Adj Prof Lau Tang Ching and A/Prof Gerald Chua conferred National Medical Excellence Awards 2024
Published: 25 Sep 2024
Two faculty members of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), received the National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) this year, which recognises the efforts of outstanding clinicians, clinician scientists and other healthcare professionals for their contributions. It acknowledges their achievements in advancing healthcare, improving the standards of patient safety, and driving research and education, which ultimately improve people’s lives. Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Health, gave out the awards at the NMEA ceremony held on 24 September 2024.
Adjunct Professor Lau Tang Ching, Vice-Dean of Education and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at NUS Medicine, was conferred the National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award 2024 for his multifaceted contributions to healthcare education, continuous learning and patient care, and a comprehensive and impactful career dedicated to shaping the future of healthcare professionals and inspiring health for all. Adj Prof Lau is also Senior Consultant at the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital (NUH), and Group Director, Education Office, National University Health System (NUHS).
Adj Prof Lau has been a dedicated leader and educator in the field of healthcare, particularly in the areas of medical education, continuous education and training, learner wellbeing, quality improvement, patient safety, and technology-enabled healthcare education. Throughout his career, he has held various leadership roles across multiple levels both locally and internationally, demonstrating a commitment to developing strategies to enhance clinical training and patient care.
In the realm of postgraduate and continuous education, Adj Prof Lau played a pivotal role in establishing the Centre for Medical Excellence (CoME) under the NUHS Academy. CoME focuses on equipping healthcare staff with future-ready skills through educational programmes covering data and digital literacy, quality improvement, behavioural and implementation science, and nurturing junior staff. Notably, he guided the development of the ‘Starting on the Right Foot‘ course to aid junior doctors in transitioning to hospital life. In the undergraduate domain, Adj Prof Lau spearheaded the development of an enhanced Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) curriculum, focusing on producing community-minded and humanistic physicians. Recognising the role of technology in education, Adj Prof Lau advocates for its increased use. He supported the establishment of the Medical Education Technology and Enterprise Committee, promoting technology-enabled learning through virtual reality, augmented reality, and gamification. His leadership facilitated the adoption of online and technology-enabled learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adj Prof Lau emphasises a holistic approach to clinician training, incorporating not only knowledge acquisition but also the cultivation of personal and professional values. He advocates for experiential learning and has actively participated in team activities to foster values-based education. His leadership extends to overseeing the NUHS Residency Programme and establishing new education programmes, such as the Medical Education Distinction Track in Residency.
Associate Professor Gerald Chua Seng Wee from the Department of Medicine, NUS Medicine, was conferred the National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award 2024 for his visionary leadership, unwavering dedication, and exceptional mentorship in internal medicine, respiratory medicine and intensive care medicine, and his pivotal role in the teaching of clinical crisis resource management and high-stakes clinical interactions for healthcare professionals. A/Prof Chua is also Senior Consultant at the Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH).
A/Prof Chua has taught numerous cohorts of medical students and doctors in training in internal medicine, respiratory medicine and intensive care medicine – since the start of his career, when he graduated in 1994 from NUS Medicine and attained membership of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) in 1999. Starting in 2000 as a registrar in NUH, he pioneered – together with his consultants – the use of medical simulation to teach Crisis Resource Management to multi-professional clinical teams. Over the years, these workshops have been honed and expanded regionally to healthcare professionals and trainers in Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and China.
In his roles as Residency Associate Designated Institutional Official of NUHS, Associate Dean and Education Director of Alexandra Hospital (AH), Vice Chairman Medical Board, Clinical Education and as Chairman, Medical Board of NTFGH, he oversaw the establishment and expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate medical training in AH, NTFGH and Jurong Community Hospital from 2010 to 2024. For doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in JurongHealth Campus, he envisioned and implemented training programmes in high-stakes clinical interactions – in partnership with EffectiveArts (USA), and human factors for healthcare professionals – in partnership with MedLed (UK).
A/Prof Chua was teaching faculty and then Executive Director at the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) Centre for Medical Ethics & Professionalism from 2008 to 2019. Over the span of 12 years, he contributed significantly to the centre’s development and delivery of programmes and workshops on medical professionalism, health laws and clinical ethics. In recognition of these contributions, he received the SMA Merit Award in 2021.
