UiTM Doctor is the First Recipient of the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award

13 January 2010: Dr Jegajeeva Rao from UiTM has been selected as the first recipient of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award 2010. He is the first and only recipient from Malaysia to win a full scholarship amounting to RM630,500 over four years of research and internship in Australia.

Speaking at a reception hosted by Dato’ Professor Ir Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar to congratulate Dr Jegajeeva, the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Her Excellency Ms Penny Williams, said the creation of this new Award demonstrates Australia’s commitment towards strengthening education bonds with Malaysia.

The Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award was announced in April 2009 by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. A part of the Endeavour program that provides scholarships for studies, research and professional development in Australia, the Award provides full financial support for international students for a maximum of three years to undertake postgraduate qualification at the PhD level by research in any field in Australia. Award holders are also encouraged to undertake a work placement or internship related to their field of study at the completion of their study program for up to 12 months in Australia. They are also committed to return to their home country upon the completion of their Awards’ tenures in Australia.

“Through the Endeavour scholarship program, we play our part by nurturing a new generation of Malaysian leaders in the fields of study and research they choose to pursue and assisting them to realise their intellectual capabilities,” the High Commissioner added.

Dr Jegajeeva, currently a senior lecturer and an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist with UiTM, will embark on a four-year PhD research project on the clinical role of DNA testing for the human papiloma virus (HPV) to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current testing methods and recommend new enhancements. He will be hosted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney.

For more information on the Endeavour program, please visit www.endeavour.deewr.gov.au .