In The News
Global renewal
RESEARCH SNAPSHOT
Taking over the helm at our Overseas Alumni Chapters.
Mr Brahm Majithia
Mr David Lim Chow Thong
Ms Cheung Wai San
In January 2013, three of our alumni stalwarts handed over their roles to a new cohort of leaders. Mr Brahm Majithia (Business ’00), Mr David Lim Chow Thong (Arts and Social Sciences ’87) and Ms Cheung Wai San (Engineering ’05), the Chairpersons of our New Delhi, Beijing and Hong Kong Overseas Alumni Chapters respectively, stepped down from their respective positions in December. Their roles have been assumed by Mr Prashant Pundrik (Business ’08), Mr Lyon Sun Liyong (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy ’11) and Mr Tang Kin Ching (Computing ’07) with effect from 1 January 2013. The NUS Office of Alumni Relations would like to thank Mr Majithia, Mr Lim and Ms Cheung for their passionate leadership and distinguished service to their alma mater. We also welcome Mr Pundrik, Mr Sun and Mr Tang to their new roles.
Breast cancer link to ethnicity // A joint study by researchers in Singapore and Malaysia has found differences in breast cancer size, severity and survival rate among various ethnic groups. It was found that 79.8 per cent of Malay patients completed treatment compared with 92.7 per cent of Chinese patients and 90.2 per cent of Indian patients. “As clinicians, we have the impression that breast cancer presentation varies between the three ethnic groups here in Singapore,” explained team member Asst Prof Mikael Hartman of NUS’ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. “The impression is that Malay women present later and are less likely to accept all treatment options that are offered to them.” The study of 5,200 patients from Singapore and Malaysia was conducted in 2011 and published in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE in 2012.
Mr Prashant Pundrik
Mr Lyon Sun Liyong
Mr Tang Kin Ching
Women in science and medicine // The inaugural ‘Women in Science and Medicine’ dialogue on 5 November 2012 cast the spotlight on outstanding women clinicians and scientists. Jointly organised by NUS’ Cancer Science Institute of Singapore as well as the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Department of Biochemistry and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the event allowed participants to share their academic and research achievements and experiences in managing both career and family.
NUS has 16 Overseas Alumni Chapters in major cities around the world. To learn more about them, visit www.nus.edu.sg/alumnet.
King’s College honours In November 2012, NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan became the first Singaporean to receive an Honorary Doctor of Medicine degree from King’s College London. Honorary degrees at King’s College are awarded “in recognition of an individual’s conspicuous merit as demonstrated by their outstanding distinction.” Three other leading lights who were honoured at the presentation
ceremony on 13 November were renowned science writer Mr Bill Bryson, the award-winning chemist Prof Christopher Martin Dobson of Cambridge University and the Right Honourable The Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. With a medical career in nephrology, Prof Tan helmed the NUS Department of Medicine before being appointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the NUH Medical Board. He served as NUS Provost and Senior Deputy President before becoming President in 2008. “I am honoured and humbled to be the first Singaporean to receive this recognition by King’s College, alongside other outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in their respective fields,” said Prof Tan.
Prof Tan is also the recipient of the National Science and Technology Medal (2008), the Singapore Public Service Star (2003) and the Public Administration Medal (Gold, 2004). 6
AlumNUS
physicians, nurses and allied health professionals, the course allows students to better understand the challenges faced by patients.
Sharing their experiences at the dialogue session was Guest-ofHonour Mrs Josephine Teo (fourth from left), Minister of State for Finance and Transport, as well as leading women clinicians and scientists from NUS.
Engineered healing // Patients at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) can look forward to more “engineered” help in their recovery process via an Engineering-in-Medicine module specially created by NUS. Since August 2012, a pioneering batch of Engineering students has been learning about rehabilitation medicine by interacting with patients afflicted with stroke, Parkinson’s Disease as well as brain and spinal cord injuries. Jointly conducted by NUS Engineering faculty,
Homegrown innovation // NUS spin-off Clearbridge BioMedics scored three awards at the Asian Innovation Awards 2012, including the top Gold Prize. The first firm to achieve this feat, it also clinched The Credit Suisse Technopreneur of the Year Award and the Audience’s Choice Award at the presentation ceremony in Hong Kong in November 2012. Organised by The Wall Street Journal Asia and Credit Suisse, the awards acknowledge inventions or innovations that adopt creative approaches to improving quality of life or productivity. Sofshell, another Singaporean start-up that develops body armour applications, won the Silver Prize. The company was cofounded by NUS engineering alumnus Dr Davy Cheong. Prof Lim Chwee Teck (right) of NUS, cofounder of Clearbridge BioMedics; and Mr Johnson Chen, the firm’s Managing Director, with their awards
Tech accolades // A team comprising an NUS clinician-scientist and a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researcher has been recognised at the President’s Science and Technology Awards 2012. At a ceremony on 30 October 2012, Prof Lawrence Ho Khek Yu, Chair of University Medicine Cluster, National University Health System, together with Assoc Prof Louis Phee of NTU, received the President’s Technology Award. Prof Ho and Assoc Prof Phee collaborated on the development of the world’s first robotic flexible endoscopy system. At the ceremony, Asst Prof Chen Wei of NUS was also named one of three winners of the 2012 Young Scientist Award. Asst Prof Chen is attached to the Departments of Chemistry and Physics.
(From left) NUS students Ms Chong Ming and Ms Hui Lin observing patient Mr Joseph Phua (second from right), assisted by SGH Principal Physiotherapist Mr Adon Chan and Dr Ng Yee Sien (right), Head and Senior Consultant at the SGH Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Jan–Mar 2013
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