Mission & History
Mission Statement
The Department of Medicine is dedicated to providing excellent care of adult patients suffering from the full spectrum of medical diseases, and advancing the health of the community at large through its quality staff who are champions of best clinical practices, leaders in education of the current and future generations of doctors, and discoverers of new knowledge and thoughts.
History
The Department of Medicine was one of the first units of the original King Edward VII College of Medicine in the early 20th century. The Department of Medicine (Medical Unit I and II) moved from the Singapore General Hospital to the National University Hospital, where it is today.
Listed below are the names of our distinguished Heads of Department:
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1922 - 1927 | Prof J S Webster |
| 1922 - 1930 | Prof G H MasAlister (Clinical Medicine) |
| 1927 - 1942 | Prof R Brunel Hawes |
| 1930 - 1933 | Prof G V Allen (Clinical Medicine) |
| 1946 | Dr R A Pallister |
| 1947 - 1971 | Prof Gordon Arthur Ransome |
| 1948 - 1965 | Prof Ernest Steven Monteiro (Clinical Medicine) |
| 1965 - 1971 | Prof Khoo Oon Teik (Clinical Medicine) |
| 1971 - 1978 | Prof Khoo Oon Teik (Head, Unit 1) |
| 1971 - 1979 | Prof Wong Poi Kwong (Head, Unit 2) |
| 1979 - 1981 | Prof Lim Pin |
| 1981 - 1985 | Prof Wong Poi Kwong |
| 1985 - 1987 | Prof Chan Heng Leong |
| 1987 - 1993 | Prof Tan Yew Oo |
| 1993 - 1997 | Prof Chan Heng Leong |
| 1997 - 1999 | Prof Tan Chorh Chuan |
| 1999 - 2006 | A/Prof Benjamin Ong |
| 2006 - 2014 | Prof Ho Khek Yu Lawrence |
| 2014 - 2020 | A/Prof Dan Yock Young |
| 2020 - | Prof Anantharaman Vathsala |
The Department leverages on the synergies in administration, operations and clinical service between the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the National University Hospital. As such, it is able to offer both basic and advanced medical sub-speciality training in a wide range of disciplines, and has been very active in various collaborative research areas. In particular, the Department has been able to develop a stroke unit, a diabetic care centre, and a liver transplantation programme in conjunction with the other disciplines. Today, we strive to be an Academic Medical Centre delivering excellent clinical service, medical education and training as well as opportunities for clinical and translational research.
