News In Brief: February 2023

LKCMEDICINE HOSTS JUNIOR COLLEGE PRINCIPALS

 LKCMedicine hosted a group of junior college principals at the Novena campus on 26 January 2023 to auspiciously mark the new year as well as celebrate enduring and new ties. With the arrival of 2023, the principals were due to hold their first monthly Junior College Principals' Committee Meeting (JCPC) and LKCMedicine offered to host the meeting. Right after the JCPC, the School presented updates to our MBBS programme, in particular on admissions and future plans for the curriculum. Dean Professor Joseph Sung first warmly welcomed them, followed by a presentation by Assistant Dean (Admissions and Overseas Electives) Associate Professor Kwek Tong Kiat, with input from Vice-Dean (Clinical Affairs) Professor Pang Weng Sun. The principals were then taken on a tour of our bespoke facilities, each stop facilitated by a teaching faculty. After the tour, the principals were hosted to lunch where conversations continued to flow. Read more here.

CELEBRATORY EVENING SHOWCASES STUDENTS’ RESEARCH PROJECTS

 The AY2022-23 Celebratory Evening was held on 11 January 2023 to showcase research projects completed by students for the AY2022-23 Year 4 Scholarly Projects, Professor Jenny Higham Collaboration Grant and LKCMedicine Research Symposium. A total of 16 project prize winners and participants gave oral presentations on their research, followed by a showcase segment featuring 52 poster presenters. Former Senior Vice-Dean Prof Higham was present to grace the event, which was opened by Vice-Dean (Education) Professor Jennifer Cleland. Vice-Dean (Research) Professor Lim Kah Leong, as well as other faculty such as Professor Maurice van Steensel, Associate Professor Wong Wei Chin, Associate Professor Sunny Wong, Assistant Professor Guan Xue Li, and Assistant Dean (Clinical Communication) Dr Tanya Tierney joined over 150 attendees, including LKCMedicine faculty, students, and project supervisors from partner healthcare institutions for this event. Following an exciting poster voting segment, five students emerged as poster prize winners for the following awards: Best Poster Design, Best Study Methodology, Most Impactful Project and Most Novel Project. For the LKCMedicine Research Symposium, prizes were also given to the Best Oral Presentation and Most Popular Award.

DEAN CONFERRED INTERNATIONAL TÜBA ACADEMY AWARD (HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES)

LKCMedicine Dean Professor Joseph Sung is proud to receive the International TÜBA Academy Award (Health & Life Sciences) presented by the Turkey Academy of Sciences, at a ceremony in the capital Ankara on 28 December 2022. In line with TÜBA's mission of encouraging and appreciating scientists, scientists were conferred awards in three categories: Social and Human Sciences, Health and Life Sciences, and Science and Engineering Sciences. Prof Sung was recognised for his unique, pioneering and groundbreaking treatment approaches. He showed that peptic ulcer bleeding can be treated with the use of antibiotics and treated endoscopically, without the need for surgery.

LKCMEDICINE PARTICIPATES IN SINGAPORE YOUTH MEDICAL FORUM SYMPOSIUM

 On 13 December 2022, LKCMedicine participated in the annual Singapore Youth Medical Forum Symposium, a project by students from junior colleges and secondary schools that seeks to contribute to the healthcare sector through volunteering and organising webinars for students. More than 60 students from secondary schools, junior colleges and polytechnics attended the session. Assistant Dean (Admissions and Overseas Electives) Associate Professor Kwek Tong Kiat presented an overview of LKCMedicine and the admissions process. LKCMedicine students Year 2 Phoon Yan Xin and Year 5 Sean Elliot Png shared about the dynamic student life, with Yan Xin explaining the diverse roles of LKCMedicine Students' Medical Society (LKCMedSoc) and her experience of the pre-clinical years. Sean then shared about overseas opportunities that are available for LKCMedicine students, followed by his experience of the clinical years. A lively Q&A segment concluded the symposium with questions ranging from curriculum, student life to setting up a clinic.

LKCMEDICINE TO HOST FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE CONFERENCE 2024

 The LKCMedicine EArly Researchers’ Network (LEARN) committee is thrilled to announce that LKCMedicine has been selected as the inaugural host for the first FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE Conference outside of Europe in 2024. ENABLE (European Academy for Biomedical Science) is a unique initiative to support early researchers that was funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 programme that took off in Barcelona 2017. From 2022 onwards, it will be sustained by funding from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) and the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). Dr Chew Bing Liang Alvin, President of LEARN, and Dr Madhuvanthi Chandrakanthan, LEARN’s Co-Chair of Professional Development, attended the conference held at the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, Spain from 16 to 18 November 2022. The meeting paved the way to meet the ENABLE coordinators and scientific organising committee of 2023 to network and plan for the 2024 conference.