A POWERHOUSE in her own right, Dr Amalina Che Bakri, general surgeon and clinical research fellow is a household name in both Malaysia and the United Kingdom for all matters related to medicine and health.
She is not only a “source-to-go” for healthcare information but also for taboo topics such as women’s reproductive health and anatomy. Amalina makes herself easily accessible through social media where she has hundreds of thousands of followers.
Amalina’s journey to the UK and to the most prestigious institutes is not short of amazing and inspiring stories. She shared her journey in the recent Smart Talk Series organised by the British Council to expose young Malaysians to UK education.
The life-changing moment started when young Amalina, hailing from Kelantan set records by scoring 17As in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). Her first step was making a trip to the British Council to explore tertiary education in the UK. The rest is history. She now lives in the UK with her British husband, working as a general surgeon, while doing her PhD in Medicine at the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London.
Her life revolves around surgical theatres, PhD research, communicating medicine and healthcare, teaching, women empowerment and travelling with her husband.
“Since a child, it was always in my mind to be a doctor. There is no specific reason for me to choose medicine as my career. My mother used to say I loved reading anatomy books, play with a stethoscope and pretend to be a doctor. I just wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives”, recalls Amalina who received the Kijang Emas scholarship from Bank Negara Malaysia.
Asked why the UK was her destination, Amalina has this to say, “I was mindful that world-renowned universities such as Oxford and Cambridge are situated in the UK. It is the best place for high-quality education and international students are always welcomed in the UK and you feel home here with their unique culture”.
“Within UK, I travelled to many cities, Cambridge, London, Oxford but Edinburgh is a city that is close to my heart. I chose Edinburgh. It was love at first sight,” says the University of Edinburgh alumnus.
“Its ranking is on the top of the list. I still remember taking a bus from Tottenham to Edinburgh and the first view I saw was the Berkeley Train Station with a view of the city centre and historic buildings. I just fell in love with that city and decided to do my undergraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh”, reminisces Amalina.
Amalina did at one point explore the USA as her home and for her postgraduate studies. She applied for an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, the teaching hospital of Harvard University. “Residents in the USA work very long hours and I was also missing the UK. I got a feeling that the UK is the place for me,” says the surgeon who did her A-Levels in Cheltenham Ladies College in the UK.
The surgeon who recently was invited to speak at 10 Downing Street attributed her success as a skilful surgeon to world-renowned consultants at Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities who also guided her on her career path.
Not just technical skills, life in the UK also taught her to express her opinion and be outspoken. “That is one of the qualities that the UK has instilled in me and which had moulded me to be bolder,” says the ambitious surgeon who learnt to embrace and celebrate diversity, boundaries, culture and people’s beliefs.
Amalina describes the UK as a very diverse country, especially London where people from around the world live and work. There are endless options for food and activities.
“Living in London, I get to experience culture, history and a combination of countryside and the city landscape,” Amalina says contentedly.
As a student too Amalina kept herself busy with societies and musical theatres with medical themes, in spite of medicine being a gruelling degree course. This has paved her busy lifestyle now where she adapts so well, playing multiple roles.
“Time management and planning months ahead helps to meet tight deadlines. I spend my time as a surgeon, teaching, supervising undergraduates and Masters students, patient recruitment for my PhD, and publish papers,” says the multitasker.
“What is important is we must know when to take a break as this helps to maintain productivity,” she adds.
Speaking about social media, Amalina said initially she was reluctant to be in the public eye. Her social media journey started from Twitter as one of her consultant surgeons convinced her to open a Twitter account since he wanted to tweet about her. The tweet circulated speedily as many Malaysians recognised her because of my SPM achievements and the following day there were thousands of followers’ requests hitting her Twitter.
“Then, I started sharing about topics that I am passionate about such as public health, women empowerment, awareness on medical topics and debunking misinformation. From Twitter, I started being active in Instagram and now even in Tik Tok to reach the younger generation”, said Amalina.
Yet, this trending idol avoids wasting time by scrolling social media accounts. She spends about an hour each day on social media. She believes it is vital for professionals to engage with the public to fight misinformation.
“My aim is also to encourage young women to follow their dreams. I wish to encourage more women to enter surgery as only 13% of consultant surgeons in the UK are women. I believe representation is important”, says Amalina.
To a question from the audience on the similarities and differences between living in Malaysia and the UK, Amalina says people are hard-working in both countries, so much of importance is placed on families, and so much effort is put in improving lives. The weather is colder and summer is sunny but the rain makes the day gloomy.
“London is also multicultural like Malaysia and there are plenty of Malaysian cuisines over here and having a Nasi Lemak is not a problem here”, beamed Amalina. She was quick to also say the pandemic prevented Amalina from visiting her mum whom she misses so much and her cooking.
To another question on how to prepare to study in the UK, Amalina pointed to British Council as the “go-to-source”. “Speak to people who have studied in the UK, do a lot of reading about the city you have chosen and prepare your winter clothing,” says Amalina giving some tips.
She also advised potential students to be active in the university, mingle around with people around the world and assimilate with the new environment.
Amalina’s advice to young people is to challenge the status quo and stereotypes, voice out opinions and never give up.
“There is no shortcut to a successful career”, says Amalina who also attributes her success to support given by her mother, husband and friends.
The recoding of talk can be viewed at: (249) Smart Talk Series 2021 | Dr Amalina Che Bakri – YouTube
A line-up of thought-provoking speakers among British and Malaysian talents will share their experiences of living and studying in the UK. These outstanding individuals will provide insights into how their time in the UK nurtured them into the persons they are today, as well as how they found success in their respective industries.
So, get inspired from the most unique and talented young British and Malaysian personalities today! The sessions lined up for you are as follows:
- 16 Oct: Ian Yee, Investigative Journalist and Co-Founder of The Fourth
- 23 Oct: Celyn Bricker, Artist and Co-Founder of CELU Studio
- 30 Oct: Danial Rahman, Director of the CEO’s Office at Sunway Education Group
