Professor Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman

Distinguished infectious disease expert Professor Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman has devoted her career to the prevention, treatment, research and advocacy of HIV/AIDS globally. A compassionate humanist, her work reflects a lifelong commitment to solving complex health challenges through rigorous science while upholding human rights and dignity. She played a pivotal role in establishing the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA) at the University of Malaya, a premier multidisciplinary research institute dedicated to community-focused HIV research. For her monumental contributions to academia and medicine, the Ministry of Higher Education honoured her with the National Academic Figure Award 2023.

Her extensive global expertise has earned her prominent positions across major international health bodies, including Vice-Chair of the WHO Science Council, member of the UNAIDS Scientific Expert Panel on HIV, and advisory roles across multiple World Health Organization committees. In 2020, she made history as the first person of Asian descent to be elected President of the International AIDS Society. Extending her advocacy to evidence-based drug policy, she became the first Malaysian appointed Commissioner of the Global Commission on Drug Policy in 2022. Building on this legacy, in March 2026, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed her to an independent expert panel established by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to assess global drug policy progress ahead of its major 2029 review. She also engaged in an international panel examining Islam and drug-policy reform to further promote public-health-centred approaches.

Kamarulzaman’s scientific impact and clinical leadership continue to earn top national and international recognition. She recently received the CRM Leadership Award from Clinical Research Malaysia for her pioneering contributions to clinical research, public health leadership and Malaysia’s harm-reduction programmes. Furthermore, she was awarded the PPUSM Research Excellence Award 2026 after being ranked the No. 1 biomedical researcher among Malaysia's private higher education institutions on the World’s Top 2% Scientists ranking. She also continues to chair the Malaysian AIDS Foundation as well as the award-winning ROSE Foundation, an NGO dedicated to eradicating cervical cancer.

As President and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Monash University Malaysia, Kamarulzaman leads the 27-year-old institution—home to students from nearly 80 countries—into a new chapter of innovation and excellence. Under her stewardship, Monash Malaysia became the first Solferino Academy Global Innovation Partner with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), establishing an innovation lab to advance humanitarian projects through digital solutions. The university also achieved top-performing status among Malaysia’s self-accredited universities, earning scores above 90 per cent in leadership, academic development and quality improvement. Continuing to shape the broader education ecosystem in 2026, she actively participates in national forums on social mobility, talent development and the future of higher education.