News in Brief: Roundup of news

LKCMedicine Care Package for NHG Colleagues
On 11 March, LKCMedicine sent specially arranged care packages to its National Healthcare Group colleagues who are fighting on the front line the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Representing the School, Dean Professor James Best and COO Dr Serene Ng presented the care package as a gesture of sincere appreciation to Tan Tock Seng Hospital CEO Professor Eugene Soh and the hospital's Chairman Medical Board Associate Professor Chin Jing Jih, who received them on behalf of their front-line colleagues. 


NTU Open House goes virtual, records new high for med school applications
On 29 February, LKCMedicine participated in NTU's first virtual Open House. More than 3,000 people joined the School online over the course of the full-day programme to learn more about the School and its innovative teaching approach. In the run-up to the event, prospective students could learn about the School's unique features through e-posters and short videos via social media. On the day, two talks by senior faculty and medical students were live-streamed on social media platforms Instagram and Facebook. The talks were followed by question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions. Prospective medical students could ask their questions via social media or log them ahead of the sessions via Slido. The virtual open house was part of a four-week campaign to engage prospective students ahead of the university applications period which ended on 19 March 2020. Since then, the School has received more than 1,000 applications to join academic year 2021.

Panellists from the morning session (from left): LKCMedicine Vice-Dean for Clinical Affairs Professor Pang Weng Sun with Year 2 student Angeline Aw and Year 4 student Mark Lim, while the afternoon session featured (from left): LKCMedicine Assistant Dean for Year 4 Associate Professor Wong Teck Yee with Year 1 student Pang Wen Xuan and Year 3 student Phuah Wei Yuan

LKCMedicine experts share insights on coronavirus outbreak
Throughout the current outbreak of novel coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, LKCMedicine faculty have been sharing their insights and expertise with local media, explaining public health advice as well as the disease presentation. Read what they have shared here.

LKCMedicine implements physical distancing to ensure safety of staff, students, visitors
In alignment with the latest government regulations and NTU directives, LKCMedicine has made it easier for its faculty, staff and students to adhere to physical distancing requirements as the School works to safeguard the health and well-being of its community. Team members from LKCMedicine's Operations and Resources department were activated to ensure that these measures were in place before the latest regulations came into effect at 11.59pm on Thursday, 26 March. Demarcations displayed at various venues are visual reminders of the safe distance to maintain while furniture was shifted at the Medical Library, offices and various common facilities to maintain the necessary one-metre distance at all times while at work. 

Digital health education can address global shortfall of health workers
Founding Director of LKCMedicine's Centre for Population Health Sciences (CePHaS) and WHO's Collaborating Centre for Digital Health & Health Education Associate Professor Josip Car and Research Associate Josh Quah contributed an article titled "Digital health education: Addressing our 18 million health worker shortfall" to The Commonwealth Health Report 2020. The article highlights the enormous potential of digital technologies to deepen the digital competencies of the health workforce to address the projected global shortfall in health workers. The WHO estimates that 18 million healthcare workers will be needed to meet global health needs by 2030 and digital health education presents a more effective way of empowering the much-needed health workforce compared with traditional education. To read more, please click here. 

LKCMedicine's second issue of enLighten is out, kicking off 10th-anniversary celebrations
LKCMedicine published the second issue of its research-focused magazine enLighten in February. With the issue, the School kicks off its 10th-anniversary celebrations, with a centrespread of notable milestones since the School's founding in 2010. In the rest of the issue, the stories, profiles and news focus on the School's efforts to study and improve population health. In 2018, the School launched a whole suite of laboratories, collectively known as the Community & Population Health Laboratories, to study the health of Singaporeans and to deliver insights and new knowledge that will help Singaporeans lead healthier lives longer. Find out what they have accomplished to date in the latest issue.

Project Aasha gives more than hope
In December 2019, a group of LKCMedicine students along with their mentors, Dr Rupesh Agrawal, a consultant with the National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, and Dr Gayathri Nadarajan, an associate consultant in emergency medicine at SingHealth, travelled to two Nepali cities for their annual overseas community involvement project trip.

In Biratnagar, Nepal's second most densely populated city, the team focused on bringing eye care to those in need. Continuing their collaboration with Birat Eye Hospital, the team facilitated a cataract surgical camp, during which 506 free cataract surgeries were performed. The team also explored providing physiotherapy rehabilitation for visually impaired patients.

The team also returned to Gyanchakshu School for the Visually Impaired in Dharan. The students first visited the school back in 2018. This time, they pioneered a first aid and physiotherapy teaching session with visually impaired children. Despite facing challenges, the students persevered and successfully learnt first aid skills and physiotherapy exercises.