Zaliha Omar

Dato’ Professor Dr Zaliha Omar is a pioneer of Rehabilitation Medicine in Malaysia, where her career began in 1980. Over four decades, she has championed academic capacity building and the development of multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary rehabilitation, community-based rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. Her contributions earned her recognition as the “Mother of Rehabilitation” in Malaysia. She introduced undergraduate Rehabilitation Medicine curricula at Universiti Malaya and later contributed to teaching at the University of Edinburgh. At 71, she obtained her PhD from Fujita Health University, Japan. Her work has received Malaysian royal honours and international recognition, including the ISPRM Herman Flax Award and International Council of Caring Community Humanitarian and rehabilitation awards. Her current interests include community-based, geriatric and nature-based rehabilitation, leadership, and systems thinking approaches to development. She is Senior Consultant at Jerudong Park Medical Centre, Brunei Darussalam, and Honorary Professor at Universiti Malaya, continuing to advance rehabilitation capacity across the Asia-Oceania region.