Dean’s Year-End Message 2011

Dear Friends of Duke-NUS

Very quickly, a year has passed and very soon, we will be welcoming a brand new year.

This year was memorable for me for several reasons.

First, we witnessed our pioneer class of M.D students graduate in July. This event is the culmination of four years of hard work and immense dedication on the part of our medical students and, the faculty and staff who have taught, nurtured and supported them throughout their learning journey. 

The graduation also exemplifies the overwhelming confidence of our stakeholders - the Ministries of Education, Health and Trade & Industry, National University of Singapore, Duke University, SingHealth and A*STAR – as well as the tireless efforts of our pioneering faculty and staff.  Our combined vision to groom a new generation of doctors who will make substantive impact on medicine and research is what brought us together, and continues to guide our growth. 

Our school is now considered a shining example of how innovations in medical education and research, coupled with new learning approaches and knowledge paradigms, can be the basis for changing the way medicine is taught and practiced.  Duke-NUS graduates will push new boundaries in patient care in the coming years, and we can all be proud of what we have accomplished. 

Another highlight for me was to watch our family grow – we have a student body of over 200 across our 3 programmes (M.D, M.D/PhD and PhD).  We have also welcomed many new colleagues, who, like our students, have joined us, and will continue to do so, from Singapore and many countries across the globe.

In this diversity thrives the symbiotic relationships of our faculty, staff, students, stakeholders and partners.

Individually, we may be different, but we are united in the vision of transforming medicine to improve lives. The diversity of our backgrounds and expertise allows us to develop new insights and perspectives and gain new knowledge. Empowered by a culture that believes in teamwork and team spirit, and a supportive eco-system, we are well on our way to help define the future of medicine in Singapore, the region and in the world.

As we collaborate more closely with our SingHealth colleagues who lead in all aspects of our mission involving patient-care, Duke-NUS will continue to help build a cohesive and vibrant culture that will promote academic medicine in Singapore. We have taken the early steps to build this new culture as we prepare to embark on Phase 2 of the Duke-NUS collaboration in 2012.

Building on Duke-NUS’ and SingHealth’s respective core strengths in education, research, medicine and patient-care, we will translate these strengths into innovations in medicine and services that will improve the lives of patients and strengthen the biomedical sciences economy.

I wish to thank each and every one of you for being an integral part of this vision and for your continued efforts to make a difference to Duke-NUS and to the lives of those we serve.

I wish you and your family, peace, love, joy and good health in the New Year.

Season’s greetings and happy holidays!

Ranga Krishnan
Dean, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore