Malaysian Pride
A Malaysian first for Dr Lee Yee Qing!
Universiti Malaya’s Dr Lee Yee Qing is the first Malaysian to win the Young Investigator Award of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Bernama reported. Her studies look at antimicrobial resistance and the bacteria that cause disease.
· Malaysia
Here’s news worth sharing! In a Facebook post reported by Bernama on 22 August 2026, the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur congratulated Dr Lee Yee Qing of Universiti Malaya on being the first Malaysian to win the Young Investigator Award of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), and on receiving its highly competitive travel grant.
The embassy noted that her research has been recognised from Yokohama to Kuala Lumpur, and that her next stop would be the ASTMH 2026 meeting in Maryland, in the United States.
Why it matters
The ASTMH gives this award to recognise young investigators and to encourage developing scientists to build careers in tropical disease research. Its travel grant helps winners attend the society’s annual scientific meeting.
Dr Lee works in the Department of Medical Microbiology at Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Medicine. Her published studies include work on antimicrobial resistance and on bacterial pathogens, the bacteria that cause disease.
Proudly Malaysian
Dr Lee’s journey so far runs right through Universiti Malaya: a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2017, a Master of Medical Science in 2021, and a PhD in Medical Microbiology in 2025, with her thesis completed with distinction.
For students in Malaysia, it’s a wonderful reminder that a career in science can grow from right here at home.
