US Medicine was one of 39 Grand Gold recipients chosen worldwide, beating many organisations and universities to clinch the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards under the “Publications”, “Institutional Relations Publications” and “Presidents Reports & Annual Reports” categories.

Each year, the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards recognises the efforts of talented staff members from hundreds of institutions who advance their institutions through inspiring and creative ideas. Winners are selected based on several criteria: overall quality, innovation, use of resources and the impact on the institution or its external and internal communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff. In 2021, CASE received almost 3,000 entries from 27 countries. Those entries came from 530 institutions across 100 categories.

The School’s winning entry Going Viral: An Academic Year in the Time of COVID-19 provides an account of the year in which a novel coronavirus upended life and business as we knew it. Classroom lectures and tutorials went virtual, as previously bustling campus facilities emptied and fell silent when Singapore went into a seven-week long circuit breaker to flatten the trajectory of the pandemic.

NUS Medicine had to review and revalidate the strategic game plan. The School revised and reconstituted its approach to medical education and research, reorientated and then pivoted to a different pace and rhythm of work. Emerging from the enforced countrywide curfew, it was apparent that technology had enabled much continuity of the School’s work, with staff working relatively easily from home. This yearbook tells of how the School weathered the storm, and is a testimony to the grit, resilience and creative resourcefulness of the staff, students and alumni of the NUS medical school.

The judges commented on the entry, “While this report is dense, the information is presented in an organised fashion that highlights main points and makes the content digestible. The cohesive layout also facilitates this strong presentation of the content. The overall design is creative, with excellent use of colour and creative implementation of strong photography.”

Click here to read “Going Viral”.