Background

Khayriyyah (Kye) began her academic research in epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection stemming from an internship at the World Health Organization in Geneva. Subsequently, she developed an interest in tuberculosis, which led to studies on development of diagnostic biomarkers of tuberculosis and mucosal infections in her postgraduate training under supervision of Associate Professors David Anderson and Rosemary Ffrench.

Her evolving research interests span viral hepatitis (particularly hepatitis C virus), immunological biomarkers of mucosal infections, antigenic properties of mycobacteria (particularly M. tuberculosis complex), novel antimicrobial strategies against TB and methicillin-resistant S.aureus, and more recently, the development of cross-species diagnostic markers for zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases.

As the winner of FameLab International 2018, the world’s oldest science communication competition, she is actively engaged in efforts for capacity building in science communication in Malaysia.

She leads the development of a training-of-trainers Malaysian Science Communication Module and is a regular columnist for Malaysian daily The Star, at “Science, She Wrote” where she writes on scientific and social developments related to COVID-19.

She is a senior lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, and currently on secondment at Burnet’s Global Health Diagnostics Development Laboratory.

Appointments

• Chair, Malaysian Science Communication Module working committee, Young Scientists Network-Academy of Sciences Malaysia
• FAScinate trainer, Academy of Sciences Malaysia

Positions

• 2021 to present: Senior Research Officer, Burnet Institute
• 2015 to present: Senior Lecturer, Universiti Sains Malaysia
• 2009–2015: Fellow, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Qualifications

• 2015: PhD, Monash University, Australia/Burnet Institute
• 2011: Masters of Science in Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA
• 2009: Bachelor of Biomedical Science, International Islamic University Malaysia

Awards

• 2019: Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports, Special Award
• 2018: Universiti Sains Malaysia Excellent Service Award
• 2018: FameLab, International Final (Science Communication), Winner
• 2017: Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship Award
• 2010: Johns Hopkins Vaccine Internship at the WHO

Projects (1)

Current (1)

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  APPRISE - Centre for Research Excellence

Publications (4)

2021 (1)

• Effective Communication at Different Phases of COVID-19 Prevention: Roles, Enablers and Barriers.
  Mohd Hanafiah K, Ng C, Wan AM
  Viruses. 2021 Jun; 13(6):1058

2019 (1)

• An Observational Case-Control Study to Determine Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Host Factor Influence on Biomarker Distribution and Serodiagnostic Potential in Adult Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
  Hanafiah KM, Garcia ML, Anderson DA
  Trop Med Infect Dis. 2019 Mar; 4(2):E57

2017 (1)

• Development of multiplexed infectious disease lateral flow assays: Challenges and opportunities.
  Mohd Hanafiah K, Arifin N, Bustami Y, Noordin R, Garcia M, Anderson D
  Diagnostics. 2017 Sep; 7(3):E51

2016 (1)

• The global burden of viral hepatitis from 1990 to 2013: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.
  Stanaway JD, Flaxman AD, Naghavi M, Fitzmaurice C, Vos T, Abubakar I, Abu-Raddad LJ, Assadi R, Bhala N, Cowie B, Forouzanfour MH, Groeger J, Hanafiah KM, Jacobsen KH, James SL, MacLachlan J, Malekzadeh R, Martin NK, Mokdad AA, Mokdad AH, Murray CJ, Plass D, Rana S, Rein DB, Richardus JH, Sanabria J, Saylan M, Shahraz S, So S, Vlassov VV, Weiderpass E, Wiersma ST, Younis M, Yu C, El Sayed Zaki M, Cooke GS
  Lancet. 2016 Jul; 338(10049):1081-1088