EDUCATION
RESEARCH
Our strategic partnership in Academic Medicine builds on the collective strengths of the SingHealth group with Duke-NUS’ research and medical education capabilities. It is our aim to build a vibrant academic culture to foster new discoveries and knowledge, so as to improve patient care now and in the future. The Academic Medicine partnership develops collaborative platforms and integration of resources to take us forward in this shared journey of the advancement of patient care.
The ACP is designed to be a home for those who are experts in the treatment, education/training and research into specialized disease areas (e.g. medicine, surgery, pediatrics, O&G, etc.). An ACP is a cluster-wide organization for all clinical specialities to advance in Academic Medicine with resources and funding support from Duke-NUS and SingHealth. The introduction of the ACP is a major milestone in our journey of improving clinical care, education and research.
The formation of the ACP is consistent with practices in most academic medical centers, where the partnership between a healthcare provider and university provides a synergistic framework whereby research, scholarly work and education contribute to the advancement of patient care. By bringing together practitioners, educators and researchers, the synergy leads to better care, better trained future doctors, and higher impact research to advance knowledge and practice.
To catalyze cross-fertilization of ideas and sharing of resources and to assist ACPs in accomplishing their research and education missions, Duke-NUS is jointly establishing with SingHealth institutes on education and faculty development, clinical and translational research, and health services research to work in tandem with and support all ACPs.
The ACPs are being rolled out in phases, starting with the following:
The Surgery ACP is presently undergoing a final review for approval. Other key specialties currently under review include: Ophthalmology, Neuroscience, Family Medicine, Pathology, Anesthesiology, Oncology and Cardiology. For the larger specialties such as Medicine or Surgery, there are plans for some of their sub-specialities to develop into ACPs in the future.
The SingHealth and Duke-NUS Academic Medicine partnership is driven by the Academic Medicine Executive Committee (AM Exco) co-led by SingHealth Group CEO, Prof Tan Ser Kiat, and Duke-NUS Dean, Prof Ranga Krishnan.
The AM Exco executes and manages the development of Academic Medicine and the establishment of the ACPs and collaborative platforms between SingHealth and Duke-NUS.
The AM Exco comprises:
Doctors under the ACPs will be recommended for academic appointments in recognition of their contributions to the betterment of patient care through teaching, research and care innovation.
To ensure academic rigour, a stringent joint-selection process has been put in place to review the clinical and academic achievements of all clinicians before faculty appointments are given.
For doctors who already hold an academic title at another tertiary institution in Singapore (eg NUS/Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine), these titles will be taken into consideration for an equal or equivalent academic title from Duke-NUS
An Appointments, Promotions and Tenure (APT) Committee reviews all applications for faculty appointment – both adjunct and regular rank faculty of Duke-NUS, as well as assesses all recommendations for promotion in academic rank of faculty members.
With the SingHealth and Duke-NUS Academic Medicine partnership, a joint appointment process for education faculty and research faculty has been established.
An Academic Medicine partnership opens up a new realm of opportunities for both institutions, but this has to be accompanied with a positive mindset shift to ensure successful multi-disciplinary collaborations in the areas of education, research and healthcare are achieved.
This partnership is an excellent step towards receiving the best education and training possible. By having faculty that straddle the best of the clinical, research, and education worlds, students reap the benefits of learning to meet the goal of "improving patient lives". With the variety of academic clinical programs emerging at SingHealth, students quickly grasp that there is more than one way to improve the lives of their patients. Further benefits are realized when this model propagates a vibrant culture of academic teaching and research at SingHealth.
The many opportunities that are available to develop synergistic relationships and collaborations contribute positively to the growth and value of the school. Over time, staff can expect to see the development of larger scale programs and activities with access to a wider range of expertise and services, and varied platforms to engage with partners.
Playing an integral role in shaping academic medicine will bring about a strong sense of purpose in an environment where cutting-edge research and clinical studies are more integrated. Opportunities to be continually challenged, innovative and take on more leadership roles will arise.
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