Newswise — Singapore / Durham, USA, 14 October 2022 – Duke University and the National University of Singapore (NUS) today reaffirmed their commitment to Duke-NUS Medical School—Singapore’s flagship graduate-entry, research-focused medical school—by renewing their partnership agreement.
Marking this important milestone in their almost two decade-long collaboration, a ceremony was held on 13 October 2022 at Duke University’s Allen Building in Durham, USA. The Phase IV Agreement was signed by Professor Vincent E. Price, Duke University President; Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President; and Duke University Chancellor for Health Affairs Professor Eugene Washington, who is also President and CEO of Duke University Health System. The inking of the agreement, which is for the next five years, was acknowledged and supported by Duke-NUS Governing Board Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin. Representatives from Singapore’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health joined the signing ceremony virtually.
“Duke-NUS has been one of Duke’s most successful global ventures, bringing together the best in medical education, translational research, and innovation from the two world-leading universities,” said Duke University President Professor Vincent E Price. “The partnership has enriched the Duke community and broadened our expertise through the exchange of faculty and students, knowledge, and local insights. I am particularly proud of the Duke/Duke-NUS Research Collaboration Pilot Project Grant, which further strengthens ties between our two institutions with continuous collaborations between Durham and Singapore researchers to advance translational and clinical research.”
Since its inception in 2005, Duke-NUS has played an important role in training competent clinicians and clinician-scientists by bringing together students from diverse backgrounds. Through its conditional admissions pathways, which enable talented students with a passion for medicine to first pursue other interests, the School continues to enrich the diversity of its student body as it supports the national pipeline of clinician-scientists and expert clinicians who are poised to take on leadership roles in the health and biomedical sciences ecosystem.
Duke-NUS’ focus on academic medicine to translate cutting-edge research discoveries into real- world healthcare solutions has grown it into a key player in Singapore’s dynamic biomedical ecosystem, contributing to the nation’s vision of being the biomedical hub of Asia through its innovative medical education and impactful translational research.
“Duke-NUS has distinguished itself as an innovative education and research powerhouse that develops high-potential individuals to become not just exemplary clinicians but also capable researchers and critical thinkers,” said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye. “As the School moves into its next phase with renewed commitment, Duke-NUS, through its unique “Clinicians First, Clinicians Plus” pedagogy and highly interactive flipped-classroom educational philosophy, is well positioned to be part of NUS’ strategic priority to offer multidisciplinary educational pathways and support Singapore’s aspirations for a healthier nation and develop an ecosystem of support for better health for all Singaporeans.”
Playing a leading role in combatting COVID-19, Duke-NUS has demonstrated its scientific excellence through innovations, including the first authorised surrogate virus neutralisation test, cPassTM. The School also pioneered innovative solutions in medical education, such as its COVID- safe methods for conducting high-stakes clinical examinations.
Beyond COVID-19, Duke-NUS scientists have a distinguished track record of delivering scientific breakthroughs for novel therapeutics and potential cures of debilitating diseases such as fibrosis and cancer, and advancing our understanding of the most pertinent issues faced by Singapore’s rapidly ageing population.
“Duke-NUS is an admired leader in accelerating discovery and its translation and in training the next generation of pioneering clinicians, researchers and educators,” said Duke University Chancellor Professor Eugene Washington. “Our enduring partnership is creating innovative pedagogy that is transforming medical education and greatly amplifying the impact that our learners have in our respective countries and around the world.”
Attuned to the demands tomorrow’s doctors will face, Duke-NUS recently expanded its focus on population health through the inclusion of social prescribing. It has also enhanced its focus on innovation through the launch of the Duke-NUS Health Innovator Programme, where medical students team up with peers from NUS’ business and engineering programmes to immerse themselves in the full innovation cycle with the guidance of clinical mentors and industry partners.
In addition, Duke-NUS, along with its academic medicine partner SingHealth, has nurtured a rapidly growing pool of clinician-scientists, clinician-researchers and innovators practicing across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.
“Duke-NUS’ many accomplishments and growing reputation are a testament to the attractiveness of the School’s education model, which is unique in Singapore’s higher education landscape, and to the quality and impact of its research,” said Duke-NUS Governing Board Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin. “Working with national and global partners, Duke-NUS is well positioned to continue our leadership in key focal areas that underpin the future of healthcare in Singapore and beyond through ground-breaking discoveries and innovative solutions.”
The School’s mandate for the next five years is to continue its pursuit of academic excellence in medical education and research and ensure the translation of breakthroughs into innovations that reach the public domain to improve lives.
“Since its founding, Duke-NUS has grown from strength to strength, and the signing of the Phase IV Agreement reflects the robust confidence our stakeholders have in the School,” said Duke-NUS Dean Professor Thomas Coffman. “As we embark on the next chapter of our journey, we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting Singapore’s vibrant biomedical ecosystem by combining education with care, and research with innovation to enable our students, scientists and clinicians to transform medicine and improve lives.”
About Duke University
Younger than most other prestigious U.S. research universities, Duke University is consistently top- ranked and spends more than $1 billion a year on research. Duke’s graduate and professional schools — in business, divinity, engineering, the environment, law, medicine, nursing and public policy — are among the leaders in their fields. Duke is also active internationally through the Duke- NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore, Duke Kunshan University in China and numerous research and education programs across the globe. More than 75% of Duke students pursue service-learning opportunities locally and around the world. For more information on Duke, please visit https://www.duke.edu/
About the National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 16 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established our NUS Overseas Colleges programme in more than 15 cities around the world.
Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity. For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg.
About Duke-NUS Medical School
Duke-NUS is Singapore’s flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted ‘Clinicians Plus’ poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five signature research programmes and 10 centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore’s largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has spawned 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve