Research Personality: Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan
Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar, Kedah.
Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan is a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar. He also heads the Department of Medicine and Clinical Research Centre (CRC) at the hospital. He graduated from the Royal College of Surgeon in Dublin, completed his Masters in Medicine from HUSM and became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 1997. He then went on to obtain a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP Edinburgh).
Datuk Dr. Radzi is actively involved in research and has numerous articles published in reputable publications. He is currently principal investigator to five on-going clinical trials and is very active in medical education, presenting at local and international conferences. His research interest are in colorectal cancer particularly with a focus on colorectal cancer screening, fatty liver, viral hepatitis as well as clinical trials in general medicines such as diabetes. Datuk Dr. Radzi got his first taste of clinical trials in 2001, when he was undergoing fellowship training in gastroenterology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. At the time he was training under the supervision of Dr. Peter Gibson, a prominent researcher at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Dr. Gibson had invited him to participate in clinical trials, relating to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. One of the studies that he was associated with at the time involved the use of antituberculosis drugs for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. He found the trial very interesting and it inspired his curiosity and passion for clinical trials.
When he returned to Malaysia, it took time before he began participating in clinical trials. After being in subspecialty training, he had focused much of his time serving his patients at clinic. The interest and passion for research at the time was there but the calling to serve his patients was a higher priority.
A few years later, he was approached by Dato’ Dr. Zaki Morad, who was head of the CRC for the Ministry of Health (MOH). Dato’ Dr. Zaki had approached him to be the chairman of clinical research for the state of Kedah. From then on, there was no turning back. He has been spearheading CRC Kedah, participating in clinical trials as well as auditing and monitoring of clinical trials.
When asked about how clinical trials have changed the way he practises medicine, he said clinicians, who are active in clinical trials as well as their clinical work, are best prepared to serve their patients. In clinical trials, the practice of medicine is very ‘idealistic’. It is about following procedures. But as a clinician, things are rarely ideal and there are always improvisations to be made. Most importantly is finding the right balance. By getting exposure to research and clinical practice, doctors become more effective clinicians.
With his experience in clinical trials, he said with confidence that Malaysia is on par with neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Thailand. There were certain areas that he felt Malaysia was doing extremely well, especially in terms of infrastructure and logistics for clinical trials. He said the leading pioneers of clinical trials had established a good foundation for future generations of doctors. With the CRC’s current leadership and the establishment of Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), assisting with setting up industry-sponsored research, Malaysia has truly moved up the ladder.
However, there remain gaps in Malaysia’s clinical research agenda. In terms of investigator-initiated research, particularly in the MOH setting, the quality and quantity of this form of research remains inadequate. This is a work in progress. He expressed hope that doctors will take the initiative to participate in investigator-initiated research.
When asked what drives his passion for clinical research, he said being a clinician is always a challenge and “you are never perfect”, there is always something new to know. Doctors must keep up with the information, to find new solutions that are best for patients. There is no other way to improve the practice of medicine than getting involved in a clinical trial. Having these responsibilities will give doctors the depth to treat patients. He discussed how clinical trials benefited patients by sharing his own clinical experience. He mentioned that doctors should be well versed in all areas of specialties and not limit themselves to their own specialties.
When the gliptin drugs were undergoing clinical trials in Malaysia, his patients could get access to these very expensive treatments via clinical trials, for free. This truly benefited his patients. On the same token, he also has cancer patients and many cancer patients present at a very late stage of disease, with very limited treatment options. The newer drugs like targeted therapy are effective but also very expensive. With clinical trials he can give his patients an opportunity to use these treatments. Clinical trials also benefit clinicians by exposing them to the latest treatments.
By getting involved in clinical trials, doctors are governed by good clinical practice (GCP). GCP becomes part of the ‘culture’ and doctors are obligated to consider the safety of patients, quality of care, the recording and storage of data, and the patients’ progress.
He expressed the sentiment that doctors with passion for clinical trials should be encouraged but there is a need for doctors, especially younger clinicians to show commitment and be passionate about research. The support and infrastructure is in place within the MOH. Opportunities are there for the taking but he observed a general lack of commitment and passion among doctors.
There is no other way to improve the practice of medicine than getting involved in a clinical trial.
When asked what policy changes were needed to encourage research, he said recognition for research efforts is important to doctors. In universities, the reason why academicians are usually far ahead with publications and global recognition is because they are recognised for all their work, this encourages them to be more active in research. Recognition for research efforts remains lacking at MOH hospitals.
He also discussed protected time for research. Protected time is quite hard to define and, he believed clinicians must know how to plan their time. He cited many busy clinicians who were able to balance their time with clinic work and be active in clinical research. At the end of the day, the individual that wants to participate in research will make the time. This is why passion and commitment are important, “you will find the time”.
He also dispensed advice to those interested in embarking on clinical research. The first thing to ask one’s self is whether the doctor has interest and passion for research. Can the doctor sacrifice the time for research? With passion, anything is possible. Secondly, they need to find a mentor to guide them. Passion alone is insufficient, they will encounter challenges, and it will hit them hard in the beginning. They may feel demotivated and give up research altogether. Thus, a mentor is very important in keeping the doctor together and motivated.
