Issue 22 - NUS Medicine

A PUBLICATION OF THE
NUS YONG LOO LIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Issue 22 / May 2017

DEAN'S MESSAGE

Dear Readers,

I am pleased to tell you that, for a second year running, NUS is ranked Asia’s leading university, according to the 2017 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings.

As NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan noted, the ranking is a strong recognition of the University’s Asian and global approach to education and research, as well as the importance NUS places on making a positive impact on the nation and the community around us.

Dossier

The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go

“Mental Muscle” is a project started in 2015 by a group of NUS medical students. It aims to raise public awareness of mental illnesses that burden Singaporeans, as well as the need for social support for these individuals. Taking over where their seniors left off, a fresh team of six medical students traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal late last year to run 200km of the Kathmandu Valley Rim in five days, the first team to complete such a trail.

Getting the Young to Teach Their Elders about Health

“Promoting Health, Spreading Awareness” – this is the motto of the Public Health Service (PHS), a preventive medicine initiative by NUS Medicine students. PHS brought this motto a step further when it pioneered the Young Health Ambassadors Programme (YHAP) in 2015, as an extension of its initiatives into primary prevention. This was established in the light of shifts in the greater public health sphere towards increased community health screening and secondary prevention, giving rise to a prominent primary prevention gap that PHS saw to fill through health education.

Family Medicine Celebrates Three Decades of Service

NUS Medicine’s Division of Family Medicine commemorated 30 years of Academic Family Medicine with a celebratory 30th anniversary dinner on February 25, 2017, at Orchard Hotel.

Advances in Paediatric Oncology

The annual St. Jude-VIVA Forum (SJVF) is a collaboration between St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and the Singapore-based charity VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer. It is the leading regional conference in paediatric oncology which aims to share knowledge and foster collaboration among paediatric oncologists. Held on March 1 to 5, the 11th SJVF brought news of improved treatments in a variety of paediatric cancers.

Gathering Synergy in Dialysis Access Care

A two-day international conference hosted by NUS Medicine in March brought clinicians from various countries together to explore ways to make dialysis treatment safer and better for kidney failure patients.

Interdisciplinary Teams, Out-of-the-Box Solutions

The Medical Grand Challenge is a student-led medical innovation programme. Together with students from other faculties, medical students identify unmet healthcare needs and explore creative and out-of-the-box solutions to address these issues.

Human Well-being and Security in 2030: The Critical Role of Innovation

In an increasingly uncertain and unstable world, the Second Raffles Dialogue on Human Well-being and Security aims to be a unique, trans-disciplinary platform for dialogue and discussion on various dimensions of human well-being.

Second Generation Tanoto Continues Parents’ Legacy

Ms Belinda Tanoto strongly believes in spending a lot of time with stakeholders on the ground to discover the real issues, which can then help shape philanthropic strategy.

Science of Life

Cellular Immunotherapy: Harnessing the Body’s Defenses against Cancer

In this second installment of the Cancer Immunotherapy series, we delve into cellular immunotherapy, which involves harnessing the power of immune cells to attack cancer cells.

Daily Cuppa Keeps Dementia at Bay

Regular consumption of tea reduces elderly persons’ risk of cognitive decline by 50 per cent, and potentially up to 86 per cent for persons genetically at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study by Assistant Professor Feng Lei and a team from NUS Medicine was published in the December 2016 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.

The Tao of the Clinician-Scientist

Professor Chng Wee Joo, Director of the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, recently won the ‘Singapore Translational Research Investigator Award’ at the 2017 National Medical Research Council Awards. In this article published last year, he shares about his journey to becoming a doctor-researcher. It is a long and winding road, a journey less travelled but one that is most fulfilling.

The Future of Medicine

In view of impending disruptions to clinical practice, how should we imagine medical education and medical schools?

The First Full Professor of Family Medicine Has Big Plans for Teaching and Research at NUS

With more than 30 years of experience in general practice and primary care research under her belt, the first full professor in the Division of Family Medicine – Professor Doris Young – has her mind set on improving the family medicine curriculum at NUS Medicine, in line with Singapore’s new focus on primary care.

Fulfilling Her Nursing Dream

First-year Nursing student Lim Shi Min, who is also a NUS Global Merit Scholar, talks about nursing studies, campus life, and tips for prospective students.

People of NUS Medicine

A Passion for Yoga

Where do you go for free yoga classes? Right here, at the Dean’s Office, where Ms Lena Yoong conducts free, twice-weekly introductory classes for staff. Secretary to one of the Vice-Deans by day, wife and mother at home, Lena has been practising yoga since 2001.

Insights

Poor Sleep Quality and Depression Could Trigger Dementia

There is increasing evidence linking the onset of dementia to poor sleep quality and depression. Both have been identified as key risk factors, along with traumatic injury to the brain, said Professor Kristine Yaffe, a visiting expert on dementia from the University of California in San Francisco.

Being a Caregiver

Caregiving is not as straightforward as we would like to believe, and although most of us will one day be caregivers and/or need care ourselves, we do not give the matter much thought, let alone make preparatory steps, until we are eventually forced to.

Justice as a Lens for One Health in Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases

Singapore plays a vital role in the prevention and control of zoonotic emerging infectious diseases in South-east Asia. In 2012, the government created a One Health (OH) platform for researchers and policymakers working locally, nationally and globally to “attain optimal health for people, animals, and our environment”. Despite endorsements from numerous organisations, OH lacks an ethical foundation. A multi-disciplinary group of researchers sought to address this gap in a project.

Scheduler

May – July 2017

MAY – JULY Date Event & Venue May 11-12 Workshop: Interactive Teaching-Learning Strategies in Small & Large Group Settings Multi-Purpose Hall 3, Level 3, Tahir Foundation Building, MD1, NUS May 15-18 Workshop: Simulation as a Teaching Tool – Instructor Course Centre for Healthcare Simulation, Level 3, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS May 20 […]

SCHEDULER

MAY - JULY

Date	Event & Venue

May 11-12	Workshop: Interactive Teaching-Learning Strategies in Small & Large Group Settings
	Multi-Purpose Hall 3, Level 3, Tahir Foundation Building, MD1, NUS
May 15-18	Simulation as a Teaching Tool: Instructor Course Centre for Healthcare Simulation, Level 3, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 20	Standardised Patient Day Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 23-26	Workshop: Simulation as a Teaching Tool: Instructor Course Centre for Healthcare Simulation, Level 3, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 23	Workshop: Competency Based Medical / Health Professional Education – Providing Effective Feedback to Enhance Learning Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 24	Workshop: Flipped Classroom Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 24	Workshop: Use of Videos in Medical Education Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 25-27	13th International Conference on Clinical Ethics Consulation Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore
May 30	Workshop: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
May 31	Workshop: Qualitative Research Methods in Health Professions Education Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
Jun 6-7	Workshop: Assessment of Practical / Clinical Skills – Workplace-Based Assessment Room 03-04, Level 3, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
Jun 13-16	The Seventh International Meeting on Synthetic Biology (SB7.0) University Cultural Centre, NUS
Jun 28	Workshop: Learning Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) Multi-Purpose Hall 1, Level 3, Tahir Foundation Building, MD1, NUS
Jun 30-Jul 1	4th National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) Annual Research Meeting Auditorium, Level 1 & T09-03/04, Level 9, NUHS Tower Block
Jul 3	Medical Dinner Raffles City Convention Centre, Level 4, Padang & Collyer Ballroom
Jul 6-7	International Conference on Scientific Frontiers in Natural Product-Based Drugs Auditorium, Level 1, Clinical Research Centre (MD11), NUS
Jul 8-9	RadioPath T06-02/03, Level 6, NUHS Tower Block
Jul 8	Commencement Ceremony University Cultural Centre, NUS
Jul 12	Workshop: Assessment of Practical / Clinical Skills – Multi-Station Examinations Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
Jul 13-14	Workshop: SHARE Workshop, Drug Discovery, Past and Future Auditorium, Level 1, Centre for Life Sciences (CeLS), NUS
Jul 17-21	International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) Singapore Sands Expo & Convention Centre
Jul 19-20	Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium’s 10th Annual Scientific Meeting Auditorium, Level 1, NUHS Tower Block
Jul 21	Workshop: Use of Portfolio in Assessment and Learning Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS
Jul 25-26	Workshop: Competency-Based Medical / Health Professional Education – Written Assessment Learning Room 01-01B, Level 1, Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM), MD6, NUS