Once every five years, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) hosts a visiting group of doctors and scientists who are leaders in their chosen medical and scientific fields. These eminent experts comprise the NUS Medicine Visiting Committees (VCs), formed to review and advise the school on its education and research missions. While many institutions focus predominantly on national accreditation exercises to assess their programmes, NUS Medicine goes further, engaging this independent panel of distinguished experts to undertake a thorough evaluation of our curriculum and educational practices.

This strategic initiative underscores the school’s emphasis on continuous improvement in preparing medical and Nursing students for the dynamic and ever-evolving healthcare landscape. The VCs’ review provides invaluable insights into strengths and identifies opportunities for growth, allowing the school to refine its programmes.

Overview of the Visiting Committees

During their recent visit between September and November 2024, the VCs undertook independent external reviews of each of the 17 academic departments. These departments were organised into six clusters for a comprehensive review process that focused on teaching quality and aimed to provide actionable recommendations to enhance NUS Medicine’s educational offerings. The focus of the VCs was to support department heads in evaluating their progress, assessing their contributions and achievements, and reflecting on long-term goals and priorities.

“These comprehensive evaluations critically assessed the core components of the education process, including teaching methodologies, curriculum design, resource allocation, and learning outcomes of our programmes. By offering valuable insights, VC reviews act as a powerful catalyst for continuous improvement and the pursuit of excellence in the education mission of the school. Through meticulous scrutiny of various educational aspects, these reviews help identify strengths and pinpoint areas requiring enhancement. They ensure that teaching practices and curriculum frameworks remain aligned with the latest advancements, best practices, and international standards in Medicine and Nursing education. Furthermore, these evaluations provide an evidence-based foundation for strategic decisions, promoting innovation and adaptability in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape,” Dr Dujeepa D. Samarasekera, Centre for Medical Education, Senior Director, said.

Structure and programme of the visit

During their visits, the VCs were briefed through an introductory presentation by Dean Professor Chong Yap Seng. He outlined their role, the school’s current efforts in research, education, and services, and the vision for further growth. Each department then briefed the visitors on achievements and initiatives.

The visitors also participated in the Meet-the-Student and Meet-the-Staff sessions. An informal dinner with the Dean and Department Heads provided additional opportunities for engagement. A review session with the departments and Deanery allowed for detailed discussions on findings. The visit concluded with closed-door meetings involving the Provost and NUS leadership to align departmental feedback with the university’s broader goals.

The visit’s planning and execution were a collaborative effort led by the school’s Strategy and Organisational Development (S&OD) unit and involving the Events Management team and academic departments.

Mr Jay Kaelash, Strategy & Organisational Development (S&OD), Director, shared, “The VC review exemplifies the school’s unwavering commitment to excellence by leveraging independent expertise to identify opportunities for growth—ensuring our programmes not only meet but exceed global standards in preparing future healthcare leaders.”

Outcomes and recommendations

The VCs observed that the vibrant NUS Medicine culture fosters an environment where collaboration and innovation thrive. Faculty members work together seamlessly, supporting each other in their teaching and research endeavours. This strong camaraderie not only enriches the educational experience but also cultivates effective mentorship for high-calibre students.

The visitors also noted the close strategic alignment with national healthcare policies, which ensures the continued relevance and impact of the NUS Medicine curriculum and training programmes. The exceptional research output of students also caught the committees’ attention, showcasing and reflecting the commitment to foster a culture of inquiry and excellence.

Key themes from the VCs’ findings emphasise the need for enhanced career mentorship and clearer pathways for academic career progression. They further emphasised the importance of prioritising top talent and retaining future clinicians, while ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges of healthcare leadership.

The VCs recognised the integration of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools as a significant opportunity to advance medical education. Moving forward, the school needs to future-proof the curriculum by achieving an optimal balance between specialisation and generalisation. Additionally, the visitors highlighted a critical gap in evidence-based educational approaches tailored to the practical needs and cultural context of the region. This represents an area that the school would be able to innovatively and creatively address.

Adjunct Professor Lau Tang Ching, Vice-Dean (Education), NUS Medicine, said, “The VC members extensively shared their experiences and good ideas, contextualised to the unique situation of NUS Medicine. Though they were full of praise for many of the good things in education and education research that we have been doing, they have also highlighted many gaps and missed opportunities. They generously shared suggestions to close the gaps and ride on the opportunities, including nurturing educators to become full professors in the education track, enabling the expertise and empowering the roles of our education administrators, sharing education innovations, and designing new education courses with the rest of the world for impact, and so forth. We are most grateful for their sharing, and a few have offered to help guide our junior educators as well, which was a very welcome gesture indeed!’

Recent national accreditation success

Even as the VCs’ counsel and observations provide critical momentum to the school’s advance, we are also proud to report that the school has successfully achieved accreditation from the Ministry of Health in October 2023. This milestone, confirmed through a comprehensive review process, affirms our commitment to the national standards for basic (undergraduate) medical education. As the first medical school in Singapore to gain accreditation, NUS Medicine has set a new benchmark for others in the region.