Honouring our Silent Mentors: Launch of enhanced Remembrance Hall and special artworks
Published: 16 Jul 2025
Artists who contributed paintings to the Remembrance Hall: (from left) A/Prof Sim Tiow Suan, Ms Olivette Chen, Prof Soong Tuck Wah, Mr Yuichiro Tanaka, Prof Chung Min Suk, Ms Sathyapriya Subramaniam
Established in 2012, the Silent Mentor Programme at the Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), serves as an invaluable educational resource for the training of future doctors, dentists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Supported by the altruism of whole-body donors and their families, the programme has supported the medical and healthcare education of thousands of students from NUS and other educational institutions across Singapore.
During the three years that our Silent Mentors are with the Department, their loved ones often visit the Remembrance Hall to spend time with them and pay tribute to their legacy. Located within the Department of Anatomy, the dedicated space honours the generosity and selflessness of our Silent Mentors and their families, while offering a comforting environment for families to connect with their loved ones.
The Remembrance Hall has recently been thoughtfully enhanced, featuring a collection of paintings that capture the spirit of the Silent Mentor Programme. These meaningful artworks have been created and graciously donated by faculty, students, and partners of NUS. The hall was launched on 12 July 2025, at an event graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman, NUS Board of Trustees.
Launch of the Remembrance Hall on 12 July 2025, graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman, NUS Board of Trustees (front row, fourth from right)
A/Prof George Yip, Head, Department of Anatomy, NUS Medicine, said, “The Remembrance Hall provides a peaceful, tranquil and comfortable environment for the next of kin of the Silent Mentors to reflect, honour and remember their loved ones.”
Some of the paintings in the Remembrance Hall include the following:
Artist: Ms Olivette Chen, Year 3 NUS Medicine student
Description of artwork: My painting is of a human hand reaching out towards the hand of a Silent Mentor. The dark background juxtaposes against the glowing hand of the Silent Mentor, to depict how our Silent Mentors have shone light and guided us through the understanding of anatomy.
Artist: Associate Professor Sim Tiow Suan, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, NUS Medicine
Description of artwork: A tribute to lives given selflessly in silence – for knowledge, for compassion, for healing. Respectfully, the echoes of the wind and clouds create heartfelt music. Their final gift lights the path for generations to come.
