Associate Professor
Dato Dr Sukumar Mahesan
Department / Discipline
Public Health Medicine
Primary Appointment
1st January 2018
Short Bio
Dato Dr Sukumar Mahesan is a medically qualified academic with a degree in Medicine and a postgraduate qualification in Hospital Administration, a gazette Public Health Specialist registered with the Ministry of Health and the National Specialist Register. He served in the Ministry of Health for 34 years serving various leadership capacities as Hospital Director of 3 district hospitals, 1 Major Specialist hospital and 2 State Hospitals, 2 State Health Departments, the Ministry of Health (Medical Development Division) and retired as the Penang State Health Director. He had a short 2-year stint as a regimental medical officer in the Malaysian Armed Forces (rank of Captain)
Following retirement from government service, he has continued in academia for the past eight years, contributing extensively to teaching, leadership, and academic governance. His clinical expertise lies in public health medicine and hospital administration, with a research focus on population health. Institutionally, he serves as a Lecturer in Public Health Medicine and holds key leadership roles, including Chairman of the Industrial Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Committee, and Coordinator of multidisciplinary academic seminars.
Areas of Expertise
- Hospital administration
- Public health medicine
Research Interests
Dr Sukumar Mahesan current research interest centre on population health and public health.
Current Research & Projects
- Quality of life among the elderly population in elderly care homes in Penang. A study on physical, psychological, social and environmental well-being
- STRESS AMONGST PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ORTHOPEDIC DISABILITY ATTENDING THE PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIC OUTPATIENT CLINIC IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL
- Pediatric Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (PIASTM) therapy on children with cerebral palsy: A case report.
Awards, Grants & Recognition
- State award “Pingat Kelakuan Tertinggi” by Penang State Government 2000
- State award “Dato” by Penang State Government in 2017
- Ministry of Health Excellent Service recognition 2006
- Penang State Health Department Excellent Service recognition 1994 and 2002
- First rank in both comprehensive exam and overall cumulative grades for the Masters of Health Programme, University of the Philippines, Manila, 1996
Professional Membership & Appointments
- Board of Director, Allied Healthcare of Excellence, Penang
- Committee Member, Penang Development and Training of Student Fund
- Member, Academy of Medicine