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2023: A transformational year at Duke-NUS

  2. 2023: A transformational year at Duke-NUS

As the first full post-COVID year, 2023 marked a transformative chapter for Duke-NUS. There were many reasons to gather and celebrate as the School continued to advance its mission on all fronts—from establishing a new centre for neuroscience research to being recognised among Singapore’s top employers for the third consecutive year. As we graduated our largest cohort to date, we also celebrated the achievements of our inaugural cohort of students from the Duke-NUS Health Innovator Programme, as well as our third cohort of Master Academic Clinicians.

Now, join us as we take a moment to recap some of our key milestones and accomplishments in 2023!

Deans’ Pancake
Breakfast returned

Dean's Pancake Breakfast 2023
Feb 2023 Deans' Pancake Breakfast returned after a three-year hiatus to raise funds in support of students’ community service projects. This annual fundraiser was first conceptualised in 2008 by the faculty when the inaugural cohort of students approached the Dean with hopes of instituting community service projects.
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Nine Master Academic
Clinicians inducted

20230223 MAC - Stage Group Photo (Post-Event)
Feb 2023 Nine senior clinicians from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre into the Hall of Master Academic Clinicians—the highest recognition for outstanding clinical faculty conferred by the School. 20 senior clinical faculty members also marked new milestones in their careers as they were appointed or promoted to the ranks of associate and full professor in recognition of their stellar academic accomplishments in their respective fields.
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We launched
Duke-NUS COVID Stories

IMG_2684
Mar 2023 Duke-NUS scientists, researchers and leaders filled the Atrium of the Khoo Teck Puat building on Friday, 3 March, to celebrate the launch of a new book about the School’s collective accomplishments, innovations and discoveries made in the fight against COVID. Titled Duke-NUS COVID Stories, the book chronicles these milestones alongside the personal stories of the researchers, clinician-scientists and alumni who made the discoveries.
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Students dazzled with their inventions

DSC_2525
Apr 2023A team of students from the Duke-NUS’ Health Innovator Programme has won S$20,000 to develop a device that prevents vaginal tears during childbirth. The nine-month fellowship was launched in September 2022 and aims to instil an innovation-driven mindset in students so they will continue to improve clinical practice after they graduate.
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AMC researchers shone at the
NMRC Awards 2023

NMRC 2023
Apr 2023 The National Medical Research Council (NMRC) held an awards ceremony on 27 April 2023 to honour the accomplishments of 46 clinician-scientists and researchers from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC) who received talent development awards.
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We were recognised among Singapore's Best Employers 2023

ST Best Employer 2023
Apr 2023 Duke-NUS Medical School has been recognised among Singapore’s Top 200 Best Employers by Straits Times for the third consecutive year.
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Patrick Tan appointed as Senior Vice-Dean for Research

Senior VIce-Dean Patrick Tan
May 2023 Duke-NUS Medical School has appointed Professor Patrick Tan to the leadership role of Senior Vice-Dean (Designate) for Research, effective from 1 May 2023. He takes over from Professor Patrick Casey, who is stepping down after having led the School’s research efforts since its inception in 2005.
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Prof Wang Linfa elected to the
Australian Academy of Science

EID - Wang Linfa (Landscape)
May 2023 The Council had voted unanimously in support of Prof Wang’s induction into the Academy as a Corresponding Member. Corresponding Membership is a special category within the Fellowship, comprising eminent international scientists with strong ties to Australia who have made outstanding contributions to science.
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Largest cohort
graduated

Graduation 2023 pic
Jun 2023 The long processional march was a magnificent sight as the Class of 2023—the largest cohort to graduate from Duke-NUS to date—filed into The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium on 3 June 2023 for their graduation ceremony. They were joined by Guest-of-Honour Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and keynote speaker Professor Ivy Ng, Group CEO at SingHealth, as well as leadership members from Duke, SingHealth and Duke-NUS.
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Patrick Tan honoured with the Public Sector Transformation Award

Duke-NUS appoints Prof Patrick Tan as Senior Vice-Dean for Research
Jul 2023 Professor Patrick Tan, Duke-NUS’ newly appointed Senior Vice-Dean for Research, received the Exemplary Leader Award during the 2023 Public Sector Transformation Award Ceremony for his team science approach that has enabled his staff to address large-scale and complex challenges.
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Camp Simba
returned

Camp Simba 2023
Aug 2023 Duke-NUS medical students, together with their counterparts from NUS’ Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, organised a three-day-two-nights camp for children whose family members have been diagnosed with cancer. Held in July, this was the first time since the pandemic that the students were able to offer the full camp experience to their young campers.
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Faculty and staff recognised with National Day Awards 2023

National Day Awards 2023
Aug 2023 Congratulations to our faculty and staff, as well as individuals from our Academic Medicine partner, SingHealth, who were recognised with some of Singapore’s top honours at the 2023 National Day Awards.
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We welcome the
Class of 2027

White Coat Ceremony 2023
Aug 2023 Duke-NUS’ newest medical students gathered at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium in the Academia building on Friday, 11 August, for a rite of passage—their White Coat Ceremony. The ceremony, during which they don symbolic white coats and recite the Hippocratic Oath, is a formal induction into the medical profession.
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Patrick Tan received the NUS University Award 

Professor Patrick Tan receives top NUS research award
Sep 2023 Professor Patrick Tan receives the Research Recognition Award at the 2023 National University of Singapore (NUS) University Award ceremony Friday, 8 September. A renowned cancer geneticist, Prof Tan spearheaded the development of genomic approaches that have brought to light the molecular and clinical diversity of gastric cancer, a leading cause of death worldwide.
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Minister Ong Ye Kung met our students at Duke

Ms Teo Kaye Min (left) and Mr Liow Yuh Yiing (second from right) are among a group of Singaporean students who met with Minister Ong during his visit to Duke University // Credit: Chris Hildreth/Rooster Media
Sep 2023 Minister for Health Mr Ong Ye Kung led a delegation from the Ministry of Health, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Duke-NUS Medical School on a visit to Duke University on 18 September for a full day of meetings with leadership, faculty and students as well as a visit of the Duke Outpatient Clinic. The visit was also a reaffirmation of the nearly two-decade-long Duke-NUS partnership.
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Alice Lee Innovation Centre of Excellence @ SGH Campus launched

Launch of ALICE
Sep 2023 A new innovation centre, which aims to bring clinician-innovators and researchers under one roof to accelerate healthcare innovations, was launched during the opening ceremony of the biennial SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress on 22 September. Named the Alice Lee Innovation Centre of Excellence @ SGH Campus (A.L.I.C.E@SGH Campus), the Centre is the first of several innovation centres slated to open across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC) campuses.
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Ngee Ann Kongsi gifts $6M to Duke-NUS Medical School

The Ngee Ann Kongsi gifts $6M to Duke-NUS Medical School to Foster Tomorrow’s Healthcare Leaders
Oct 2023 The Ngee Ann Kongsi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Duke-NUS with a pledge of up to $6 million to advance education in healthcare and nurture the next generation of healthcare leaders and professionals. The MOU signing ceremony which took place during The Ngee Ann Kongsi Members' Gala Night, was attended by Guest-of-Honour Acting Minister for Transport, Senior Minister of State for Finance Chee Hong Tat.
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We celebrated the life and science of Pat Casey

The 125-strong audience at the symposium
Oct 2023 Speakers from all corners of the world gathered for a specially curated symposium to celebrate the life and science of Duke-NUS former Senior Vice-Dean for Research, Professor Patrick Casey. The 125-strong audience retraced Prof Casey’s journey from Duke to Singapore as they heard from senior leaders, research faculty, as well as former students who shared how Prof Casey had personally touched their lives.
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Two alumni honoured with NUS Outstanding Young Alumni Awards

NUS honoured the achievements of 21 outstanding alumni and three alumni teams comprising another 14 alumni at the prestigious NUS Alumni Awards 2023 // Credit: NUS
Nov 2023 Duke-NUS Assistant Professor Rena Dharmawan (Class of 2011) and Speedoc Co-Founder and CEO Dr Shravan Verma (Class of 2014) became the first alumni from Duke-NUS to be honoured at the biennial NUS Alumni Awards.
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Wang Yibin awarded American Heart Association’s Basic Research Prize

Wang Yibin awarded American Heart Association’s Basic Research Prize
Nov 2023 For his work on some of the smallest culprits behind one of the biggest killer diseases, cardiovascular scientist Professor Wang Yibin received the Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association (AHA) during the Presidential Session of the Association’s Scientific Sessions on 12 November.
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Duke-NUS and Japan-based IPGaia partnership signed

Duke-NUS and Japan-based IPGaia announce partnership to accelerate innovation in drug discovery
Nov 2023 Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) and IPGaia, Inc. (IPG) have signed an agreement to jointly advance drug discovery and development from academia to industry, to bring the benefits of translational research to patients. Through this partnership, Duke-NUS will propose drug targets to IPG, which will, in turn, identify and develop lead compounds with the goal of licensing clinic-ready candidates to pharmaceutical companies.
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Duke-NUS clinician-scientists recognised in global rankings

Highly cited scientists by Clarivate and Stanford University 2023
Nov 2023 Seven Duke-NUS clinician-scientists and researchers were named among Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2023, released on 15 November. In addition, more than 85 researchers from the School and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC) featured in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists List, released in October 2023.
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Launch of GK Goh Centre for Neuroscience

Senior Vice-Dean for Research Professor Patrick Tan (left) joined by GK Goh Centre for Neuroscience director Professor Zhang Suchun (centre) and Duke-NUS Dean Professor Thomas Coffman (right) at the media briefing
Dec 2023 Duke-NUS unveiled the research strategy of its newest centre—the GK Goh Centre for Neuroscience, which will help to accelerate work that aims to investigate the mechanisms behind ageing in the human brain as well as those underpinning degenerative disorders, such as culturing norepinephrine neurons and transplanting stem cell-derived neurons into stroke-affected brains.
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Ashley St John received the National Research Foundation Award

Ashley St John receives prestigious National Research Foundation Award
Dec 2023 Associate Professor Ashley St John from Duke-NUS’ Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme received a National Research Foundation (NRF) Investigatorship Award for research that will focus on harnessing mast cells to improve antigen presentation and adaptive immune responses.
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 To see what else happened in 2023, check out our press releases and news highlights!

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