It seemed not too long ago that the world was plunged into pandemic darkness. Now the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be mutating to less virulent forms, even as scientists gain deeper understanding and insight into the workings of the virus and fresh iterations of vaccines are developed and introduced.
Through it all, the staff, students and alumni of the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies soldiered on. We graduated the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 and welcomed the classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025. We also nourished the spirit of inquiry —critical in our work, whose endpoint is the well-being of patients. Despite the challenges that COVID-19 brought us, we responded to the need for nursing research.
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Vivien Wu whose research work, “Community based e-Health Program (CeHP) For Older Adults Living With Chronic Diseases” earned her the 2022 Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society of Nursing (Sigma)’s 33rd International Nursing Research Congress held in July 2022.
The Award recognises early-career nurse researchers and scholars whose research or scholarship influences the nursing profession and the people it serves. They recognized the need for nursing research and took action.
We also salute Associate Professor Zhou Wentao and research fellow Brigitte Woo. Their papers on the roles and impact of Advanced Practice Nurses helped to further appreciation and understanding of the complex and highly skilled professional competencies that characterise the work of these healthcare professionals.
There’s a huge need for nursing research and our alumni too continue to do us proud. A telegeriatric research project led by third-year PhD student Apphia Tan from NUS Nursing clinched the Bronze award under the student category. Held on 13 October 2022, the Singapore Biomedical Health Congress 2022 (SBHC 2022) showcased the works of seven healthcare teams in its oral presentation competition.
The “Interprofessional collaboration in geriatric teleconsultations: An exploratory qualitative study” project led by Apphia explored nurses’ and physicians’ experiences of interprofessional collaboration and communication during geriatric teleconsultations. The study yielded significant conclusions on the importance of telemedicine in training and communication to improve nursing care.
And congratulations to Senior Staff Nurse Koh Shu Hua and Assistant Nurse Clinician Adeline Lie who received the Ministry of Health Nurses’ Merit Award 2022. The NMA recognises nurses who display exceptional performance and participate in professional development while raising the Nursing profession.
To alumnus Teo Neil Russell (Class of 2022), the work is a calling. Inspired by the nurses who cared for his mother after she suffered a stroke, Russell enrolled in the Alice Lee Centre of Nursing Studies in 2018 despite not having a background in biology.
Here’s wishing Apphia, Russell and every alumnus and Nursing professional many fulfilling moments in your nursing journeys.
I hope you enjoy reading our publication.
Prof Emily Ang
Head (NUS Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies)
