This lady just became the pride of Malaysia by becoming the first female from our country to become a fellow at a famous institute!
Kampusuols reported that Prof Dr Norlela is the first Malaysian woman to become a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) for her contributions towards the endocrinology field (treatment for endocrinology disorders) and diabetes care.
Norlela was quoted as saying,
“This fellowship is given to people who have a lot of experience and have produced research in the field (endocrinology).”
Fun fact: Endocrinology is a “field in biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system” involving organs like the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, testes, and pancreas.
An endocrinology expert at HCTM (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz), UKM (The National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia)), the professor never thought that she would obtain the fellowship.
“As an academician, researcher and medical expert, I have been very dedicated to teaching, researching and practising endocrinology because it has always been my passion,” she said.
So, the fellows at ACE in the U.S. and in Malaysia were impressed with her work and sent her name as the candidate for the fellowship. Nice!
If you think this achievement is ordinary, think again!
ACE is one of the top education institutes in the world, according to Norlela. Therefore, she is thrilled and thankful for the award.
“I’m very grateful because I’m the second person to receive this fellowship after the Senior Consultant and Endocrinologist Unit Chief, Prof Dr Now Azmi Kamaruddin, who was the first to receive the award nine years ago,” she added.
On a side note, in the year 2009, Prof Dr Norlela was also the first Malaysian to have received the University of Queensland Dean’s Award for an Outstanding Research Higher Degree Thesis during her PhD studies in the Australian university. Impressive!
Finally, she urged young doctors and lecturers to be dedicated and to show passion in their field in order to succeed. Sound advice!
Well, we extend our congratulations to Prof Dr Norlela for her outstanding achievement and wish her more successes in the future. We hope that Malaysians will also follow in her footsteps!
Also read: Meet the Young M’sians Who Are Receiving a Prestigious Award From the Queen of England