datin-dr-zarina-banu-abdulla

Associate Professor of Medicine & Consultant Cardiologist

Datin Dr. Zarina Banu Abdulla

Department / Discipline

Department of Medicine – Cardiology

Primary Appointment

Associate Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC)

Short Bio

Datin Dr. Zarina Banu Abdulla is an Associate Professor of Medicine at RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC) and a Consultant Cardiologist with extensive experience in cardiovascular medicine, clinical research, and medical education. She is also a Visiting Consultant Cardiologist at Hospital Pulau Pinang, where she contributes to the Heart Failure Unit and Lipid Clinic. Dr. Zarina obtained her MRCP (UK) and completed subspecialty fellowship training in Cardiology under the Ministry of Health Malaysia, followed by advanced fellowship training in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Flinders Medical Centre, Australia. Her academic work focuses on cardiovascular risk reduction, heart failure outcomes, cardiac imaging, and translational cardiovascular research.

Clinical / Industry Experience

Dr. Zarina has more than twenty years of clinical experience in internal medicine and cardiology within the Malaysian healthcare system. She has held consultant cardiology positions in several tertiary hospitals including Hospital Pulau Pinang and Hospital Seberang Jaya.

Her clinical practice focuses on the management of heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiovascular risk reduction, and advanced cardiac imaging. She is actively involved in clinical trials, cardiovascular registries, and international collaborative research projects that aim to improve cardiovascular outcomes. In addition to her clinical roles, she contributes to postgraduate medical training, national cardiology initiatives, and multidisciplinary cardiovascular research programmes.

Areas of Expertise
  • Heart Failure and Advanced Heart Failure Management
  • Preventive Cardiology and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
  • Cardiac Imaging (Cardiac MRI Echocardiography, Cardiac CT)
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome and Coronary Artery Disease
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Trials and Registry Research
Research Interests

Dr. Zarina’s research focuses on improving cardiovascular outcomes through evidence-based prevention strategies, real-world clinical data, and multidisciplinary patient care models. Her work includes studies on cardiovascular risk reduction clinics, cardiac rehabilitation, heart failure outcomes, and quality-of-life assessment among cardiovascular patients.

She is also actively involved in international cardiovascular registries and multicentre clinical trials investigating novel therapies and management strategies for coronary artery disease and heart failure.

Current Research & Projects

Selected Projects / Studies

  • Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Clinic (CRRC) Study

    Real-world evaluation of multidisciplinary cardiovascular risk reduction strategies and long-term clinical outcomes among high-risk cardiovascular patients in Malaysia.

  • LIBREXIA-ACS Trial

    Phase 3 randomized clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Milvexian, an oral Factor XIa inhibitor, in patients following acute coronary syndrome.

  • Health-Related Quality of Life in Chronic Heart Failure Study

    Multicentre Malaysian study assessing patient-reported outcomes and quality of life among ambulatory heart failure patients.

  • INTERASPIRE Study

    International collaboration evaluating secondary prevention strategies for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and physician/patient awareness of lipoprotein(a).

  • Malaysia National Heart Failure Registry (MYHF)

    National registry examining epidemiology, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes among heart failure patients in Malaysia.

Awards, Grants & Recognition
  • Bintang Cemerlang Negeri (Distinguished Service Star) – Government of Penang, 2021
  • Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI) – Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
  • Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP London) – Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom
  • Fellow of the College of Physicians, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (FCPAMM)
  • Award of Excellence – Pulau Pinang State Medical Department (2003, 2017)
Professional Membership & Appointments
  • Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (FRCPI)
  • Fellow, Royal College of Physicians London (FRCP)
  • Fellow, College of Physicians, Academy of Medicine Malaysia (FCPAMM)
  • Member, American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)
  • Member, British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging / CT (BSCI/BSCCT)
  • Member, Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR)
  • Member, Asian Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (ASCI)
  • Life Member, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA)
  • Life Member, National Heart Association of Malaysia (NHAM)
  • Member, Society of Pacing and Cardiac Electrophysiology of Malaysia (SOPACE)
  • Member, Society of Cardiac Imaging Malaysia (SCIM)