A fellowship for the future: strengthening Asia’s pandemic preparedness

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A fellowship for the future: strengthening Asia’s pandemic preparedness

Dr Fauzi Budi Satria’s time at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute highlights the power of regional collaboration, research, and partnerships in the fight against future pandemics.

From the emergency wards of Medan (Indonesia) to the seminar halls of Singapore, Dr Fauzi Budi Satria’s journey into public health was born of frustration — and guided by hope. “I was a clinician in a hospital where patients couldn’t be treated unless they could pay upfront or showed their health insurance identity. I felt helpless,” he recalled. “The system didn’t make sense. I was being paid well, but I didn’t have enough tools or medications to help.”

That turning point eventually led Dr Budi to Hanoi (Vietnam) to pursue a Master of Public Health, and later to Taiwan (China) for Doctoral in Global Health and Health Security. After graduating, he returned to Medan and became the Coordinator at the Regional Collaborating Centre (RCC) of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) – SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) and Assistant Professor, Philosophy Doctor in Medicine Programme, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, USU.

One year later, in 2024, he joined the Faculty of Medicine at USU as a faculty member. Most recently, as part of a broader effort to strengthen regional collaboration, he completed a two-week immersive fellowship at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) from 18 June to 3 July 2025. One of the key objectives of this fellowship was to finalise a study on health system enhancement for pandemic preparedness in Indonesia — a joint research project by USU, SDGHI, Duke Kunshan Global Health Unit and Duke Global Health Institute with Professor Tang Shenglan as Principal Investigator, and Dr. Inke Nadia Diniyanti Lubis, Dr. Budi, Assistant Professor Pang Junxiong, Vincent and Associate Professor Taufique Joarder as co-investigators.

Building skills, networks, and shared purpose

The SDGHI Global Health Fellowship Exchange Programme supports academics and professionals in global health to participate in short-term exchanges focused on research, training, and innovation. Fellows engage in project-based mentorship, immerse themselves in institutional ecosystems, and forge connections that advance shared goals. For Dr Budi, this opportunity marked a deepening of ties between USU and SDGHI — institutions that co-established an RCC in 2023 to focus on global health capacity building in Asia.During his time in Singapore, Dr Budi worked under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Pang Junxiong, Vincent and Associate Professor Taufique Joarder to analyse qualitative data on pandemic preparedness in Indonesia. With their guidance, the team has identified several key factors to effectively build up pandemic preparedness such as clear governance, sustainable financing mechanism, and intersectoral collaboration.

Introduction visit at Duke-NUS Medical School with Asst Prof Vincent Pang

During the fellowship, he not only presented key findings of the study at a seminar hosted by the SDGHI , but also engaged with experts from the Microbiology Laboratory and the newly established Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA). “The CDA’s decentralised structure and clear mandate really stood out,” he noted. The CDA model could inspire meaningful reform.

from left to right: Kelvin Lim (Director - One Health Office, CDA), Marc Ho (Group Director – Policy & Systems, CDA), Dr Budi, Cai Panqin (Deputy Director – One Health Office, CDA), Asst Prof Vincent Pang

Discussion with Assoc Prof Raymond Lin (Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine)

More than milestones

Beyond checklists and timelines, it was the people and the pace that left a lasting impression. “Everyone at SDGHI made me feel welcome. It wasn’t just about work. We had lunch and dinner together, shared ideas, and created new friendships,” Dr Budi shared. “It reminded me that collaboration isn’t just about institutions. It’s about trust.”

Appreciating the history of Singapore at Labrador Park with Asst Prof Vincent Pang

From hallway conversations on One Health initiatives to getting momentarily lost in the Duke-NUS building before his seminar, his time in Singapore offered both serious insight and light-hearted moments. He even caught a glimpse of Singapore’s National Day Parade rehearsal at the Esplanade and tried Korean food for the first time.

Moving forward

The Fellowship may have concluded, but Budi’s work continues. He plans to submit a proposal under the RCC USU-SDGHI pilot grant call later this year and hopes to return to Singapore for future collaboration. “This experience made me sharper,” he reflected. “Preparedness isn’t just about responding to the next crisis. It’s about building relationships, sharing systems, and seeing ourselves as part of something bigger — a region that’s ready, together.”

Find out more about our Regional Collaborating Centres (RCCs) here: https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/sdghi/about-us/our-regional-presence

A fellowship for the future: strengthening Asia’s pandemic preparedness

Building skills, networks, and shared purpose

More than milestones

Moving forward

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