Dear Reader,

Aformer head of Singapore’s public service and the country’s sovereign wealth fund once described the country as an accidental nation. Ejected from political union with Malaysia in 1965, the minuscule island state was thought by many to be unable to survive the torrid regional environment in which the young nation found itself. As Singapore weathered this first crisis and made steady progress in securing its own place at the table of nations, detractors referenced its progress to a Chinese aphorism that wealth does not last beyond three generations.

On 9 August this year, Singapore turns 60 and we remember with gratitude, the Singaporeans who were present at the birth of the young nation and toiled to build what would become Southeast Asia’s first industrialised country. They laid the foundations for subsequent generations to continue the work.

The history of the NUS medical school, in many ways, parallels that of Singapore. Set up to meet the pressing needs of the time, the School has strived, thrived, and triumphed beyond the expectations of many due to the contributions of the community, support from the British colonial government, the calibre and quality of her staff and students, and the commitment of her supporters. A Straits Times publication of the colonial government gazette notice of 12 May 1905 announcing the establishment of Singapore’s first medical school read:

“It is expected that the new Straits Medical School will be opened at Singapore on the 1 July. The course of study will be five years, and successful candidates will receive diplomas entitling them to practice in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. A certain number of approved students at the School will pay no fees, will receive scholarships at the rate of $15 per month, and will have the use of instruments and expensive books free of charge.”

Twenty-three students enrolled when the school opened its doors. At the ceremony marking the occasion, the Governor General, Sir John Anderson told the students that “study in the Medical School was not just intended to enable them to earn a living. It was also a passport to membership of a great and noble profession. He expected them not only to cure diseases but also to prevent them and help educate their less fortunate and ignorant compatriots in health matters, and he emphasised:

“You are of the East and to you we look, to break down the walls of native prejudice and overcome this ignorance. You have access as the Westerner has not, to the inmost households of the East, and it is a very real battle that will have to be fought, and I think, with the training you will acquire here, you will go forth well-equipped and determined to win in the real spirit of the profession. And in a few years’ time you will overcome them and the community will reap the benefit of an increasing healthy population, a diminishing death rate and improved conditions of life everywhere…”

Seven young men eventually graduated from that pioneering class with licentiates in Medicine and Surgery, becoming colonial Singapore’s first locally trained medical practitioners. A century later, in July 2024, 305 young men and women followed in these pioneers’ steps, earning MBBS degrees and becoming the latest additions to the 11,861 medical graduates educated and trained by what is today the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine). They are joined by the 3,422 graduates from the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing), National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, which was established as part of the medical school in 2005.

Most Singaporeans alive today—and their forebears—would probably have been brought into the world by the expert hands of alumni of the NUS Medicine. Those hands have, over the course of 12 decades, provided safe and sound healthcare for generations of Singaporeans.

The modest, little medical school that was founded to serve the local colonial population’s most basic healthcare needs at the turn of the 20^th Century has grown from strength to strength to become one of the top 20 medical institutions of learning in the world in the 21st Century, ranked among the top 20 best medical schools globally by the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

As the School marks 120 years of service to the nation, we look back with pride and gratitude on the efforts of the thousands of our men and women graduates (Singapore’s first female medical practitioner, Lee Choo Neo, graduated in 1918). They have helped to lay the foundations of Singapore’s healthcare system, strengthened and even revolutionised the practice and delivery of health services. Starting with the February 2025 edition of this news magazine/MediCine, and over the course of this year, you can read about the history of medical education in Singapore, in a 12‐part series that we are reprinting with the kind permission of the Singapore Medical Association.

Thanks to the efforts of the early NUS Medicine pioneers and those who came after them, Singapore’s quality of healthcare today ranks among the best in the world. The School also owes its existence to the unwavering support of our benefactors and stakeholders, who enable us to decipher and master the specific biology and circumstances of our population, and to promote the health and well-being of all. Going into the third decade of its second century, NUS Medicine continues to educate and train competent healthcare professionals as we work towards our goal of being the best medical school in the world, for Asia.

By this, we mean to add to, even rewrite what is known about health and disease as it applies to Asians. This is important because almost all current medical literature is written based on Western perspectives, derived from Western research efforts. This has profound implications for healthcare in Asia, since genetic makeup, environmental factors and even cultural practices contribute to creating distinct health patterns and challenges that differ from Western situations and cases. This is an aspect of health and disease that has been overlooked for far too long and cannot continue. We have very different patterns of disease that we cannot count on the West to research and understand. We will have to do this, here in Singapore and Asia, and produce Asia-specific research and knowledge that can lead to fresh, new understanding, treatments and interventions that are optimal and effective for Asian populations. This is the mission of NUS Medicine in the years ahead, as we head towards our bicentenary.

Yours sincerely