Malaysia has made significant progress in healthcare, with life expectancy rising to 73.4 years for men and 78.6 years for women as of 2023. More than 95% of the population now has access to healthcare services, supported by a robust primary care system comprising over 1,100 public health clinics, more than 1,700 rural clinics, and over 200 mobile health teams nationwide. However, as the nation aspires to become high-income, inclusive, and resilient, the role of academic research must evolve from being merely descriptive to becoming decisively transformative. This includes activities in technology innovations, community engagement, and creating impacts through possible spin-off and deliveries.

Consequently, this requires the education and research agenda to be purposeful as well to accomplish the ‘third mission’.  Most of us fully understand that the role of universities has expanded beyond the traditional functions of teaching and research. The ‘third mission’ encompasses a range of activities and initiatives aimed at spreading culture, transferring research results outside the academic community, and contributing to social, economic, and cultural growth. Thus, purposeful research matters.

Purposeful research means we ask what can be studied, why, and for whom? This forces us to consider a better future direction and impact. It goes beyond the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. It is research with the intent to solve real-world problems, catalyze meaningful action, and improve quality of life. In healthcare, the stakes are particularly high. We are not merely engaging with abstract theories. We address matters that directly affect lives, livelihoods, and lasting legacies. In the context of Malaysian healthcare, we still face several challenges, including;

• Healthcare access gaps between urban and rural areas, between Peninsular and East Malaysia as well as between different income groups.
• The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among young populations, such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
• Mental health stigma and underfunded services.
• Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) equitable adoption
• Climate and environmental health risks, from dengue to floods, fire, and other related challenges impacting care continuity.

These are not just statistics—they are national priorities. And purposeful research is what links academic inquiry to national transformation.

What does it mean for Malaysian university researchers? In this context, purposeful research must move beyond academic rigour to be more relevant and applicable to society. On the other hand, research that focuses solely on applicability can risk oversimplifying complex issues. Bridging this divide requires scholars to pursue research that is both analytically robust and contextually meaningful, contributing to academic advancement while addressing societal and industry challenges. Rigour can be tackled through scientific methodology, but relevance requires researchers to do three things:

1. Understand the local context to localize global innovations.  AI, telemedicine, genomics—these cannot be copy-pasted directly. They must reflect Malaysia’s culture, vernacular literacy, and digital infrastructure readiness.
2. Emphasize the Inclusivity agenda and decentralized impact. Kuala Lumpur is not Malaysia. Inclusivity must be visible in our datasets, our models, our interventions.
3. Bridge the policy-industry-future research gap.  Our findings should influence policies, be meaningful for industry sustainability, and consider future dynamics of the topic. It should inspire creativity and better action.

A quote from Dr. Atul Gawande, surgeon and public health leader, “Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try.” Atul Gawande in Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance.

As researchers in Malaysian universities, we must lead this charge—not just because we are trained to, but because the people is counting on us. Let’s reflect on how we design our studies:

• Do we co-create with patients, nurses, hospital administrators, rural midwives?
• Do we publish only in high-impact journals, or also translate our findings into infographics, local discussions, and perhaps parliamentary briefings or dialogues?
• Do we ask: “How can this improve the local healthcare?”

As we understand ‘publish or perish’, now we must also embrace ‘impact or irrelevance’.

Meaningful research should not be done in isolation. Purposeful research requires collaboration between universities and hospitals, between scientists and clinicians, between government and industry, and between nations. It is through building these bridges that innovation thrives, and meaningful impact becomes possible.

The future of healthcare in Malaysia depends not just on how much we discover, but why we do it, who we include, and how we translate it into action. That is the vision that purposeful research can help to realize.  Let us lead research that matters—not just globally, but deeply and purposefully within our own Malaysia. As we reimagine this future, the chase for impact factors must also be the chase for impact on lives.

Note: This article is an excerpt from the author’s Keynote speech delivered at the Research Engagement Day organized by KPJ Healthcare University (KPJU), held at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital on 13 May 2025. The author is also one of the Board Members for KPJU.