About Author: Dr Mohd 'Ammar Ihsan - Public Health Medicine Specialist
MBBChBAO (RCSI), OHD (NIOSH), MPH (UKM), DrPH (UKM)
Full Name : Dr Mohd 'Ammar Ihsan Bin Ahmad Zamzuri
Dr. Mohd ‘Ammar Ihsan is a Malaysian Public Health Medicine Specialist with extensive experience in epidemiology, infectious diseases, and health systems research. He currently serves as a Senior Principal Assistant Director at the Negeri Sembilan State Health Department and is an Associate Guest Editor for the Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (UPM). Dr. ‘Ammar earned his medical degree (MB, BCh, BAO) from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Dublin, and holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He has authored and reviewed numerous peer-reviewed publications in international journals, particularly in dengue, tuberculosis, and public health interventions.
Qualifications & Registration
- Public Health Medicine Specialist
- Registered Malaysia Medical Council
- Full Registration MMC: 62289
- National Specialist Register of Malaysia (NSR : 141659)
- MB, BCh, BAO from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Dublin
- MPH, DrPH from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM))
Professional Experience
• Senior Principal Assistant Director
Negeri Sembilan State Health Department (2023 – Present)
• Associate Guest Editor
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (2024 – Present)
• Public Health Medicine Specialist & Operational Director (Hajj Health Services, Mecca)
Public Health Unit, Tabung Haji (2024 – 2025)
• Principal Assistant Director
Negeri Sembilan State Health Department (2022 – 2023)
• Assistant Director
Negeri Sembilan State Health Department (2017 – 2018)
• Medical Officer
Klinik Kesihatan Gemencheh (2014 – 2017)
• Medical Officer
Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar, Seremban (2014)
• House Officer
Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar, Seremban (2012 – 2014)
Achievement & Leadership
- Senior Principal Assistant Director, Negeri Sembilan State Health Department
Leads state-level public health programmes with a focus on dengue control, tuberculosis, leprosy, and communicable disease surveillance. - Head of Vector-Borne Disease Unit
Oversees dengue outbreak prevention and control strategies, with the goal of eliminating indigenous malaria transmission. - Associate Guest Editor, Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (UPM)
Manages peer review of scientific manuscripts, ensures research quality, and contributes to advancing evidence-based medical practice. - Public Health Medicine Specialist and Operational Director, Tabung Haji (Hajj Health Services, Mecca)
Led public health operations for Malaysian pilgrims, including outbreak investigations, disaster preparedness, clinical service planning, and health education. - Former Head of Surveillance and Disaster Response Unit, Negeri Sembilan
Managed outbreak, crisis, emergency, and disaster surveillance including COVID-19 monitoring, disease trends, and public health audits. - Medical Officer, Klinik Kesihatan Gemencheh and Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar, Seremban
Provided clinical care in outpatient, emergency, and inpatient settings, with experience in communicable diseases, maternal health, and chronic disease management. - Active Researcher and Reviewer in Public Health
Author of multiple peer-reviewed publications in epidemiology, dengue, tuberculosis, diabetes, and health systems. Reviewer for international journals including PLOS and other indexed medical journals.
Awards
- Anugerah Hidayasu Oyama, Best Graduate for Master of Public Health (MPH), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (2023)
- Gold Award, KNOVASI UKM 2022
“Tech Titan Leap: Towards Sustainable Personalized Diabetes Self-Care Monitoring Using My Diabetes Apps” - Second Runner-Up, KNOVASI UKM 2022
“Tech Titan Leap: Towards Sustainable Personalized Diabetes Self-Care Monitoring Using My Diabetes Apps” - Gold Award, UTeMEX Virtual 2021
“My Diabetes Apps – Solution for Diabetes Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Projects
- Integrated Dengue Research & Development (IDRD) – External Research Member (2024)
Contributed as expert panel in dengue research, focusing on risk behaviour, Fuzzy Delphi method, and biostatistical analysis. - Integrated Dengue Education and Learning Module (iDEAL) – Fuzzy Delphi Expert (2024)
Served as expert panel in the development and validation of a dengue education module using Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). - Theory-Based Intervention Module on Occupational Safety and Health (TRIMOSH) – Fuzzy Delphi Expert (2023)
Provided expert input in developing and validating an occupational safety and health intervention module for food industry workers. - MyDiabetes Apps – Mobile Health Application (2022)
Co-developed a digital self-care management app for diabetes patients; awarded multiple innovation awards and implemented as a patient education and monitoring tool.
Publications
- Socio-Ecological Framework on Risk of Prolonged Dengue Outbreak in Seremban District: A Qualitative Study
(IJPHR) - Tuberculosis Recurrence and Its Associated Factors Among TB Referral Center Attendees in Negeri Sembilan
(MJPHM) - The Effectiveness of the REAL™, a School-based, Virtual Reality-integrated Social Emotional Learning
Intervention to Promote Mental Health for Early Malaysian Adolescents (SSM Mental Health) - Effectiveness of COMBI in Dengue Prevention and Control and Participation Factor: A Systematic Review in
Malaysia (Med & Health) - School-Based Health Education Effect on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Dengue Prevention Among
School Children: A Systematic Review (Discover Social Science and Health) - Factors Associated With Low Perceived Risk Of Dengue Infection In Seremban District, Negeri Sembilan: A
Cross-Sectional Study (Global Journal of Public Health Medicine) - Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Occupational
Safety and Health (Q-TRIMOSH-KAP) Among Food Industry Workers in Selangor, Malaysia (MJMHS) - Physical inactivity and its associated factors among pre-retirement government healthcare workers in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, (BMC Public Health) - Developing and Validating a Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Questionnaire Regarding Dengue Among
Secondary Schoolchildren in Malaysia. (Discover Social Science and Health) - Effectiveness of the Integrated Dengue Education and Learning (iDEAL) module in improving the knowledge,
attitude, practice, environmental cleanliness index, and dengue index among schoolchildren: A randomised
controlled trial protocol. (PLOS One) - Effectiveness of Combination Integrated Dengue Education and Learning Module (iDEAL) and Aedestech
Mosquito Home System (AMHS) in Dengue Prevention Among School Children in Selangor and Kuala
Lumpur: Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial (Malaysia Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences) - Understanding The Mimicker:Epidemiological Pattern and Determinant of Melioidosis Mortality in Negeri
Sembilan, Malaysia (Plos One) - Determinants of Successful Tuberculosis Treatment Among Tuberculosis Patient with Comorbidity
Registered in National Tuberculosis Registry (NTBR) in Negeri Sembilan from Year 2018-2023 (The Medical
Journal of Malaysia) - Factors influencing HPV vaccine acceptance among females in mainland China: A systematic review (Clinical
Epidemiology and Global Health). - MY DIABETES APPS: Improving Knowledge, Compliance, and Control in Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes
Patients in Kedah Malaysia. (Global Journal of Public Health Medicine) - Using Nominal Group Technique to Develop COMBI Related Health Content of a Mobie Application.
(International Journal of Public Health Research) - Medication Compliance Amplified: Igniting High Grit for Type 2 Diabetes Control Success (Eurasian Journal of
Family Medicine) - Prevalence of Recent Occupational Injury and Its Associated Factors Among Food Industry Workers in
Selangor. (PLOS One Journal) - Demystifying re-emergence zoonotic threat: A 5-year epidemiology of leptospirosis in Negeri Sembilan,
Malaysia. (Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health). - Digitalisation Medical Records: Improving Efficiency and Reducing Burnout in Healthcare. (International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) - Systematic Review of Brain-eating Amoeba: A Decade of Update. (International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health) - Herbal antioxidants as tertiary prevention against cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A
systematic review. (Journal of Herbal Medicine) - Perceived Risk for Dengue Infection Mediates the Relationship between Attitude and Practice for Dengue
Prevention: A Study in Seremban, Malaysia. (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) - Perception of integrating complementary and alternative medicine practice in patient’s treatment among the
healthcare practitioners: a systematic review. (Pan-African Medical Journal) - Cost-effectiveness of Community Based Hypertension Prevention Program : A Systematic Review.
(International Medical Journal) - The Role of Electronic Medical Records in Improving Health Care Quality: A Quasi-Experimental Study.
(Medicine) - A Unique Double Tango : Construct Validation and Reliability Analysis of Risk Perception, Attitude and
Practice (RPAP) Questionnaire on Dengue Infection. (PLOS One Journal) - Epidemiology of Neuromelioidosis in Asia-Pacific: A Systematic Review. (Open Access Macedonia Journal of
Medical Science) - Rate of Smoking Cessation and Factors Associated with Successful Quit Smoking in Seremban District: A
Multi Centre Study. (Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health) - Determinant of glycaemic control among type 2 DM in Northern State of Kedah: A Cross Sectional Analysis of
5 years National Diabetes Registry 2014-2018. (Pan-African Medical Journal) - Post-Exposure Prophylactic Vaccination Against Rabies: A Systematic Review. (Iranian Journal of Public Health)
- Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococus aureus in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Malaysia.
(Medicine & Health) - Epidemiological Characteristic of COVID-19 in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. (Open Access Macedonia Journal of
Medical Science)