Professor Liaw Sok Ying is an esteemed trailblazer in the field of nursing education, having laid the foundation for Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies since 2006. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to education, Prof Liaw has been consistently honoured with prestigious teaching awards at NUS. Notably, she received the NUS and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Digital Education Award in 2022 and 2021 respectively, as well as the NUHS Research Educator Awards for two consecutive years (2021, 2022).

Since assuming the role of Head of Department for the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies in July 2023, Prof Liaw has fostered a culture of teamwork. Her influence extends beyond administrative roles, having actively spearheaded innovative educational initiatives that seek to enhance the clinical competencies of medical and nursing students. Of note, Prof Liaw played an active role in the implementation of the SIMulated Professional Learning Environment (SIMPLE), an evidence-based simulation programme that helps final-year nursing students transit seamlessly into clinical practice.

She has built a significant and impactful body of research activities that can be summed up using the acronym “PRIME” — Patient safety through Recognizing and responding to clinical deterioration; Interprofessional collaboration and education; Manpower nursing workforce and development, and; Experiential learning using simulation. She was also instrumental in guiding the development and evaluation of simulation-based educational programmes to develop nursing competency in patient safety: e-RAPIDS (Rescuing A Patient In Deterioration Situation) and CREATIVE (Create Real-time And Teamwork In Virtual Environment).

Prof Liaw is also the recipient of prestigious international research awards from the International Nursing Association for Clinical and Simulation Learning (2023), and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (2024).

Congratulations, Prof Liaw!