The Class of 2030 includes 38 former working professionals, making prior employment one of the defining features of the intake. Women account for nearly two-thirds of the cohort, the largest proportion of women admitted to Duke-NUS’ four-year Doctor of Medicine programme to date. The students range in age from 21 to 33, reflecting a model in which medical education begins after an undergraduate degree rather than immediately after secondary school. Ten students hold Master’s degrees and one holds a PhD, while eight entered through the Pathways to Medicine programme, which allows students from partner institutions to explore different academic disciplines before progressing towards graduate-entry medicine. The cohort comprises 59 Singapore citizens and permanent residents and 19 international students from China, India, Indonesia, South Korea and the United States.

The ceremony marked more than a symbolic transition from university graduate to medical student. Led by Clinical Associate Professor Chan Yoke Hwee, chief executive officer of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the students recited the Hippocratic Oath and committed themselves to professional standards governing patient care, confidentiality, integrity and responsibility. The white coat represents the clinical role they will eventually assume, but it also signals the beginning of a demanding process in which scientific knowledge must be translated into safe decisions for individual patients. During the programme, students will study the biological mechanisms of disease, learn to interpret diagnostic evidence, develop clinical reasoning and practise communication skills required to work with patients whose circumstances may be medically complex, emotionally difficult or socially constrained.

Professor Patrick Tan, welcoming the cohort at his first White Coat Ceremony as Dean of Duke-NUS Medical School, described the graduate-entry model as “a different door into medicine”. Rather than treating previous careers as diversions, the school views them as sources of transferable capability. A professional who has worked in social services may understand barriers to accessing care; a population health analyst may recognise how housing, income and family support influence disease outcomes; an engineer may bring systems thinking to clinical problems; and an educator may have refined the ability to adapt communication to different levels of understanding. These experiences do not replace the need for rigorous training in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology and clinical medicine, but they can influence how students apply that knowledge when treating real people.

Keryna Chandra is entering medicine after working to advance inclusion for children and young people with disabilities and to promote more meaningful participation in community life. With an academic background in anthropology and experience as a theatre performer, she has spent time observing how individual needs, environments and social expectations shape people’s experiences. Her transition to medicine reflects a growing understanding that disability is influenced not only by a person’s physical or cognitive condition but also by the accessibility of institutions, communication systems and public spaces. Chandra said that working with people with disabilities had taught her to remain emotionally regulated while navigating challenging situations, understand each person’s circumstances and approach complex problems with flexibility. She hopes to use those skills to help patients and families manage illness and disability while strengthening connections between healthcare and social services.

Natalie Low, a graduate of the School of the Arts, Singapore, and a former ballet instructor, sees a direct connection between teaching movement and caring for patients. Dance instruction requires close observation: a teacher must identify how an individual learns, where movement breaks down and which explanation or adjustment will make a skill accessible. In clinical care, the equivalent process involves listening carefully, recognising that patients respond differently to illness and treatment, and adapting explanations so that medical information can be understood and acted upon. Low said that no two people learn, respond or heal in exactly the same way. Her experience teaching students of different ages and abilities may therefore become a practical foundation for patient-centred communication, particularly when treatment plans must be tailored to a patient’s physical capacity, confidence, culture or personal priorities.

Aparna Giri Shankar brings another perspective from population health, a field that examines patterns of illness and healthcare use across groups rather than focusing on a single patient. Before entering medical school, she analysed disease prevalence, frailty, treatment outcomes and healthcare utilisation to understand how health could be improved across communities. Such work relies on epidemiological methods, statistical analysis and the interpretation of large datasets, but its conclusions are ultimately shaped by human circumstances. A treatment may be clinically effective yet difficult to follow if patients cannot afford transport, lack family support, face language barriers or live far from medical services. Shankar said population health taught her to look beyond a diagnosis and consider the social and economic conditions influencing long-term health. She now hopes to carry that systems-level perspective into clinical encounters, linking the individual presentation of disease to the wider environment in which it occurs.

Associate Professor Shiva Sarraf-Yazdi, Vice-Dean for Education at Duke-NUS, said the school’s students arrive with diverse academic backgrounds and life experiences that help shape their professional identities. That diversity can be particularly valuable in a healthcare system confronting ageing populations, chronic disease, mental-health needs and growing demands for coordinated care. Modern medicine depends on more than the ability to identify a disease or prescribe a drug. Physicians must evaluate evidence, manage uncertainty, communicate risk, work across professional boundaries and understand how patients make decisions within families and communities. A cohort with experience in different sectors can broaden classroom discussion and expose students to forms of reasoning that are not always present in a traditional science-based pathway. The challenge, however, is to integrate those perspectives with the precise, evidence-based standards required for safe medical practice.

Duke-NUS students will complete most of their clinical education at SingHealth institutions during the four-year MD programme. Their training will move progressively from foundational biomedical science to supervised patient encounters, where they will learn to take medical histories, perform physical examinations, formulate differential diagnoses and evaluate treatment options. Clinical education also requires students to understand the limits of their knowledge and to seek assistance when a case exceeds their experience. Upon graduation, they will receive an MD degree jointly conferred by Duke University and the National University of Singapore. The school’s graduate-entry structure is designed to prepare doctors who can contribute not only as clinicians but also as researchers, innovators and healthcare leaders capable of improving systems of care.

The Class of 2030 arrives at a time when medicine is becoming more data-driven, interdisciplinary and dependent on collaboration between healthcare institutions and the communities they serve. Its members’ previous experiences will not automatically make them better doctors; they must still master the scientific and clinical disciplines that underpin diagnosis and treatment. But those experiences may influence the questions they ask, the assumptions they challenge and the way they recognise patients as people whose health is shaped by biology, behaviour, family, work and society. As the new students took their first steps in white coats, Duke-NUS presented their varied routes into medicine as a potential strength: a broader pipeline through which scientific expertise and lived experience can converge at the bedside.

Subject of Research: Graduate-entry medical education and the diverse professional and academic backgrounds of Duke-NUS Medical School’s Class of 2030.

Article Title: Duke-NUS Welcomes a New Medical Cohort Shaped by Disability Advocacy, Population Health and the Arts

News Publication Date: 14 August 2026

Web References: https://mediasvc.eurekalert.org/Api/v1/Multimedia/67a54eee-4e07-4c41-a28b-b5e8a52afe40/Rendition/low-res/Content/Public

Image Credits: Duke-NUS Medical School

Keywords: Duke-NUS Medical School, Class of 2030, graduate-entry medicine, medical education, white coat ceremony, population health, disability advocacy, patient-centred care, healthcare workforce, Singapore, medical students

The conference underscored the necessity of moving beyond traditional, rigid ageing policies towards more nuanced approaches that emphasise aligning services with older adults’ lived experiences, daily routines, and intrinsic social connections. Decades of research have shown that successful ageing frameworks must integrate psychosocial dimensions, underscoring that longevity without quality of life is insufficient. Emerging data presented throughout the event revealed how interventions tailored around individuals’ interests and social realities significantly reduce loneliness and enhance well-being, challenging the prevailing model of treating older persons as passive recipients of care.

One of the most compelling research initiatives highlighted was a multi-year investigation carried out by Duke-NUS from 2023 to 2025 examining the deployment and efficacy of the Active Ageing Centre (AAC) model across Singapore. This study demonstrated the profound influence of participatory programme design where older adults assume leadership and co-creation roles rather than remaining passive participants. Such an approach fosters stronger social ties, increased agency, and sustained engagement — factors critical to the psychological and emotional health of ageing populations. These insights are poised to revolutionise community-based ageing interventions worldwide by placing older adults at the helm of their social and support systems.

Singapore’s strategic response to combating social isolation among its elderly has included the expansion of AACs and neighbourhood-focused initiatives designed to cultivate social participation through accessible, culturally resonant environments. Recognising social isolation and loneliness as significant determinants of health risks among seniors, these initiatives have integrated research findings to refine operational typologies, ensuring that social, emotional, and psychological needs are not only acknowledged but prioritized. At the core of this is the understanding that community spaces should function not merely as venues for activities but as ecosystems that promote authentic social connection.

Notably, several exemplary models of community-based care presented during the conference illustrated the real-world application of research-informed frameworks. NTUC Health’s “Designing Together” initiative, for instance, exemplifies intergenerational collaboration by bringing older adults and youth together to co-create solutions for active ageing. This model promotes reciprocal learning and fosters a collective sense of ownership, bridging generational divides and enriching social fabric. Similarly, the AAC run by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities showcased the efficacy of democratizing programme leadership by empowering seniors to lead activities with staff facilitating rather than directing. This approach has generated more meaningful and durable social bonds, further validating the central thesis of the conference.

Associate Professor Rahul Malhotra, Executive Director of CARE, articulated the paradigm shift necessary for policies supporting ageing populations, emphasising the primacy of aligning services with older persons’ day-to-day lives rather than imposing rigid infrastructures. He argues that extending lifespan must be paralleled by extending healthspan and quality of life, facilitated by community environments that nurture social connections, psychological resilience, and purposeful engagement. Such a holistic model is pivotal for dignified ageing that respects autonomy while providing necessary support.

The conference’s opening ceremony featured a profoundly moving performance by dancers living with dementia alongside their caregivers, organised by the social enterprise Dementia & Co. This artistic presentation highlighted the transformative power of the arts and creative community involvement in enhancing the well-being and social inclusion of persons living with dementia. It served as a poignant visual metaphor for the conference’s overarching goal: ageing well not in isolated healthcare settings but embedded within vibrant, supportive community networks.

Marking CARE’s tenth anniversary, the conference also celebrated a decade of pioneering interdisciplinary research examining the interface of social determinants and medical ageing processes. The Centre has become a linchpin in Singapore’s efforts to leverage academic rigour to inform sustainable and human-centric ageing policies. Its collaboration with governmental and community partners epitomises a translational research model where scientific insights inform practice, closing the loop between discovery and impact.

Professor Patrick Tan, Dean of Duke-NUS, reinforced the role of rigorous research in underpinning initiatives such as Singapore’s Age Well SG, emphasising the critical need to decode how neighbourhoods, social services, and policy frameworks must evolve to support residential ageing. The conference epitomised Duke-NUS’s commitment to bridging the gap between empirical evidence and policymaking, fostering an integrated approach to public health innovation.

Singapore’s position as a global exemplar of demographic transition underscores the universal relevance of this research. By marrying robust scientific methodologies with context-sensitive policy design and community engagement, the Singapore Conference on Ageing and Health heralds a new era in ageing research. This approach not only mitigates the complexities associated with ageing populations but fundamentally reimagines ageing itself as a phase rich with potential for meaningful social contribution and personal fulfillment.

As nations worldwide confront the challenges of increasing longevity, the insights generated and disseminated at this conference resonate broadly. The integration of interdisciplinary science, participatory societal structures, and compassionate policy design illuminated at the event sets an aspirational standard, heralding practices that support ageing populations not only to survive but to thrive. The evidence-based frameworks championed here promise to transform ageing from a demographic challenge into a societal opportunity, catalysing healthier, more connected, and dignified lives for older adults globally.

Subject of Research: Ageing populations, community-based ageing policies, social isolation, dementia care, participatory programme design

Article Title: Redefining Ageing Well: Singapore’s Innovative Approaches to Community-Centered Ageing Policies

News Publication Date: February 2026

Web References:
– Duke-NUS Medical School CARE Centre: https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/directory/detail/rahul-malhotra
– Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities AAC Programme: https://www.thkmc.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Media-Release-Launch-of-Refreshed-THK-AAC-Bedok-and-Bedok-Sanctuary-Final.pdf
– NTUC Health’s Designing Together Initiative: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/seniors-learn-to-solve-active-ageing-challenges-alongside-youth-in-new-ntuc-health-programme

References:
[1] National Population and Talent Division, Population in Brief 2025 report
[2] The Straits Times, “Seniors learn to solve active ageing challenges alongside youth in new NTUC Health programme”, 1 March 2025
[3] Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities Launches Refreshed THK Active Ageing Centre @ Bedok and Bedok Sanctuary, 20 September 2024

Image Credits: Duke-NUS Medical School

Keywords: Aging populations, Older adults, Biomedical policy, Geriatrics, Human health

The HSRPH programme exemplifies a paradigm shift towards scalable, data-informed health interventions designed for broad public health impact. A flagship project involves modeling a nationwide hypertension control strategy capable of delivery at a remarkably low cost of approximately S$20 per patient per month. This initiative integrates algorithm-driven clinical decision support systems for medication prescribing with proactive behavioral interventions—namely motivational follow-up conducted by nurses via telecommunication. Such approaches reveal a synthesis of precision and preventive medicine by not only improving blood pressure control but also attenuating cardiovascular morbidity, thereby exemplifying cost-efficient disease management.

Another pioneering endeavor under the HSRPH umbrella is the collaborative evaluation of a 4-Dimensional Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (4D-DOSS), developed in partnership with SingHealth. This digital twin system operates as a real-time “hospital infection radar,” charting the spatiotemporal trajectories of infectious agents within clinical wards. By creating an interconnected virtual replica of hospital environments, 4D-DOSS enables enhanced outbreak detection and containment through sophisticated computational epidemiology and network analysis techniques. The positive cost-effectiveness outcomes from this project have influenced operational decisions at Singapore General Hospital, with imminent expansion plans to Changi General Hospital and other institutions, indicating a growing systemic adoption of digital epidemiological tools.

Education lies at the crux of HSRPH’s strategy to proliferate expertise in population health. Recognizing the urgent need for a specialized workforce adept at interpreting complex health data and translating findings into policy, Duke-NUS is preparing to launch innovative postgraduate programmes. These curriculum offerings are designed to enhance clinicians’ and health professionals’ proficiency in advanced quantitative methodologies, health technology assessment, and economic evaluation, thus equipping them to excel in emerging roles where health informatics, biostatistics, and policy intersect.

Driving this academic evolution, Professor Marcus Ong, Director of HSRPH, emphasizes the necessity of actionable research that transcends theory to deliver pragmatic, scalable solutions adaptable across diverse healthcare settings. His vision stresses technology-driven inquiry into health services and population health as integral to formulating evidence-based policies that render healthcare more accessible and financially sustainable.

Complementing this, the Deputy Director Professor Nicholas Graves highlights the program’s commitment to cultivating a new cadre of health science professionals. These individuals will be trained not only in cutting-edge data sciences but will also hone interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation skills, facilitating smooth integration into complex health systems. Such human capital development is pivotal to supporting Singapore’s growing population health demands and in propelling translational research that directly impacts policy and care delivery.

A core component of HSRPH’s mission is to deepen ties with SingHealth, the nation’s largest healthcare cluster, thereby leveraging institutional synergies to optimize resource utilization, promote collaborative research, and accelerate translational activities. This partnership situates HSRPH to contribute substantively towards the national agenda embodied by ‘Healthier SG,’ a comprehensive government initiative emphasizing preventive health measures aimed at curbing disease onset and progression.

Dean Thomas Coffman articulates this strategic alignment, underscoring Duke-NUS’s proactive role in adapting to Singapore’s evolving healthcare priorities through the recalibration of HSRPH. The programme’s repositioning is explicitly intended to fortify Singapore’s capabilities in population health research, thereby delivering policy-relevant insights at a time when healthcare systems globally grapple with sustainability issues amidst demographic pressures.

As ‘Healthier SG’ actively reshapes healthcare delivery models, Duke-NUS’s sharpened research focus ensures that decision-makers have access to rigorously validated, technology-enabled interventions scalable across varying population cohorts and clinical contexts. This alignment reflects a forward-looking paradigm that synergizes clinical innovation, economic prudence, and system-wide health promotion.

The collective output of the HSRPH programme pioneers solutions designed to be viable in real-world healthcare operational frameworks rather than purely academic exercises. By integrating multidisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art technological platforms, these efforts manifest the transformative potential of population health sciences to improve long-term health outcomes while ensuring economic viability.

In summation, Duke-NUS’s reinvigorated commitment through the HSRPH programme exemplifies how academic medical institutions can proactively address systemic healthcare challenges. By fostering innovation in health services research, education, and collaborative practice, HSRPH aims to elevate Singapore’s health system resilience, enhance policy responsiveness, and ultimately, improve the quality of life for its citizens.

Subject of Research:
Population health improvements, health services research, and technology-driven healthcare innovation focusing on cost-effective disease management and surveillance systems.

Article Title:
Duke-NUS Elevates Population Health Sciences with Rebranded HSRPH Programme to Address Singapore’s Healthcare Challenges

Image Credits:
Duke-NUS Medical School

Keywords:
Health care, Health care costs, Health care delivery, Health care policy, Health equity, Medical economics

The graduating class is composed of 72 Doctor of Medicine (MD) recipients, including a select group of five MD-PhD scholars, in addition to 27 PhD candidates specializing in Integrated Biology and Medicine, Quantitative Biology and Medicine, and Clinical and Translational Sciences. This diversity in academic pathways highlights Duke-NUS’s strategic dedication to bridging clinical practice with biomedical innovation. Notably, the cohort features the inaugural graduates from conditional admission pathways established with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), designed explicitly to attract students from engineering, IT, and related disciplines who pivot their careers towards medicine.

Dean Professor Thomas Coffman emphasized the significance of these pathways during his address, noting, “Our collaboration with seven prestigious partner universities, including Duke University and NUS, facilitates a seamless integration for students to earn degrees across diverse academic fields before transitioning into medical training. This innovative approach nurtures clinicians who are not only adept in patient care but also bring a rich repertoire of multidisciplinary skills essential for advancing healthcare systems globally.” This integration aligns with a broader vision of medical education in the 21st century, where expertise in computational biology, data science, and systems engineering enriches traditional clinical practice.

The Class of 2025 also includes the first graduates from Duke-NUS’s Master’s in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality (MPSHQ) program, the pioneering course in Southeast Asia dedicated to establishing robust healthcare systems that prioritize consistent quality and safety. The curriculum intertwines principles of systems engineering, human factors, and clinical epidemiology to equip healthcare professionals with a scientific framework for reducing medical errors and enhancing patient outcomes. This initiative reflects the global shift towards institutional accountability and the systemic redesign of healthcare delivery to mitigate preventable harm.

Diversity and career transitions form a notable characteristic of this cohort. Approximately 41 percent of the MD and MD-PhD graduates have transitioned mid-career from fields such as law, public relations, accounting, and mental health peer support into medicine, reflecting Duke-NUS’s inclusive approach to cultivating healthcare leaders with heterogeneous expertise. Women constitute 58 percent of the graduating class, signaling progressive strides in gender representation within the medical sciences. Such diversity enriches the learning environment by fostering broad perspectives crucial for addressing complex healthcare disparities.

Among the graduates, Dr Faith Wong Pih Yng’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of this interdisciplinary approach. Formerly a modelmaking student and a senior peer support specialist at the Institute of Mental Health, Dr Wong reflected on her clinical experiences, emphasizing the profound emotional impact of childbirth observations alongside the vital peer-teaching culture during her hospital rotations. Her narrative highlights the importance of empathy and collaborative learning in clinical education, essential to cultivating compassionate physicians who can navigate both technological and humanistic dimensions of care.

The degrees conferred during the ceremony carry the unique distinction of being jointly awarded by Duke University and the National University of Singapore, reflecting the transnational partnership that propels Duke-NUS’s innovative curriculum. Distinguished attendees included Duke University School of Medicine Dean Professor Mary Klotman, SingHealth Group CEO Professor Ng Wai Hoe, and keynote speaker Dr Amy Abernethy, a member of Duke University’s board of trustees and co-founder of Highlander Health. Their presence underscored the evolving nexus between academic medicine, healthcare delivery, and policy leadership.

The cohort’s engagement extends well beyond academics into impactful community service initiatives. Dr Dana Chow Wai Shin, MD, spearheaded the “Healthy to Thrive” project—the first Duke-NUS organized public health screening event tailored to the migrant worker population in Singapore. This initiative embodies the principles of population health management and addresses systemic disparities affecting vulnerable groups through targeted preventive care and outreach, showcasing the integration of social determinants of health into medical training.

On the scholarly front, the Class of 2025 demonstrated exceptional research productivity, authoring an impressive 253 publications throughout their tenure at Duke-NUS. These contributions span high-impact journals such as Nature Medicine, Immunity, and EMBO Molecular Medicine, indicating the cohort’s deep engagement with translational and clinical research. Among them, MD-PhD graduate Dr Katherine Nay Yaung’s pioneering work leveraging artificial intelligence and high-dimensional technologies to refine diagnostics and therapeutics for autoimmune diseases exemplifies the frontier of precision medicine. Similarly, PhD graduate Dr Aishwarya Prakash advanced cardiovascular research by identifying protective peptides that mitigate cardiac damage, contributing significantly to molecular cardiology.

Dr Pang Wui Ming Jeremy, recipient of the SingHealth Prize in Family Medicine, highlighted the paradigm shift in clinical care emphasizing continuity and patient empowerment. “The dialogues with patients have reinforced my commitment to supporting individuals’ autonomy over their health decisions,” Dr Pang noted, reflecting the evolving doctor-patient relationship in modern medicine. His accolades, including the Singapore Medical Association-Lee Foundation Teamsmanship Award and the Duke-NUS Achievement Prize, recognize his embodiment of collaborative and patient-centered medical practice.

As Duke-NUS Medical School ventures into its third decade, it continues to redefine the landscape of medical education and biomedical research. By fostering visionary healthcare professionals who integrate clinical excellence with scientific innovation and community-mindedness, the institution positions itself at the forefront of responding to global health challenges. The Class of 2025 stands as a testament to this philosophy, exemplifying the future of medicine that harmonizes technology, multidisciplinary expertise, and compassionate care for the betterment of Singapore and the wider world.

Subject of Research: Medical education and multidisciplinary training at Duke-NUS Medical School; integration of biomedical research and clinical practice; patient safety and healthcare quality.

Article Title: Duke-NUS Medical School Celebrates Historic Graduation of Class of 2025: A New Era of Multidisciplinary Medical Training and Research

News Publication Date: Not specified

Web References: https://mediasvc.eurekalert.org/Api/v1/Multimedia/f1581a4c-38e5-4e94-8110-f10dc2ed1c80/Rendition/low-res/Content/Public

Image Credits: Duke-NUS Medical School

Keywords: Health care, Academic publishing, Education, Research programs, Science careers, Scientific publishing, Medical specialties, Human health