Dr Noraini Abu Bakar
I am deeply grateful to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for supporting my PhD in Medical Education at the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) through the Tom Bereznicki Dental Education Grant. I received the grant, valued at £3,000, on 17 July 2025. It provided valuable financial support towards the tuition fees of my doctoral programme.
As an orthodontist and dental educator at the Kulliyyah of Dentistry, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), much of my academic career has been devoted to clinical education, postgraduate training and the development of future dental professionals. These experiences led me to reflect on an important but deceptively simple question: What does it actually mean to be a competent dental educator?
My PhD research sought to address this question through the development of a Dental Educator Entrustable Professional Activities (DE-EPA) framework, designed to describe the key professional activities expected of dental educators within the Malaysian context. Through this work, I hope to contribute towards a more structured approach to faculty development, enabling dental educators to identify their strengths, recognise areas for further development and progressively enhance their educational practice.
The doctoral journey has generated several academic outputs. To date, the PhD has resulted in three peer-reviewed publications. The first, Functional Elements of Entrusted Professional Activities for Dental Educators: Protocol for a Scoping Review, was published in JMIR Research Protocols (Q2) on 25 June 2025. This was followed by Elements of Entrustable Professional Activities for Dental Educators: A Scoping Review, published in BMC Medical Education (Q1) on 22 October 2025, and Development of Entrustable Professional Activities for Dental Educators: A Modified Delphi Study, published in BMC Medical Education (Q1) on 26 November 2025. A further two manuscripts are currently under review, one with BMC Medical Education (Q1) and another with Discover Education (Q2).
The work has also received recognition through the Rogayah Jaafar Award, presented by the Malaysian Association of Education in Medical and Health Sciences (MAEMHS) on 10 April 2026. Receiving this distinguished award was particularly meaningful as acknowledgement of the educational contribution arising from my PhD research.
More recently, I am honoured to have been shortlisted as one of the final five presenters for the Ron Harden Innovation in Medical Education (RHIME) Award. I will have the opportunity to present the work at the International Medical Education Conference (IMEC) in October 2026, where the final award recipient will be determined. Being selected among the final five is itself a meaningful recognition of the innovation and potential contribution of the DE-EPA framework to health professions education.
The research has also provided opportunities for international dissemination and academic engagement. An e-poster was presented at the Joint Conference of the 8th International Conference on Medical Education (ICME) and the 18th International Medical Education Conference (IMEC), organised by Riphah International University and IMU University in October 2025. In April 2026, I was also privileged to participate in the forum “Trust in Training: Rethinking EPAs and Entrustment Decisions in Health Professions Education” at the Monash Malaysia–MAEMHS International Conference on Health Professions Education (MMICHPE) 2026, alongside Professor Olle ten Cate. The opportunity to discuss EPAs and entrustment with leading educators in the field was an especially valuable part of this journey.
Collectively, these achievements reflect how the impact of the Tom Bereznicki Dental Education Grant has extended beyond its financial contribution. The grant provided meaningful encouragement to pursue research in an area about which I am deeply passionate, strengthening dental education and supporting those entrusted with educating the next generation of dental professionals. The resulting publications, international dissemination, academic engagement and recognition have allowed the work to reach a wider health professions education community.
I hope to bring the knowledge and experience gained through this PhD back to my work at IIUM, while contributing more broadly to faculty development and dental education in Malaysia and beyond. Ultimately, I hope that the DE-EPA framework and the research arising from it can play a part in strengthening how we prepare, support and develop dental educators for their important educational responsibilities.
As I look forward to my graduation in November 2026, this milestone marks not only the completion of my doctoral journey but also the beginning of the next chapter, translating my research into meaningful educational practice. I am also deeply grateful to my supervisors Professor Muhamad Saiful Bahri, Dr Nurhanis Syazni Roslan and Professor Dato’ Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abu Hassan, for their invaluable guidance, encouragement and support throughout this PhD journey. Their mentorship has been instrumental in bringing this work to fruition.
My heartfelt thanks to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for investing in dental education, supporting my doctoral journey through the Tom Bereznicki Dental Education Grant and being part of such an important milestone in my academic career.
Take a look at the other funding and award opportunities available at the College.
Written by Dr Noraini Abu Bakar, Associate Professor DDS(USM), MSc Orthodontics (King’s College London), MOrth RCS Edinburgh, FDS RCSEd Edinburgh, PhD Medical Education (USM).
