Issue 27 - NUS Medicine

A PUBLICATION OF THE
NUS YONG LOO LIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Issue 27 / August 2018

DEAN'S MESSAGE

Another academic year has just begun and we bid a warm welcome to the 297 Medicine Class of 2023 students, as well as 282 of their fellows in the Nursing Class of 2021. They are embarking on educational journeys that are stimulating and challenging and it is our hope that they will follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before them, to become caring, competent healthcare professionals who hold their patients’ interests and welfare foremost.

As one class commences its journey, another’s comes to an end: we extend our heartiest congratulations to the graduating Class of 2018 medical and nursing students and wish them every success in the next stage of their careers. Singapore needs good, caring doctors to look after our steadily ageing population. The Class of 2018 joins a long and distinguished line of NUS medicine graduates that go back to 1905, when our medical school was established. Today, our alumni has grown to include Nursing graduates.

Dossier

The NUS Medical School’s Vision and Mission for the 21st Century

Singapore’s first and most established medical school celebrated its 113th year on 3 July 2018 with an unveiling of a declaration of its raison d’etre in the 21st century.

Medical Dinner 2018 – Celebrating our People

On 3 July 2018, graduating students, NUS Medicine alumni and staff gathered at Orchard Hotel to renew old ties and reminisce about school days over food and drink.

Associate Professor Yeoh Khay Guan, Dean of the School led guests – who included NUS President Tan Eng Chye – in a toast to the Class of 2018.

Medical Grand Challenge – A Platform for Medical Innovation

The Medical Grand Challenge enters its second year much as it started its inaugural season last year – getting students to address unmet healthcare challenges through developing creative and innovative solutions in collaboration with other National University of Singapore (NUS) students and various healthcare professionals.

Neighbourhood Health Service Now A Nationwide, Inter-professional Community Health Service

The Neighbourhood Health Service (NHS) has grown by leaps and bounds to become NUS Medicine's iconic community service project. It is the only student-led School project that has nationwide reach and scale – partnering all three Regional Health Systems to serve more than 5,000 residents in nine different districts, from Taman Jurong to Eunos Crescent.

National University Polyclinics Will Help Shape Family Medicine, Deliver Value Care

American entrepreneur and author Tim Fargo once said, “Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” Indeed, steps taken today lay the foundation for the journey ahead and the outcomes of the future. Having a vision and purpose is thus important as they chart a clear direction for the organisation and its employees. This is especially so for new organisations such as the National University Polyclinics (NUP), the primary care arm of the National University Health System (NUHS).

Science of Life

FAT HOPE: Enzyme in Fat Synthesis Interacts with a Lung Cancer Cell Protein to Induce Drug Resistance

A team of researchers at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the U.S., led by Dr Azhar Ali, has discovered that a key enzyme in lipid metabolism controls the response to a class of targeted drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in lung cancer.

Nurture or Nature? Research Project Reveals Answers

A little over a decade ago, a team of intrepid researchers from the National University Health System, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and A*STAR’s Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences set up one of the world’s largest birth cohorts. Working with partners from research institutions in New Zealand, the UK and other countries, they set out to understand how conditions in pregnancy and early childhood influence the health and development of mothers and their children.

In Vivo

A Labour of Love

Today, the learning of pathology has been enhanced and aided through technology, thanks to the efforts of Associate Professor Nga Min En and colleagues at the Department of Pathology. Painstakingly, one specimen at a time, the team has rendered more than 700 specimens in digital format and made more than 250 of these specimens available online for medical students. It is a labour of love that begun more than six years ago. It is still going on and will end when the last and final specimen has been digitised.

A Whole New Way of Seeing the Human Body

The study of human anatomy is a cornerstone of medical and nursing education and at the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), students attending classes in the subject embark on an enthralling sensory experience - they first gain hands-on experience working with human cadavers and then manipulate finely detailed, computer-generated, three-dimensional renditions of the human body and its parts in a special laboratory.

From Perspectives to Policies on Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing

As basic and translational research into genetic testing and precision medicine receives increasing attention, funding and public support, there has been substantial international interest in addressing the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of such novel interventions.

Insights

Stories of Seniors Offer Glimpses into Our Past and Future

Phase III Medicine student Gabriel Wong led his peers from various faculties of the National University of Singapore (NUS) to interview 20 seniors from nursing homes and activity centres, and put together a book detailing their life stories and experiences with the healthcare system.

Life is a Journey… Travel Well

Dr Noreen Chan, Head & Senior Consultant, Division of Palliative Care at National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) offers her take on living a good life.

Fighting the Ebola Pandemic and Breaking Barriers through Service

Dr Mo Yin, Associate Consultant at the Division of Infectious Diseases, University Medicine Cluster, National University Hospital, recounts her personal experience fighting the ebola pandemic in Monrovia, Liberia in February 2015.

All in the Family

Training the Next Generation of Family Medicine Doctors for Singapore

International studies show that a well-developed primary care system with GPs or family doctors and basic health care providers deliver more cost efficient care.

Advancing Academic Family Medicine in NUHS and Beyond

Professor Doris Young from NUHS' Department of Family Medicine shares her views on how to advance academic family medicine in Singapore.

A Champion for Migrant Worker Health and Well-being

HealthServe was founded by NUS Medicine alumnus Dr Goh Wei Leong (Class of 1985) and businessman Mr Tang Shin Yong in late 2006 to provide medical care for migrant workers in Singapore. These workers, who are largely men aged between 18 to 50 years old, hail from Bangladesh, India and China.

People of NUS Medicine

The Tai-Chi Teacher

Meet Associate Professor Lau Tang Ching, Vice-Dean of Education at NUS Medicine and tai-chi teacher to the dozen or so NUHS staff who turn up enthusiastically each Monday morning to go through their paces with him. “It is not just a physical exercise. You have to be mindful and slow as you go through the movements, and that helps to reduce stress and anxiety,” he said.

August – October 2018

Date Event & Venue Aug 6 Flag Day Aug 11 Rag Day University Town, NUS Aug 16 White Coat Ceremony University Cultural Centre, NUS Sept 8-9 Neighbourhood Health Service Kampong Glam Community Club Sept 18 Keynote Address Level 1, Auditorium, NUHS Tower Block Oct 6-7 Neighbourhood Health Service Leng Kee Community Club (Queenstown-Bukit Merah) Oct […]

SCHEDULER

AUGUST - OCTOBER

Date	Event & Venue

Aug 6	Flag Day
Aug 11	Rag Day University Town, NUS
Aug 16	White Coat Ceremony University Cultural Centre, NUS
Sep 8-9	Neighbourhood Health Service Kampong Glam Community Club
Sep 18	Keynote Address Level 1, Auditorium, NUHS Tower Block
Oct 6-7	Neighbourhood Health Service Leng Kee Community Club (Queenstown-Bukit Merah)
Oct 13-14	Public Health Service Canopy @ J Link, Jurong East
Oct 25	Medical Sciences Cluster Infectious Disease Symposium Clinical Research Centre, MD11, NUS
Oct 25	Awards and Appreciation Nite University Cultural Centre, NUS