Vanassa Ratnasingam

Dr. Vanassa Ratnasingam is a Senior Lecturer in General Practice and Family Medicine at the Clinical School Johor Bahru, Monash University Malaysia, under the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has been a core academic since 2009 and plays a pivotal role in Year 4 MBBS teaching, serving as Clinical Academic Lead and co-chair of the Year 4 MBBS Assessment Committee. She is also a member of the Medical Education Unit and MPCC, contributing to curriculum development and assessment strategy.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of primary healthcare, medical education, and microbiome science. Key areas include deprescribing, probiotics and gut health, diabetes self-management, and clinical assessment feedback. Her work supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, particularly in chronic disease and patient-centered care.

Recent publications from 2021 to 2024 demonstrate a strong trend in microbiome-related research—especially the role of probiotics in gut-brain axis conditions—and innovations in medical education assessment. Her studies frequently appear in high-impact journals such as Gut, Nutrients, and BMC Medical Education, often in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams.

She was awarded recognition in 2011 as part of the MY DARLING study team for impactful research in diabetes and lifestyle intervention. This collaborative work emphasized patient education and self-care skills in metabolic disease management.

Dr. Ratnasingam has been actively involved in research grants and projects, including the 2017 'Speaking Out' project where she served as Primary Chief Investigator. She mentors within the medical education framework and contributes to national-level curriculum development in primary healthcare. Though no formal students are listed, her leadership in teaching and assessment indicates significant advisory and supervisory roles.

She is affiliated with the Primary Health Care (PHC) curriculum development team at Monash and collaborates extensively across Malaysia and Singapore, particularly in public health and clinical education initiatives.