York University, USA, and her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Dr. Rita Endang, Indonesian Drug and Food Authority (BPOM), Indonesia

Dr. Rita Endang is Deputy for Processed Food Supervision in the Indonesian Drug and Food Authority (BPOM), Indonesia.  Previously, she was Deputy for Drug, Narcotic, Psychotropic, Precursor, Addictive Substance Control. She also served as a Director. She also served as Director of Drug, Narcotic, Psychotropic, Precursor Production Control (2018-19), Director of Safety, Quality, and Export-Import of Drug, Narcotic, Psychotropic, Precursor, Addictive Substance Control (2017-18), and Head of the Center of Drug and Food Information (2015-17). Dr. Endang achieved Rank No. I in the Information Security Index (Indeks Keamanan Informasi/KAMI), an assessment outcome of ISO 27001: 2013 application, with a score of 634 in the Strategic category. In 2017, Dr. Endang raised an application "SMART BPOM", to improve the effectiveness of drug and food control and to serve as an outcome reporting tool recommended by BPOM to other ministries, agencies and local governments. For this work, Dr. Endang received an achievement award by the State Administration Institute of the Republic of Indonesia. Dr. Endang also received the Satya Lencana Karya Satya XX (Silver) from the President of Republic of Indonesia in 2016. She obtained her pharmacy degree and Master of Health from University of Indonesia.
Dr. E Siong Tee, TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy, Malaysia

Dr. E Siong Tee has been a Member of the Board of Directors of ILSI SEA Region since 1996 and Scientific Coordinator of ILSI Malaysia Country Committee since 2005. He is currently a Nutrition Consultant for TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy, Malaysia. Dr. Tee was Head of the Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until his retirement in February 2002, after serving for 30 years. He was Nutrition Advisor to the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Ministry of Health Malaysia from 2002-2011. In that capacity, Dr. Tee was Chairperson or member of several technical committees related to food regulations and Codex Alimentarius. He is still a member of the National Advisory Committee on Food Regulations and several Codex sub-committees. Dr. Tee is also President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM). In this capacity, he has led the implementation of various community nutrition promotion programs, including the annual Nutrition Month Malaysia program. He initiated the formation of the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Network and is the current Chairman of the Network. He was recently elected as Vice-President of the Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies (FANS). Dr Tee is also Adjunct Professor of the International Medical University, Malaysia.
 
					Session 2: Nutrient Profiling Program Implementation
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Dr. Siti Muslimatun, i3L, Indonesia

Dr. Siti Muslimatun is senior lecturer and Head of Food Science and Nutrition Department at i3L, Indonesia. She is also Indonesia Country Committee Scientific Coordinator at ILSI SEA Region, and member of the Advisory Panel on Asia Soybean Excellent Centre (ASEC) - Human Protein commissioned by the U.S. Soybean Export Council. Her research interests include nutritional assessment, micronutrients, and maternal and child nutrition. She is the Editorial Member of the Malaysian Journal of Nutrition and Jurnal Gizi dan Pangan and serves as a peer-reviewer of many national and international journals. Previously, Dr. Muslimatun was Deputy Director for Program Development and Consultancy, lecturer and researcher in SEAMEO RECFON (2002-2014). She did research in the area of nutritional assessment, micronutrient deficiencies, and food security across Indonesia and in Timor Leste. Dr. Muslimatun graduated from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, in 1991, and obtained her master's degree in Nutrition from the University of Indonesia in 1996 and PhD in Human Nutrition at Wageningen University, Netherlands, in 2001.
Dr. Eunice Pang, Health Promotion Board, Singapore

Dr. Eunice Pang is the Deputy Director of Policy and Strategy Development at Health Promotion Board (HPB) in Singapore.

Her expertise includes upstream supply chain strategies tackling nutrition-related issues at the population level. She is a pioneer in helping to grow the Healthier Choice and has a wealth of experience working with industry colleagues on R&D solutions. Prior to joining HPB, Eunice was a post-doctoral associate at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging-USDA in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.


Dr. Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand

Assoc. Prof. Wantanee Kriengsinyos has 20 years of professional experience in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Her current research involves metabolic studies of food products in development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); body composition and energy expenditure; diet and behavior modification for patients with diet-related chronic diseases; and protein quality and amino-acid metabolism. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Kriengsinyos has also developed experience in nutrition policy and was a part of the team that successfully worked to ban partially-hydrogenated oils in Thailand. She currently leads a promotion project on implementation of healthier food logos to combat NCDs through reduction of sugar, fat, and sodium consumption in the Thai population. Currently, Dr. Kriengsinyos is chair of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics program at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. She received a doctorate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada, and holds a Registered Dietitian credential from the United States.
Dr. Chie Furuta, Ajinomoto Co., Japan

Dr. Chie Furuta joined Ajinomoto Co. Inc in 2008. She studied as a visiting researcher at Tufts University, U.S.A and International Nutrition Foundation, U.S.A in 2011, focusing on international nutrition. She joined the Ghana nutritional improvement program and learned hands-on the importance of nutrition and the power of healthy eating to everyone. Ever since, she has been doing research on how people can achieve "Eat well live well". Dr. Chie Furuta graduated from Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan, and completed her PhD at Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Doctorial Course of the United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Japan.
					Session 3: Consumer Awareness and Product Development
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Dr. Junaida Astina, i3L, Indonesia

Dr. Junaida Astina is a faculty member of the Food Science and Nutrition Department at Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L). Her research involves functional food development, sensory evaluation, clinical trials of resistant maltodextrin on metabolic profile, and maternal and child nutrition. Over the past half-decade, she has spearheaded pioneering projects, educating young mothers on child nutrition and complementary feeding practices. She is actively involved in several projects related to sensory profiling of soy beverages, soy sauce, and sensory profiling training in collaboration with the food industry. Dr. Astina obtained her doctoral degree in Food and Nutrition from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand in 2021 and her B.Sc in Nutrition Science from Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia in 2012.
 
Dr. Aang Sutrisna, GAIN Indonesia

Dr. Aang Sutrisna is Technical Director at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Indonesia. He is a highly experienced monitoring, evaluation and research professional, including in nationwide bio-behavioral and socio-economic impact surveys, and in research and methodology across the health sector, law and justice sector, disaster risk, and poverty reduction. As Capacity Development Consultant for the European Commission delegation, he identified the critical factors hindering effective implementation and absorption of the Global Fund grants for AIDS, TB and malaria. Based on his findings, he developed a two-year capacity building plan for enhancing effectiveness of the grants. Dr. Sutrisna obtained his Master in Public Health from the Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University) in 2003.
Dr. Gie Liem, Deakin University, Australia

Dr. Gie Liem is an Associate Professor in sensory and consumer science at Deakin University, CASS food research centre in Melbourne, Australia. With his research he aims to make the healthy choice the easy choice by investigating sensory and psychological mechanisms which drive food choice. In addition, Gie is an executive editor of the journal Appetite, a member of the Editorial Board of Food Quality and Preference, and a member of the strategic investment panel for Hort Innovation. Gie has previously held positions at Unilever Research and Development and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, as well as the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, USA. With his expertise in sensory and consumer science, Dr. Gie Liem is dedicated to advancing the field through his research and professional activities.
Dr. Rosela Delos Reyes, R&D Asia Director, Unilever, Thailand

Dr. Rosela Delos Reyes is R&D IC Head of Unilever Asia, covering Southeast Asia, China, India and Pakistan. Previously she was R&D IC Head of Southeast Asia. She has 19 years of experience in R&D in food industries. She obtained her degree in food technology from University of the Philippines, Diliman.
 
					Panel Discussion: How to accelerate production and consumption of healthier food and beverage options?
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					Moderator:

Prof. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, A*STAR, Singapore
Panel Members:

Ministry of Health, Indonesia
Dr. Rita Endang, BPOM, Indonesia
Dr. Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Mahidol University, Thailand
Dr. Gie Liem, Deakin University, Australia
Dr. Chie Furuta, Ajinomoto Co., Japan
Dr. Rosela Delos Reyes, Unilever, Thailand

			
							Download Program
					

		Organizer
	

		Co-Organizer
	
				
				

		Contact
	
	For Local Participants:

Mr. William Hery

Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (I3L)

Email: william.hery@i3l.ac.id
	For Overseas Participants:

ILSI Southeast Asia Region

18 Mohamed Sultan Road #03-01

Singapore 238967

Tel: 65 6352 5220

Email: event@ilsisea.org.sg


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		Program and Speakers
	
					Session 1: Protein for Health and Sustainable Solution
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CHAIR: Mrs. Boon Yee Yeong, Executive Director, ILSI Southeast Asia Region, Singapore

Mrs. Boon Yee Yeong is the Executive Director of ILSI SEA Region, based in Singapore. ILSI SEA Region was established as a regional branch of the world-wide scientific-foundation ILSI in 1993, covering ASEAN and Australasia. Mrs. Yeong oversees the Branch's operation, scientific programs and partnership activities, working closely with stakeholders from private sectors, leading academic institutions, international organizations and key government and health agencies throughout the vast geographical region. ILSI SEA Region facilitates programs that address pertinent nutrition, food safety and sustainability topics as well as issues for the improvement scientific decision for public health benefits.

Mrs. Yeong obtained her BSc and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kings College (previously Queen Elizabeth College) University of London, and has over the past decades actively served to build scientific capacity and nutrition improvement for the target population in the region.
Assessing Protein Quality of Sustainable Food Sources to Improve Nutrition in Asia

Assoc. Prof. Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Associate Professor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand

Dr. Wantanee Kriengsinyos has 20 years of professional experience in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Her current research involves metabolic studies of food products in development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); body composition and energy expenditure; diet and behavior modification for patients with diet-related chronic diseases; and protein quality and amino-acid metabolism. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Kriengsinyos has also developed experience in nutrition policy and was a part of the team that successfully worked to ban partially-hydrogenated oils in Thailand. She currently leads a promotion project on implementation of healthier food logos to combat NCDs through reduction of sugar, fat, and sodium consumption in the Thai population. Currently, Dr. Kriengsinyos is chair of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics program at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. She received a doctorate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada, and holds a Registered Dietitian credential from the United States.
Protein Nutrition and Sarcopenia in the Aging Population - A review and case example in Taiwan

Assoc. Prof. Feili Lo Yang, Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Science, College of Human Ecology, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan

Assoc. Prof. Feili Lo Yang is an Associate Professor at the Department of Nutritional Science, College of Human Ecology, Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. She has been active in the university, serving different roles such as Chairperson of the Department of Nutritional Science (2013-2019), Member of Service Learning Advisory Board (2010-2018) and is currently a member of the Research and Development Committee at the Senior Care Resource Center, College of Medicine.

She specializes in lifespan nutrition and biochemical nutritional assessment, and currently serves as the project leader in charge of revising Taiwan's Dietary Reference Intakes and guidelines.

Dr. Feili Lo Yang holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Human Nutrition from The Ohio State University, USA and a Bachelor in Nutrition and Food Science from Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan.
Harnessing Plant Proteins for Cell-based Meat Culture and Seafood Analogues for Human Nutrition and Sustainable Development

Prof. Dejian Huang, Professor & Deputy Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Prof. Dejian Huang is a professor and deputy head at the Department of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore. His research interests cover chemistry of dietary antioxidants: their analytical methodology and action mechanisms as free radical scavengers; chemistry of bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables for controlling diabetes, aging, inflammation, and obesity; plant proteins for 3D printing of seafood mimics and scaffolds for cell-based meat culture and 3D cell culture for biomedical applications. He has published over 200 scholarly papers and was listed as a Highly Cited Researcher 2014 and 2015. He is an associate editor of Journal of Functional Foods and Frontiers in Nutrition Food Chem Section.
 
 
					Session 2: Food Fortification for Improved Nutrition and Health - Strategies, Success and Challenges
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CHAIR: Assoc. Prof. Pattanee Winichagoon, Associate Professor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand

Assoc. Prof. Pattanee Winichagoon is an Associate Professor, and currently, Senior Advisor, at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand. Her research in maternal and child micronutrient status and interventions, and community-based nutrition is well-regarded. This includes impacts of micronutrient fortification on nutritional status and cognitive functions; iron bioavailability from iron fortified foods using stable isotopes, iron metabolism in hemoglobinopathy. She has collaborated with several international renowned researchers and research institutions. Recently, she has been leading research on the application of stable isotopic methods for early life nutrition in Thailand and Asian countries, including human milk intake, body composition of mothers and children, and infant energy expenditure, aiming to contribute to data gaps from low- and middle-income countries. She has served on WHO guideline development groups on indicators for assessing anemia and iron status; FAO/WHO expert group on nutrient requirements of infants and young children. She has published numerous international peer-reviewed articles and monographs, and was recognized as the IUNS fellow at the 13th International Conference of Nutrition. Assoc. Prof. Winichagoon was the Vice-Chair of the Scientific Committee for the 19th International Congress of Nutrition held in Bangkok (2009). She obtained her M.Sc. in Nutrition from the University of Hawaii, PhD in International Nutrition from Cornell University, USA.
Nutritional Status and Food Fortification Efforts in the Philippines

Dr. Imelda Agdeppa, Director IV and Scientist IV, Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), Philippines

Dr. Imelda Agdeppa is the Director of the Department of Science and Technology, Food and Nutrition Research Institute and conferred as Scientist IV by the National Academy of Science and Technology and the Civil service Commission. She is also a Board Member of the Professional Regulatory Board of Nutrition and Dietetics, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). She conducted numerous community trials that contributed significantly to the improvement in nutritional status of Filipinos.

She has been a short-term consultant in Indonesia and in the National Institute of Nutrition, Hanoi, Vietnam, a project leader in the conduct of National Nutrition Surveys. Her most recent research is development of Healthy Eating Index for Filipinos.

She received numerous awards: PAGASA awarded by the President of the Philippines, the Alberto Romualdez Outstanding Health Research Award, Clara Ruth Darby by the Nutritionist - Dietitians Association of the Phil.
Voluntary Food Fortification for Improved Nutrition - Industry Perspectives 

Ms. Wei Tang, Regional Head, Diet & Health - Asia, Unilever, China

Ms. Wei Tang is Regional Head of Diet and Health (Asia) of Unilever. Ms. Tang supports Unilever's external nutrition and health-related programs and collaboration across Asia. She has 16 years of working experience in Research & Development at various positions related to Nutrition & Science, Product Development and Scientific Affairs in France and China. She joined Unilever in 2017 as Regional Head of Nutrition External Engagement for North Asia and expanded her responsibility to Southeast Asia and Australasia (SEAA) region from 2018. Ms. Tang obtained her M.Sc. in Biology and Innovation in Quality and Productions of Vegetable respectively at University Paris XIII and University Paris XI.
Status of Food Fortification Regulations in Southeast Asia -  An Overview

Ms. Pauline Chan, Director, Scientific Programs, ILSI Southeast Asia Region, Singapore

Ms. Pauline Chan is the Director of Scientific Programs for ILSI Southeast Asia Region, a global scientific organization that seeks to improve public health through the advancement of science in the areas of nutrition and food safety. ILSI SEA Region is headquartered in Singapore and covers the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand. Pauline has extensive experience in developing scientific programs and facilitating dialogue between scientists, government regulators, and industry to address regional and international issues in nutrition, food safety, sustainability and health. A frequently invited resource speaker at conferences and seminars, Ms. Chan is a registered dietitian (RD) with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Ms. Chan received her M.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics from New York University, USA, and her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
			
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		ILSI Booth at ACN 2023
	
	



Drop by our exhibition booth at D10, 1st Floor, Tianfu International Convention Center, Chengdu, China!
				

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	Since 2001, ILSI SEA Region has facilitated a series of seminars and workshops for regulators, researchers and scientists, and relevant food industry personnel from the region to discuss issues on nutrition labeling and claims.

The 12th Seminar on Nutrition Labeling and Claims aims to provide updates on regional developments and regulatory changes in nutrition labeling, nutrition and health claims, Front-of-Pack labeling and related issues in Southeast Asia and other regions. It will also discuss on the regulatory status of non-nutritional food components and updates on harmonization efforts of nutrition labeling in ASEAN, as well as scientific substantiation and harmonization opportunities for nutrition & health claims in SEA.
												Registration				
												Venue Location				
						Registration
											REGISTRATION FEES



*Note:Local registration fees are only applicable to participants residing in Malaysia.

*Malaysian Registrants:This seminar, co-organized by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), is HRD Corp-claimable.
 
						Venue Location
											The 12th Nutrition Labeling and Claims Seminar will be held IN-PERSON at:

Grand Hibiscus Ballroom

Level 3 - Residences Building

Swiss-Garden Hotel, Bukit Bintang

117, Jalan Pudu, 55100

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Please refer to the map below:


	
Click below to complete the online registration:
			
							Register as LOCAL Participant
					
			
							Register as Overseas Participant
					

		Program and Speakers
	
					Welcome Address and Introduction 
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					Ms Ts. Zailina Abdul Majid, a Food Technologist since 2000 in Ministry of Health, by qualification, holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Technology (Food Technology), University of Science Malaysia (1995) and a Master of Science (Food Science), National University of Malaysia (2013).

At present, she is the Director for the Policy, Strategic Planning and Codex Standard Division, Food Safety and Quality Programme under the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Her main responsibilities are on the formulating national policies on food safety, promulgation of national legislation, overseeing the management of food analysis, risk assessment, and communication and consumerism activities. She is also responsible in managing international issues of Codex, WTO, SPS and TBT, regional issues pertaining to ASEAN, APEC, etc, including bilateral, multilateral agreements as well as FTAs. She also attends Codex, ASEAN and other international meetings to ensure Malaysia's positions are upheld.

She is also the Secretary for Malaysian Food Analyst Council, the Lead Secretariat for Codex Committee of Fats and Oils host country secretariat and at the ASEAN level, she is the Vice Chair for the Task Force for ASEAN Food Safety Regulatory Framework Agreement (TF AFSRF).
Mrs. Boon Yee Yeong  is the Executive Director of ILSI SEA Region, based in Singapore. ILSI SEA Region was established as a regional branch of the world-wide scientific-foundation ILSI in 1993, covering ASEAN and Australasia. Mrs. Yeong oversees the Branch's operation, scientific programs and partnership activities, working closely with stakeholders from private sectors, leading academic institutions, international organizations and key government and health agencies throughout the vast geographical region. ILSI SEA Region facilitates programs that address pertinent nutrition, food safety and sustainability topics as well as issues for the improvement scientific decision for public health benefits.
Mrs. Yeong obtained her BSc and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kings College (previously Queen Elizabeth College) University of London, and has over the past decades actively served to build scientific capacity and nutrition improvement for the target population in the region.
Dr. E Siong Tee has been a Member of the Board of Directors of ILSI SEA Region since 1996 and Scientific Coordinator of ILSI Malaysia Country Committee since 2005. He is currently a Nutrition Consultant for TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy. Dr. Tee was Head of the Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until his retirement in February 2002, after serving for 30 years. He was Nutrition Advisor to the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Ministry of Health Malaysia from 2002-2011. In that capacity, Dr. Tee was Chairperson or member of several technical committees related to food regulations and Codex Alimentarius. He is still a member of the National Advisory Committee on Food Regulations and several Codex sub-committees. Dr. Tee is also President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM). In this capacity, he has led the implementation of various community nutrition promotion programs. He represents NSM in several Technical Working Groups in the Ministry of Health Malaysia, including the National Coordinating Committee for Food and Nutrition (NCCFN) and the Technical Working Group for Nutritional Guidelines. He initiated the formation of the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Network and is the current Chairman of the Network. Dr Tee is also Adjunct Professor of the International Medical University, Malaysia.
					Session 1
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Dr. E Siong Tee has been a Member of the Board of Directors of ILSI SEA Region since 1996 and Scientific Coordinator of ILSI Malaysia Country Committee since 2005. He is currently a Nutrition Consultant for TES NutriHealth Strategic Consultancy. Dr. Tee was Head of the Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre of the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, until his retirement in February 2002, after serving for 30 years. He was Nutrition Advisor to the Food Safety and Quality Division of the Ministry of Health Malaysia from 2002-2011. In that capacity, Dr. Tee was Chairperson or member of several technical committees related to food regulations and Codex Alimentarius. He is still a member of the National Advisory Committee on Food Regulations and several Codex sub-committees. Dr. Tee is also President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM). In this capacity, he has led the implementation of various community nutrition promotion programs. He represents NSM in several Technical Working Groups in the Ministry of Health Malaysia, including the National Coordinating Committee for Food and Nutrition (NCCFN) and the Technical Working Group for Nutritional Guidelines. He initiated the formation of the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition (SEA-PHN) Network and is the current Chairman of the Network. Dr Tee is also Adjunct Professor of the International Medical University, Malaysia.
Ms. Noor ul-Aziha Muhammad is a Senior Assistant Director at the Food Safety and Quality Division (FSQD), Ministry of Health Malaysia. She has been working in the Ministry of Health Malaysia for the past 15 years and is currently the Secretariat for the National Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses. One of her responsibilities is to ensure the harmonization of the international guidelines and standards set in the Codex with the Malaysian Food Regulations, specifically on nutrition labelling and claims as well as the special purpose food standard. She is also Secretariat for the Expert Committee on Nutrition, Health Claims and Advertisement, a member of the National Codex Committee on Food Labelling and a member of the Expert Committee on Food Labelling. In her role, she is also giving technical and professional advice on the Malaysian Food Regulations to industries and consumers.
Ms. Meliza Suhartatik, STP, MKM is a Food Product Regulator Officer from Indonesian FDA with more than ten years of experience working in Directorate for Food Product Standardization. She graduated from Indonesia University in 2020 with master's degree in public health nutrition and a bachelor's degree in 2004 in Bogor Agriculture Institute Meliza is also in charge of providing information to the public about processed food regulations, particularly regulations regarding nutritional labeling. In 2022, she worked in a team to develop an application to create nutrition information tables that comply with Indonesian regulations (Aplikasi Cetak Informasi Nilai Gizi Mandiri). With this application, Food producers, especially SMEs, can easily create their own nutritional information for their products.
Ms. Maricel Rosaroso Naniong is Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian and a Licensed Professional Teacher. She is a senior food evaluator of the Licensing and Registration Division of the Center for Food Regulation and Research of FDA Philippines. She is one of the contributors to the modified electronic portal version 2 which is being used for product registration application.
Maricel worked as a Home Economics and Livelihood Education teacher for a year and as Assistant Restaurant Manager of Jollibee, a Filipino chain of fast food restaurants for three years prior to entering the Food and Drug Administration.
Ms. Seah Peik Ching is the Deputy Director for Regulatory Standard & Veterinary Office of the Singapore Food Agency. She holds an honours degree in Nutrition and is involves in setting policies on food labeling and claims.  Peik Ching is also part of the Singapore National Codex Office which oversees the strategies and Singapore's participation in Codex.
Prior to this, she was involved in nutrition and health promotion and was involved in formulating national nutrition policies and strategizing programmes to create a conducive environment for healthy eating. She was instrumental in key strategies such as the Healthier Choice Symbol, Healthier Hawkers Programme and Healthier Dining Programme. Peik Ching was also a WHO Technical Advisor in Obesity Prevention to share her experience in promotion of healthy eating.
Ms. Jiraratana Thesasilpa is a Food and Drug Technical Officer, Senior Professional Level, at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. She is currently responsible for the standard establishing such as food additives, contaminant and others food standards, and also participates in the international meeting concerning food standards. She received her M.sc. in Tropical Nutrition and Food Science from Mahidol University, Thailand.
Dr. Tran Khanh Van is Head of the Micronutrient Department at the National Institute of Nutrition. Dr. Van served as a focal point for food fortification programs and the SBN network (Scaling Up Nutrition Business network). During her professional career of more than 25 years, she has been involved in numerous research and community educational projects focusing on nutrition communication and education, micronutrient deficiency, food fortification, and nutrition labelling emphasizing information on overweight and obesity control. She is also a member of the core group to develop important nutritional policies such as National Strategies for Nutrition and the National Plan of Action for Nutrition, nutrition labelling, Nutrition reference intakes. Dr. Van received her M.D. in Hanoi Medical School and completed her M.S. in Public Health at the University of Massachusetts, USA. She achieved her PhD in nutrition at both University of Massachusetts, USA and the National Institute of Nutrition, in Vietnam.
Ms. Norlida Zulkafly is a Nutritionist and currently appointed as the Section Head, for Special Food Group Section in the Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health. She obtained her degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2002. She began her career as nutritionist in a pharmaceutical and health industry for three years before joining Ministry of Health as Nutritionist in 2005.
Ms. Norlida has been involved with several expert committees namely Expert Committee on Nutrition, Health Claims & Advertisement and Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU). Her field of interest includes nutrition labelling and food standards development.
					Session 2
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Ms. Pauline Chan is the Director of Scientific Programs for ILSI Southeast Asia Region, a global scientific organization that seeks to improve public health through the advancement of science in the areas of nutrition and food safety. ILSI SEA Region is headquartered in Singapore and covers the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand. Pauline has extensive experience in developing scientific programs and facilitating dialogue between scientists, government regulators, and industry to address regional and international issues in nutrition, food safety, sustainability and health. A frequently invited resource speaker at conferences and seminars, Ms. Chan is a registered dietitian (RD) with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Ms. Chan received her M.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics from New York University, USA, and her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Mr. Wilfred Feng joined Dentons Shanghai Office as Senior Counsel in 2019. His practice focuses on international regulatory laws concerning life science, health, environment and data security, advising clients in the sectors of food, packaging materials, drug, medical device, tobacco products, cosmetics, agricultural products, chemicals, biomanufacturing and artificial intelligence.

By bridging law and science, he works with the regulatory authorities in China, the U.S., EU, Japan, and other jurisdictions, such as Chinese National Health Commission (NHC), State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), etc. His work includes compliance review for products and businesses, obtaining pre-market clearance, defending clients' products in the administrative or legal procedures, and other routine legal service.

Before joining Dentons, Mr. Feng spent 14 years at Keller and Heckman, an international regulatory law firm.  As the first Chinese member joining its Shanghai Office, Mr. Feng has made significant contribution to its establishment and growth. Before working at law firms, Mr. Feng gained extensive experience in regulatory affairs, government affairs, business administration and R&D at DuPont.

Mr. Feng earned B.Sc. (biology) from Fudan University, and master degrees in agriculture and law, from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and East China University of Law and Political Sciences. He is qualified to practice law in China.
Dr. Eunice Pang is the Deputy Director of Policy and Strategy Development at Health Promotion Board in Singapore.

Her expertise includes upstream supply chain strategies tackling nutrition-related issues at the population level. She is a pioneer in helping to grow the Healthier Choice and has a wealth of experience working with industry colleagues on R&D solutions.

Prior to joining HPB, Eunice was a post-doctoral associate at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging-USDA in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Ms. Fatimah Sulong is a Senior Principal Assistant Director at Nutrition Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya.  She is currently leading the Industry Collaboration Sector in Nutrition Division. Her responsibilities include planning, managing, monitoring and evaluating nutrition programmes related to healthier products initiatives, food services and code of ethics for the marketing of infant products.

She was previously the Senior Principal Assistant Director at Negeri Sembilan State Health Department from 2014-2016 and the Senior Assistant Director from 2006-2010. In addition, Ms Fatimah also worked at the Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia from 2010-2014 and 2001-2006 where she was directly involved in formulating and reviewing policies for special purpose foods, nutrition labelling and claims regulations and advertisements. She was also the Secretariat for the National Codex Sub Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (NFSDU).

Ms Fatimah holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Nutrition from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2009 and 1997 respectively.
Ms. Meliza Suhartatik, STP, MKM is a Food Product Regulator Officer from Indonesian FDA with more than ten years of experience working in Directorate for Food Product Standardization. She graduated from Indonesia University in 2020 with master's degree in public health nutrition and a bachelor's degree in 2004 in Bogor Agriculture Institute Meliza is also in charge of providing information to the public about processed food regulations, particularly regulations regarding nutritional labeling. In 2022, she worked in a team to develop an application to create nutrition information tables that comply with Indonesian regulations (Aplikasi Cetak Informasi Nilai Gizi Mandiri). With this application, Food producers, especially SMEs, can easily create their own nutritional information for their products.
Mr. Araya Rojjanawanicharkorn hold a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition for Development from Mahidol University. In 2011, he graduated from the Thammasart University, Faculty of Economic with a Master of Business Economy. He has been work for Thai Food and Drug Administration for 12 years as a researcher. In his current roles, Mr.Araya became a politician and is one of the key person driven Food and Nutrition policy in Thailand. Moreover, he is also a member of National Food Committee and Thai Health Fund. More importantly, Mr.Araya plays important role in driving "Front-of-Pack policy" since 2015 and now appointed to Spokesman for Deputy Minister of Public Health and also worked as the President of Policy driving working group for Thailand's Healthier Choice Logo.
					Panel Discussion: Impacts and Challenges of Consumer Communication 
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Dr. Eunice Pang is the Deputy Director of Policy and Strategy Development at Health Promotion Board in Singapore.

Her expertise includes upstream supply chain strategies tackling nutrition-related issues at the population level. She is a pioneer in helping to grow the Healthier Choice and has a wealth of experience working with industry colleagues on R&D solutions.

Prior to joining HPB, Eunice was a post-doctoral associate at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging-USDA in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Mr. Araya Rojjanawanicharkorn hold a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition for Development from Mahidol University. In 2011, he graduated from the Thammasart University, Faculty of Economic with a Master of Business Economy. He has been work for Thai Food and Drug Administration for 12 years as a researcher. In his current roles, Mr.Araya became a politician and is one of the key person driven Food and Nutrition policy in Thailand. Moreover, he is also a member of National Food Committee and Thai Health Fund. More importantly, Mr.Araya plays important role in driving "Front-of-Pack policy" since 2015 and now appointed to Spokesman for Deputy Minister of Public Health and also worked as the President of Policy driving working group for Thailand's Healthier Choice Logo.
Assoc Prof Dr Chin Yit Siew is the Associate Professor, Community Nutrition Unit, Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Her field of specialisation in community nutrition has prompted research interests that include i) child and adolescent nutrition and body composition, ii) early nutrition and allergic diseases, and iii) nutrigenetics and metabolic syndrome. She is one of main researchers of the Research Centre of Excellence Nutrition and Non-Communicable Chronic Disease (RCOE-NNCD), in UPM.  She serves on the Editorial Boards of BMC Public Health and Malaysian Journal of Nutrition (Mal J Nutr).  She is also Hon. Secretary of Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM) and Vice President of Malaysian Society of Body Composition (MSBC). She also serves as a member of several Technical Working Groups (TWGs) under Ministry of Health of Malaysia.

As a community nutritionist, she has been actively organising various nutrition and health promotion programmes in various community settings. Currently, she is a member of Nutrition Month Malaysia National Steering Committee, and expert committee of both Healthy Kids Programme, and 'Good Nutrition - Key to Healthy Children' (GNKHC) Programme and 'Malaysia School Nutrition Promotion Programme' (MySNPP). She also leads several research-driven community programmes, such as Program Cara Hidup Sihat, 'Eat Right, Be Positive About Your Body and Live Actively' (EPaL) intervention programme, School Nutrition Programme (SNP), and 'PUTRA Community Nutrition Ambassador' Programme.
					Panel Discussion: Fostering Harmonization of Substantiation of Claims in SEA - Moving Ahead
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					Dr. Kittiporn (Kit) Phanvijhitsiri has been leading the R&D Life Sciences at PepsiCo Services Asia based in Bangkok for 7 years.He joined PepsiCo after 10+ years with global food companies, including Thai Union, Ingredion, Unilever,  Mead Johnson and Ajinomoto.

He also served on the expert panel subcommittees for the Thai FDA to work on Dietary Guidelines for the Thai 2016 and Nutrient Profiling (Thailand Healthier Logo) 2013-2020. Currently, he also works as nutrition science advisor to the FTI (Food Industry) on subject related to health and nutrition.

A former lecturer at the Institute of Nutrition (Mahidol University - Thailand), Kit holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition from the University of Chicago. He completed his Masters at Vanderbilt following his undergraduate years at Kasetsart University with publications in the internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals. He is a strong supporter of new scientific research on functional foods and ingredient at both the local and international level.
Ms. Norlida Zulkafly is a Nutritionist and currently appointed as the Section Head, for Special Food Group Section in the Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of Health. She obtained her degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2002. She began her career as nutritionist in a pharmaceutical and health industry for three years before joining Ministry of Health as Nutritionist in 2005.

Ms. Norlida has been involved with several expert committees namely Expert Committee on Nutrition, Health Claims & Advertisement and Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU). Her field of interest includes nutrition labelling and food standards development.
Ms. Seah Peik Ching is the Deputy Director for Regulatory Standard & Veterinary Office of the Singapore Food Agency. She holds an honours degree in Nutrition and is involves in setting policies on food labeling and claims.  Peik Ching is also part of the Singapore National Codex Office which oversees the strategies and Singapore's participation in Codex.

Prior to this, she was involved in nutrition and health promotion and was involved in formulating national nutrition policies and strategizing programmes to create a conducive environment for healthy eating. She was instrumental in key strategies such as the Healthier Choice Symbol, Healthier Hawkers Programme and Healthier Dining Programme. Peik Ching was also a WHO Technical Advisor in Obesity Prevention to share her experience in promotion of healthy eating.
			
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		Organizer
	

		Co-Organizers
	
				
				
				

		Contact
	
	For Local Participants:

Dr. Tee E Siong

Email: president@nutriweb.org.my

estee@nutrihealth.com.my
	For Overseas Participants:

ILSI Southeast Asia Region

18 Mohamed Sultan road #03-01

Singapore 238967

Tel: 65 6352 5220

Email: event@ilsisea.org.sg


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		BACKGROUND
	
				
	
Technological change is occurring at an unprecedented rate in the global agri-food value chain. New biotechnologies are a major part of this transformational change, including precision agriculture technology and new plant breeding techniques such as gene editing for targeted modification of plant genomes. In combination with innovative practices for monitoring and managing food and agricultural systems, they are opening up new pathways to delivering sustainable food production systems of the future.
It is, thus, important that key stakeholders along the value chain and regulatory authorities share the latest scientific knowledge on the 
	
safety assessment, updates on status and advancement as well as regulatory approach towards potential adoption of these technologies. There is also increasing recognition of needs to engage and educate the broader community and consumers through innovative communication tools to impart knowledge and mitigate any misperception of these technologies.
This seminar to be held back-to-back in Singapore and Malaysia aims to bring together key stakeholders to share scientific updates and facilitate stakeholders' engagement, addressing issues and perspectives on new biotechnologies, safety assessment, regulatory development and communication strategies.



		PROGRAM
	
					Malaysia, September 18, 2024
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					Singapore, September 19, 2024
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Note: Topic and title of presentations are subject to change upon final confirmation with invited speakers.
			
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							Download Singapore Program
					

		ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
	
					Malaysia, September 18, 2024
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Dato' Dr Mohamad Zabawi bin Abdul Ghani, Director General, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia
Dato' Dr. Mohamad Zabawi serves as the Director-General of MARDI and possesses expertise in soil science, particularly in soil conservation, agroecological zonation, climate change, green technology, and water stress physiology. He obtained his Ph.D. in Water Stress Physiology and an M.Sc. in Tropical Agriculture from The Reading University in 2006 and 1993, respectively. His B.Sc. in Agriculture Science, specializing in Soil Physics and Conservation, was earned from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 1988. Dato' Dr. Mohamad Zabawi is actively engaged in various climate change-related committees and has delivered technical papers on climate change, green technology, and biomass energy in local and international forums, while also contributing to environmental publications.
Mr Timothy Harrison, Regional Agricultural Counselor, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
TMr Timothy Harrison joined the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in July 2021 as regional agricultural counselor for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. In this role, he oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) activities in the region, including crop reporting and forecasts, trade promotion, and bilateral cooperation on agriculture and food security.  Previously, Mr Harrison was FAS's first head of post in Astana, Kazakhstan.  He has also served as agricultural attaché in Mexico City and worked at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Prior to joining USDA, Mr Harrison worked on agricultural trade policy issues and market development in the private sector.  He holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and a master's degree in International Trade and Investment Policy from George Washington University.
Mr Geoffry Smith, ILSI SEA Region
Mr. Geoffry Smith is President of ILSI Southeast Asia Region based in Singapore, and a Representative of the branch to the ILSI Global Assembly. He is also the Chairman of the Essential Micronutrients Foundation, a non-profit organization which addresses micronutrient deficiencies globally as a public health issue. In addition, he is Director of Nutrition Strategies International which deals with food and nutrition issues in developing countries. Mr. Smith serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Smith was the Global Director, Health Chelates for Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals, and directed the global business for these compounds in food and nutrition as well as pharmaceutical applications. He was responsible for the global project within Akzo Nobel addressing iron deficiency anemia.
Prof Wayne Allen Parrott, Professor, University of Georgia, USA
Prof. Wayne Allen Parrott received a degree in agronomy from the University of Kentucky, and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1988, where he is now a Distinguished Research Professor. Since arriving at Georgia, he has been conducting research on the development, use and safety of transgenic (i.e., GM) and edited crop plants, using grant monies from USDA-NIFA, NSF, DOE and the United Soybean Board. He has published a guide for environmental risk assessment of GMOs, along with ~ 120 journal articles in refereed publications and 15 book chapters. He has served terms on the editorial boards of Plant Cell Reports, Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, and Crop Science. He has served as elected chair of the biotechnology section of the Crop Science Society of America and of the plant section of the Society for In Vitro Biology, and is a fellow of both societies, as well as of the AAAS. He served a term as a co-director for the NSF Plant Genome Research Program, and currently serves as the past-secretary and annual meeting program chair for the American Society of Plant Biologists. He is actively engaged in training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and teaches graduate-level courses in crop genetics. He formerly taught undergraduate courses in agroecology and sustainable agriculture. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and other countries, and advised legislators and regulators in the various countries on the requisites for a functional regulatory system that ensures the safety of GM products.
Mr Amin Asyraf Tamizi, Research Officer, Agri-Omics and Bioinformatics Programme, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Research Centre, MARDI, Malaysia
Mr Amin Asyraf Tamizi is a Research Officer at the Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Research Centre, MARDI, where his current research focuses on CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing of local rice cultivars and the molecular systematics of Nepenthes carnivorous pitcher plants in Peninsular Malaysia.

Mr Amin graduated from Michigan State University, the United States, in 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Biotechnology. His core expertise lies in Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology, and he has served MARDI for ten years (since 2014). During this time, he has been integral to the team that genetically engineered disease-resistant Arabidopsis, rice and papaya, and recently he developed a new CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system for local rice. Additionally, Mr Amin has applied his expertise in molecular systematics to identify and publish several new species of Nepenthes pitcher plants that he and his team discovered in remote mountains. His research findings have been published in nearly 20 journal papers covering the fields of genomics, genetic engineering, gene editing, and molecular taxonomy.
Dr Kumitaa Theva Das, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
 Dr. Kumitaa Theva Das completed her BSc in the US and did her PhD in one of the pioneer labs of genome editing in the US. With more than fifteen years of experience in genome editing, she focuses on developing CRISPR as a therapeutic tool against infectious diseases.

Her national and international funded CRISPR projects have been published in high-impact journals including Nature Medicine and Nature's Scientific Reports, and garnered her numerous awards, including one which led to her attachment at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Kumitaa Theva Das is a co-chair for one of the sub-groups of Malaysia's Genetic Modification Advisory Committee and is part of the ad hoc technical expert group on genome editing under the United Nations Environment Program. She also works with international bodies to improve policies to make genome editing as a gene therapy accessible to low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Kumitaa Theva Das frequently shares her expertise in genome editing through public speaking engagements, including TEDx talks and appearances in mass media.
Dr Tan Yong Quan, Covering Specialist Team Lead, Bioengineering, National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, Singapore
Dr. Tan Yong Quan is the Covering Specialist Team Lead of the Bioengineering Team at the National Centre for Food Science under the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). He is leading risk assessment and regulatory work related to foods enabled by modern biotechnology at the SFA. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Singapore.
Dr Gabriel Romero, Executive Director, Philippines Seed Industry Association (PSIA), Philippines
Dr. Gabriel Romero is the Executive Director of The Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA), and Country Head Philippines of North Hill Group. Prior to that, he was the Senior Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Lead of Monsanto Philippines for 10 years. He also served as Genebank Manager, Director of Crop Biotechnology Center and Acting Deputy Executive Director for Research at the Philippine Rice Research Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from University of California, Davis, USA, and a Master of Philosophy in Plant Breeding from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a BS in Biology from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños. Among his awards are The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), Outstanding Young Scientist from the National Academy of Science and Technology, and Faces of Biotechnology from the Department of Agriculture.
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Executive Director, Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC), Malaysia
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan is the Global Coordinator of the BioTrust-ISAAA and the Executive Director of Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC). She has a PhD in science communication and Master of Biotechnology from University of Malaya, and a degree in Microbiology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Petri Dish ­- the first science newspaper in Malaysia and also co-founded Science Media Centre Malaysia. She started the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulations and Communications (ASCA) and developed the 1st science communication training programme for scientists in Malaysia. Maha also initiated the Science Communication Advisory Board under COMSTECH (Pakistan) to promote science communication in OIC Member States. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University Malaysia and AIMST University; sits on Industry Advisory Panel for seven universities; and served as a Biosafety Outreach specialist for UN FAO, Sri Lanka. Maha is listed as the world's 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American Worldview 2015. She is also listed in the honorific list of Women in Biotechnology Law and Regulation, Biotechnology Law Report (USA) 2015. Maha won the 2010 Third World Academy of Science Regional Prize for Public Understanding of Science for East, Southeast Asia and Pacific Region. She is a board member of the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) and is also on the advisory board for Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation (Iran), Alliance for Science (USA); and Farming Future Bangladesh; and Genetic Literacy Project (USA). Maha is also on the editorial board of the European Federation of Bioeconomy Journal. She is also on the Selangor Bio Advisory Council to provide advice on bioeconomy development in the state. She has published chapters, papers and articles on science/biotech communication, bioeconomy and biotechnology development.
Prof Dr Rofina Yasmin Othman, Honorary Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Dr. Yasmin, is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya having served the University as an academic, researcher and administrator for more than 30 years.  Her research explored the application of molecular tools to facilitate solutions for agriculture particularly of tropical crops. Concurrently she has a keen interest in policies, ethics and socioeconomics of science and technology. She was a two-term member of the National Biosafety Council and is currently a member of the National Bioethics council. She is a fellow and council member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and is the chairman of MRANTI Corporation, a National Technology Commercialization Accelerator and Technology Park initiative reflecting her experience in this area. This included secondments as Undersecretary of the National Biotechnology Division at the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation and appointments as Director of the University's tech transfer office (UMCIC). She is also currently chairman of Life Science Venture firm Xeraya Capital and founder of Leaf Edge Technologies, an innovation platform focusing on promoting uptake of advances in plant science R&D.
Ms Li Xin Kang, Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Secretariat, Singapore
Ms Kang Li Xin serves as the Secretariat for Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Singapore, which is a national advisory committee tasked with overseeing and offering scientifically rigorous advice on the research, development, production, release, use, and handling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within Singapore. Through supporting the Subcommittee of Public Awareness in GMAC, she organises outreach activities aimed to enhance the public's awareness and understanding of GM technology. Ms Li Xin is also part of the Research Office in Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore (A*STAR) where she contributes to the governance of research in A*STAR, in compliant with the Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA).
 
					Singapore, September 19, 2024
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Mr Timothy Harrison, Regional Agricultural Counselor, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Mr Timothy Harrison joined the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in July 2021 as regional agricultural counselor for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. In this role, he oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) activities in the region, including crop reporting and forecasts, trade promotion, and bilateral cooperation on agriculture and food security.  Previously, Mr Harrison was FAS's first head of post in Astana, Kazakhstan.  He has also served as agricultural attaché in Mexico City and worked at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Prior to joining USDA, Mr Harrison worked on agricultural trade policy issues and market development in the private sector.  He holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and a master's degree in International Trade and Investment Policy from George Washington University.
Mr Geoffry Smith, ILSI SEA Region
Mr. Geoffry Smith is President of ILSI Southeast Asia Region based in Singapore, and a Representative of the branch to the ILSI Global Assembly. He is also the Chairman of the Essential Micronutrients Foundation, a non-profit organization which addresses micronutrient deficiencies globally as a public health issue. In addition, he is Director of Nutrition Strategies International which deals with food and nutrition issues in developing countries. Mr. Smith serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Smith was the Global Director, Health Chelates for Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals, and directed the global business for these compounds in food and nutrition as well as pharmaceutical applications. He was responsible for the global project within Akzo Nobel addressing iron deficiency anemia.
Prof Paul Teng, Dean and Managing Director, National Institute of Education International (NIEI), Nanyang Technology University, Singapore
Prof. Paul Teng is Dean and Managing Director of NIE International Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU Singapore; Senior Fellow, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Philippines and Associate Senior Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Singapore. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in food security, commercialization and biosafety of crop biotechnology, agrotechnology innovations/ systems agriculture, bio-entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. He has over thirty years of experience in agri-food issues from positions in international organizations (the International Rice Research Institute, WorldFish Centre), U.S. universities (University of Minnesota, University of Hawaii) and the private sector. Prof. Teng currently is science adviser to two venture funds and several startups in the agtech and biotech space in the U.K. and Singapore.
Prof. Teng has won numerous awards for his work such as the Eriksson Prize in Plant Pathology (Royal Swedish Academy of Science), an Honorary Doctor of Science (from Murdoch University, Australia) and is a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society, the International Society of Plant Pathology, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He is a Past-Chair, Genetic Modification Advisory Committee, Singapore and is also Immediate Past Chairman, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Inc. He has edited/co-edited fifteen books, authored/co-authored four books and published over 250 technical papers. His latest edited book (2024) is "Food Security Issues in Asia".
Prof Wayne Allen Parrott, Professor, University of Georgia, USA
Prof. Wayne Allen Parrott received a degree in agronomy from the University of Kentucky, and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1988, where he is now a Distinguished Research Professor. Since arriving at Georgia, he has been conducting research on the development, use and safety of transgenic (i.e., GM) and edited crop plants, using grant monies from USDA-NIFA, NSF, DOE and the United Soybean Board. He has published a guide for environmental risk assessment of GMOs, along with ~ 120 journal articles in refereed publications and 15 book chapters. He has served terms on the editorial boards of Plant Cell Reports, Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, and Crop Science. He has served as elected chair of the biotechnology section of the Crop Science Society of America and of the plant section of the Society for In Vitro Biology, and is a fellow of both societies, as well as of the AAAS. He served a term as a co-director for the NSF Plant Genome Research Program, and currently serves as the past-secretary and annual meeting program chair for the American Society of Plant Biologists. He is actively engaged in training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and teaches graduate-level courses in crop genetics. He formerly taught undergraduate courses in agroecology and sustainable agriculture. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and other countries, and advised legislators and regulators in the various countries on the requisites for a functional regulatory system that ensures the safety of GM products.
Assoc Prof Tan Meng How, Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) & Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC),  Singapore
Assoc Prof Meng How Tan is a tenured associate professor in the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He received his bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from University of California Berkeley, his master's degrees in aeronautics and biomedical engineering from California Institute of Technology and NTU respectively, and his PhD in developmental biology from Stanford University. After postdoctoral training in Stanford, he returned to Singapore to set up his independent laboratory, focusing on the basic biology and translational applications of DNA and RNA editing. To date, he has published corresponding authored papers in top academic journals, including Nature, Nature Methods, Nature Chemical Biology, and Nature Communications. He received the Outstanding Young Principal Investigator Award from AIChE-SLS in 2019 and was named an EMBO Global Investigator in 2020.
Dr Tan Yong Quan, Covering Specialist Team Lead, Bioengineering, National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, Singapore
Dr. Tan Yong Quan is the Covering Specialist Team Lead of the Bioengineering Team at the National Centre for Food Science under the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). He is leading risk assessment and regulatory work related to foods enabled by modern biotechnology at the SFA. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Singapore.
Dr Gabriel Romero, Executive Director, Philippines Seed Industry Association (PSIA), Philippines
Dr. Gabriel Romero is the Executive Director of The Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA), and Country Head Philippines of North Hill Group. Prior to that, he was the Senior Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Lead of Monsanto Philippines for 10 years. He also served as Genebank Manager, Director of Crop Biotechnology Center and Acting Deputy Executive Director for Research at the Philippine Rice Research Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from University of California, Davis, USA, and a Master of Philosophy in Plant Breeding from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a BS in Biology from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños. Among his awards are The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), Outstanding Young Scientist from the National Academy of Science and Technology, and Faces of Biotechnology from the Department of Agriculture.
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Executive Director, Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC), Malaysia
Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan is the Global Coordinator of the BioTrust-ISAAA and the Executive Director of Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC). She has a PhD in science communication and Master of Biotechnology from University of Malaya, and a degree in Microbiology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Petri Dish ­- the first science newspaper in Malaysia and also co-founded Science Media Centre Malaysia. She started the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biosafety Regulations and Communications (ASCA) and developed the 1st science communication training programme for scientists in Malaysia. Maha also initiated the Science Communication Advisory Board under COMSTECH (Pakistan) to promote science communication in OIC Member States. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University Malaysia and AIMST University; sits on Industry Advisory Panel for seven universities; and served as a Biosafety Outreach specialist for UN FAO, Sri Lanka. Maha is listed as the world's 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American Worldview 2015. She is also listed in the honorific list of Women in Biotechnology Law and Regulation, Biotechnology Law Report (USA) 2015. Maha won the 2010 Third World Academy of Science Regional Prize for Public Understanding of Science for East, Southeast Asia and Pacific Region. She is a board member of the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) and is also on the advisory board for Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation (Iran), Alliance for Science (USA); and Farming Future Bangladesh; and Genetic Literacy Project (USA). Maha is also on the editorial board of the European Federation of Bioeconomy Journal. She is also on the Selangor Bio Advisory Council to provide advice on bioeconomy development in the state. She has published chapters, papers and articles on science/biotech communication, bioeconomy and biotechnology development.
Dr Andrew D. Powell,CEO, Asia BioBusiness Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Dr Andrew Powell is the CEO of Asia BioBusiness Pte. Ltd. and also acts a Global Senior International Industry Advisor to Edinburgh Innovations, the commercialisation arm of Edinburgh University. He has worked as a consultant since 1995, primarily focusing on the agriculture and food sectors. Projects have included agri-food sector policy, food security, agtech and food tech, and management of open innovation systems. Clients come from both the private (MNCs and SMEs) and public sectors. Dr Powell is a highly effective resource mobiliser with a global network across all areas of life science but especially in food and agriculture. He has been active in Risk Communication for more than 20 years, conducting training and offering advice to both public and private sector clients.

Dr Powell is the driving force behind the Communications Leadership in Future Foods Program (CLIFF) that seeks to improve engagement with consumers by utilising risk communication strategies. He is also Chairman of the not-for-profit Agri-Biotech Knowledge Information Centre Ltd. in Singapore, and is a mentor for The Yield Lab Asia Pacific and Big Idea Ventures agri-foodtech accelerators in Singapore, as well as SVG Ventures | THRIVE in N. America.

Dr Powell graduated from the University of Edinburgh with honours in Biology and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary. He has held research and academic positions at the University of Guelph, the National Institute for Health Sciences in Tokyo, and Tsukuba, Japan and the National University of Singapore.
Prof Dr Rofina Yasmin Othman, Honorary Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Dr. Yasmin, is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya having served the University as an academic, researcher and administrator for more than 30 years.  Her research explored the application of molecular tools to facilitate solutions for agriculture particularly of tropical crops. Concurrently she has a keen interest in policies, ethics and socioeconomics of science and technology. She was a two-term member of the National Biosafety Council and is currently a member of the National Bioethics council. She is a fellow and council member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and is the chairman of MRANTI Corporation, a National Technology Commercialization Accelerator and Technology Park initiative reflecting her experience in this area. This included secondments as Undersecretary of the National Biotechnology Division at the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation and appointments as Director of the University's tech transfer office (UMCIC). She is also currently chairman of Life Science Venture firm Xeraya Capital and founder of Leaf Edge Technologies, an innovation platform focusing on promoting uptake of advances in plant science R&D.
Ms Mazlina Banu Jaikubali, Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Secretariat, Singapore
Ms Mazlina Banu Jaikubali serves as a Secretariat for the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) in Singapore. In this role, she provides essential support to the national advisory committee tasked with overseeing and offering scientifically rigorous advice on the research, development, production, release, use, and handling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within Singapore. As part of GMAC's Subcommittee for Public Awareness,  Ms Mazlina plays a key role in organizing outreach activities aimed at enhancing public awareness and understanding of GMOs. She is also part of the A*STAR Institutional Review Board (IRB) Secretariat, operating under the Research Office of A*STAR. This position involves contributing to the ethical review processes of research initiatives, ensuring they meet the standards and regulations set by A*STAR and authorities.
 

		ORGANIZER
	
				
				

		CO-ORGANIZERS
	
				
				
				

		CONTACT
	
	
If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the following:
	For Malaysia:

Dr. Rogayah Sekeli and/or Dr. Zulkifli Ahmad Seman

Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)

Email: lynn@mardi.gov.my ; szula@mardi.gov.my
	For Singapore:

ILSI Southeast Asia Region

Singapore

Tel: 65 6352 5220

Email: event@ilsisea.org.sg


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