Associate Professor
Marion Aw

Vice-Dean
Office for Students,
NUS Medicine

Q: Why was the Office for Students formed in January 2022?

A/Prof Aw: The current Office for Students (OfS) brings under one roof all the key teams involved in student-related matters. This enables the School to support and journey with students seamlessly from the time they are admitted, and progress with them through medical school, graduation and beyond.

We also want to be more deliberate in actively nurturing our students’ personal and professional development—enabling them to improve their self-awareness, relational competence and resilience. These latter goals would be achieved through various avenues, including our longitudinal mentorship programmes (Houses and EnRICH), service-learning opportunities and numerous student life activities such as sports, team-building events and near-peer mentorship.

We envision building a community of practice, of like-minded faculty, mentors and students.

Q: What do we need to know about OfS?

A/Prof Aw: The Office for Students is made up of three teams, namely Admissions, Student Care & Support (SCS) and Student Life & Development (SLD).

Our Admissions team is the first touchpoint for prospective students who are aspiring to become healthcare practitioners in the future. Our team specialises in engaging potential students through outreach programmes such as NUS Open Day. As we work hard to attract students who embody the right attributes and values, we also continually improve processes in our annual Admissions Exercise to select these students to join our community at NUS Medicine. We work closely with our Admissions Committee, which comprises NUS Medicine faculty members from various medical disciplines and allied healthcare professions.

OfS recognises that while training to be a healthcare practitioner is fulfilling, it is also demanding. Our Student Care & Support team is committed to ensuring that all our undergraduate medical students have adequate access to academic, financial, social and emotional support in their journey with us. Our team provides a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space for students to consult us in relation to any issues they may be facing.

We believe in nurturing our students to find and develop their professional identity as competent healthcare practitioners, as they acquire content knowledge and hone mastery in their clinical skills required to serve patients in the community. Through various types of experiences outside the classroom supported by our Student Life & Development team, we provide opportunities for students to build self-awareness, self-understanding and self-efficacy, improve their relational competence, and uncover their best potential as a professional, lifelong learner and human being. Relevant programmes, opportunities, events and activities can be found in the Student Handbook.

Dr Inthrani Raja Indran

Assistant Dean
Office for Students,
NUS Medicine

Q: What assistance does the Student Care & Support (SCS) team provide?

Dr Inthrani: We will be able to assist you in these three broad areas:

Q: What can students expect after they email SCS about their concerns?

Dr Inthrani: If it is something purely administrative, you will hear from our team via email. If we need to understand more, we will arrange for a meeting. I will attend these meetings with my Student Support Manager(s) to see how we can help you. It will be a casual chat to learn more and figure what would be the best way to support you, so please do not be afraid to reach out to us!

Assistant Professor
Benjamin Goh

Assistant Dean
Office for Students,
NUS Medicine

Q: When should students approach the Student Life & Development team?

Asst Prof Goh: You do not need a reason or occasion to look for us. We are here to journey through medical school and beyond with you. For Phase 1 students, I hope you are aware by now that NUS Medicine has since its inception, founded societies, clubs and Houses that you could be part of.

Groups of students organise several local and overseas community outreach projects that you can participate in. If you have a burning interest to start a new project or initiative, and cannot find existing programmes to fit into, please talk to us! We can help you obtain endorsement from the School, connect you with some relevant stakeholders to jumpstart your idea and perhaps support you in terms of funding.

The SLD team also manages leadership and mentoring programmes to train and develop student leaders. Last but not least, the School organises landmark events every year to enrich student life and nurture a community of learners.

Assistant Professor Derrick Lian

Core Faculty
Office for Students,
NUS Medicine

Q: Why should students care about the Houses in NUS Medicine?

Asst Prof Lian: A Latin-sounding House name, a fancy House Crest, a virtue symbolically represented in a House mascot, and best of all, a physical room to chill in and call your own!

When you join our family as a medical student, you will get sorted into one of ten houses (sorry, no magical sorting hat at work here) where you will learn, play, and bond with your other Housemates. Your community includes caring senior medical students and faculty mentors who will guide you through the various challenges in becoming a doctor (as well as adulthood issues!).

All we are lacking now, is an inter-House quidditch competition! Someone get the broomsticks!