News: LKCMedicine Special Recognition Awards AY2023-24

By Thung Pei Ying, Senior Executive

This year’s LKCMedicine Special Recognition Award AY2023-24 was presented to 69 healthcare professionals, faculty, and departments from LKCMedicine and Singapore’s three healthcare clusters – namely National Healthcare Group (NHG), National University Health System (NUHS) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth). Four ceremonies were held across LKCMedicine, Woodlands Health Campus and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital from 4 to 26 November 2024. The ceremonies were graced by LKCMedicine former Vice-Dean (Education) Professor Jennifer Cleland and Vice-Dean (Clinical Affairs) Professor Kwek Tong Kiat.

First introduced in AY2021-22, the LKCMedicine Special Recognition Award was established to recognise individuals and departments in the field of healthcare that have made outstanding contributions in teaching, research supervision and supporting the student experience.

In AY2023-24, the award saw seven categories:

1. Consultants
2. Staff Grades and Associate Specialist
3. Doctors in Training
4. Nurses, Allied Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists
5. Best Clinical Department
6. Campus Teachers and House Tutors
7. Inspiring Tutor/Teacher

As we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the recipients of the LKCMedicine Special Recognition Award AY2023-24, we speak to some of them on what the award means to them.

Ms Ramani Saravanan
Senior Assistant Director and Lead for Clinical Procedures, LKCMedicine
Campus Teachers and House Tutors

“This award symbolises the dedication, hard work, and commitment devoted to supporting students while fostering collaboration with facilitators from both hospitals and educational institutions, promoting a shared journey of learning,” shared Ms Saravanan.

She extended her gratitude to the School’s leadership and her colleagues across the different teams she works with for their guidance, support and contributions, highlighting how they have been instrumental not only to her success, but also in creating meaningful learning experiences and fostering a positive, collaborative environment for all.

She believes that the significance of the award lies in the acknowledgement and recognition it provides for educators like herself. “I believe there are many deserving individuals out there who just need the right opportunities to shine. This recognition inspires me to strive for greater innovation and excellence in my journey as an educator,” said Ms Saravanan.

Assistant Professor Marie Loh Chiew Shia
Postgraduate Tutor, LKCMedicine
Campus Teachers and House Tutors

Assistant Professor Marie Loh Chiew Shia shared similar sentiments, expressing her happiness and gratitude to have received the award. “The award felt especially rewarding to me as I understand that this was via nomination from LKCMedicine staff or sessional teachers or tutors – it was great to be recognised for my contribution in teaching as well as pastoral care by fellow colleagues,” said Asst Prof Loh.

As someone who always extends a hand to others in need of support, being a House Tutor was already a gratifying experience for Asst Prof Loh. The award gave her the added recognition and encouragement, motivating her to continue contributing to teaching and supporting students who will become the next generation of healthcare professionals and researchers.

Mr Zulkhairi Bin Osman
Assistant Nurse Clinician, Institute of Mental Health
Nurses, Allied Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists

For Mr Zulkhairi, the award reflects the community’s acknowledgement of not only his effort, but also his colleagues’ dedication in providing valuable knowledge and experience to those who participated in the institute’s attachments.

“I would like to extend my thanks to LKCMedicine once again for recognising our contributions and for giving us this opportunity. We hope that the knowledge and experience gained by the students during their attachments will assist them in their future medical careers,” said Mr Zulkhairi.

Dr Sharon Goh Si Min
Resident, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Doctors in Training

The award came as a pleasant surprise for Dr Goh. As a former medical student, she had wanted to pay it forward by passing on valuable insights from her mentors to her juniors. “I am thankful for being recognised for these additional efforts made, out of the expected clinical workload. This encourages me and my fellow peers to continue putting in extra effort to educate the next generation of doctors,” said Dr Goh.

For Dr Goh, this award recognises both her efforts, and the efforts of her fellow residents and faculty members to educate and nurture future doctors. “Whether I receive an award or not, seeing medical students grow in their medical knowledge and attitude towards being a doctor is the best gift for the effort we put in!” she enthused.

Associate Professor Habeebul Rahman S/O Sahul Hameed
Senior Consultant, Psychiatry, Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Consultants

A/P Habeebul expressed his gratitude and honour to have received the award. Sharing his excitement for the future of LKCMedicine, he said, “I must also add that I feel a sense of pride seeing how my former students are now my colleagues and friends at work, helping to make things better for the current batch!”

A/Prof Habeebul hopes that this award is a recognition of the efforts by the many teams that have gone into teaching LKCMedicine students over the last decade. He further added, “The award symbolises a milestone, and marks the beginning of renewal in the curriculum, as well as an opportunity to incorporate exciting new technologies in sharing medical and clinical knowledge with the young and bright minds of our future LKCMedicine students. I hope to see our students grow in the area of humanities as much as the science of medicine, while caring for the community along with the individuals who make up our community.”

A very big thank you to all the individuals and departments who have helped LKCMedicine in achieving its mission in redefining medicine and transforming healthcare. Our heartiest congratulations to the winners of the LKCMedicine Special Recognition Awards AY2023-24!