Duke-NUS celebrated its faculty’s academic milestones on 8 September at the 2025 Faculty Recognition Event honouring 17 newly promoted or appointed faculty members, including one who received tenure, and 57 long-serving clinical faculty, who have contributed more than a decade of service.
Held at the Amphitheatre and attended by members of Duke-NUS and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC), the ceremony combined formal recognition with personal reflections and moments of warmth. The event was emceed by Keerthana Mallavarapu, a final-year MD student.
Celebrating academic service and growth
Dean-designate Prof Patrick Tan congratulates the faculty in getting to this next step of their academic journey in his opening remarks // Credit: Daryl Li
Speaking on behalf of Dean Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean-designate Professor Patrick Tan congratulated the honourees, emphasising their commendable achievements and the importance of pausing to celebrate them.
“It’s important, once in a while, to pause and appreciate the incredible individuals we are recognising today who have formed the bedrock of the Duke-NUS and SingHealth partnership that powers our Academic Medical Centre,” said Prof Tan.
He added: “All of these individuals have gone through very rigorous benchmarks in academia. Some of you have been with us for over a decade, and we want to recognise your service in nurturing the next generation and pushing the boundaries of knowledge.”
Prof Tan also thanked Clinical Associate Professor Chow Wan Cheng for her invaluable contributions during her term as Vice-Dean of Academic Medicine, highlighting her role in strengthening the academic medicine partnership between Duke-NUS and SingHealth, before quipping that Professor Lim Soon Thye, who is succeeding her in the role, will have “big shoes to fill”.
A lifetime in education
The audience then heard from Emeritus Professor Ho Lai Yun of the Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme, who reflected on his long journey in medical education, which began at Duke-NUS in 2007.
In his lighthearted presentation, Prof Ho highlighted the importance of building a strong foundation in medical education as he shared personal anecdotes from his time as a house officer and the lessons that he learnt from mentors such as Professor Gordon Arthur Ransome.
Emeritus Prof Ho Lai Yun shares his journey in medical education at Duke-NUS
Vice-Dean for Academic Medicine Prof Lim Soon Thye delivers his closing remarks // Credit: Daryl Li
Prof Ho also shared three guiding principles he carries with him:
- Teach with humility
- Always embody values
- Inspire hope
These, he noted, are what define the enduring role of faculty members as teachers, role models and mentors.
Looking ahead in Academic Medicine
Closing the ceremony, Prof Lim, congratulated the faculty and reflected on the synergy between the Office of Academic Medicine (OAM) and SingHealth’s research and innovation efforts.
Speaking about his new role in OAM, he described Clin Assoc Prof Chow as being a “tremendous force in academic medicine”, and expressed gratitude for the strong foundation she had built.
The formal proceedings ended with an AMC Jive After Five reception, part of a series of networking sessions that aim to strengthen faculty engagement and foster collaboration across the AMC.
Emcee for the day, final-year MD student Keerthana Mallavarapu