LKCMedicine Appreciation Dinner: An evening of reflection and gratitude

2024 was the year of admitting the largest cohort of medical students to date in LKCMedicine’s 14-year history; achieving a historical high in the value of research grants awarded since 2021; introducing an enhanced NTU MBBS programme; refreshing the LKCMedicine brand identity; and achieving several other notable milestones in the areas of research, education and corporate services.

These significant achievements were the result of hard work and dedication of LKCMedicine staff, faculty, researchers, students, alumni, donors, and hospital and international partners.  

At the heart of the School’s success is its community. It would be remiss to not take a moment to show our appreciation to the people and organisations who are equally committed to LKCMedicine’s mission.

On 18 March 2025, over 350 members of the LKCMedicine community attended an appreciation dinner, in gratitude for a landmark year, at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

The tone of the event was set by fun fringe activities, such as personalised calligraphy, silhouette cutting and 360-degree photo booth, and a professional aerial dance performance as the opening highlight, which elicited gasps of wonder from guests.

LKCMedicine Dean Distinguished University Professor Joseph Sung proceeded to deliver his welcome remarks, effusive in his acknowledgment of the support the School has received and the strides made in 2024.

“There is a lot to celebrate tonight! We would not have come to this stage without our collaborators.”

He added, “On our own, we would not have been able to develop a world-class and award-winning curriculum. We would not be able to execute groundbreaking research initiatives. We would not have been able to become one of the world’s top 100 medical schools in such a short time of 15 years. As the saying goes, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts - it is with collaboration, that we are not only able to make a difference in this world, but make a difference that matters.”

In her first public address to the LKCMedicine fraternity, newly appointed LKCMedicine Governing Board Chair Ms Chan Lai Fung reflected on how far the School has come in the last 14 years and laid down the blueprint for its next phase of growth.

“What is next after achieving such high watermarks? While we should take pride in what we have achieved, we should never lose focus of the fundamentals that drive our progress:  relentless focus of our core compass, our values and the people we serve. If we do that as we have done in the past, recognition will follow as a byproduct of our commitment to excellence,” Ms Chan shared.

To recap the various highlights of 2024, guests were treated to two commemorative videos specially produced for this occasion. The videos featured LKCMedicine’s growth in its stature as a world-class medical institution as well as the numerous awards garnered by our community, respectively.

The ballroom was filled with chuckles and looks of pride as guests felt the value of their contributions to the School and resonated with their colleagues’ achievements; further strengthening LKCMedicine’s esprit de corps.

“I would like to give a huge congratulations to the School for what they have achieved the past year, and I feel very honoured to be part of LKCMedicine’s journey along with my colleagues,” said LKCMedicine Academy of Clinician Scientists and Innovators’ Senior Executive Nazira Nasuha Binte Mohammad Nazri.

In the same vein, LKCMedicine student Surya Varma Selvakumar shared, “As an outgoing Year 5 student, I think it is truly inspirational. As I enter the new phase of my life as a House Officer and a future doctor, I am confident that I am taking away many lessons and experiences from LKCMedicine.”

LKCMedicine alumna Dr Jamie Lim (Class of 2024) also expressed her enthusiasm for what LKCMedicine has achieved, which is reflected in the graduates of the School. “I feel very proud to be an LKCMedicine alumnus. Having graduated a year ago, I have interacted with seniors from LKCMedicine who have become such nurturing figures for me, as I navigate my new path in the medical industry.”

“As a patient partner with LKCMedicine, it is wonderful to see so many achievements [highlighted] this evening. I look forward to partnering with patients, clinicians and researchers collectively to bring the School to greater heights,” remarked LKCMedicine OPEN Voices Patient Partner Venerable You Guang.

With spirits high, bellies were also filled with a scrumptious four-course meal accompanied by the melodious notes of the Meraki String Quartet, a premier all-female string quartet in Singapore.

The highlight of the evening’s programme was the presentation of tokens of appreciation to the representatives of the LKCMedicine community, for their contributions to our landmark year. Presented by Prof Sung, the tokens were works of art from LKCMedicine’s Medical Humanities module, where students are taught to cultivate a heart for medicine, as they hone their skills in the art of medicine.

Adding his personal touch, Prof Sung, a proficient Chinese calligrapher, embellished each token with Chinese characters that mean: Nurturing medical Students into confident doctors.

The first token, which was a live demonstration by Prof Sung, was presented to LKCMedicine’s valued partner and fellow champion in driving Singapore’s medical education – NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Dean Professor Chong Yap Seng.

The subsequent tokens of appreciation were presented to the following representatives:

Appreciation Token for LKCMedicine Staff, Faculty & Researchers

• LKCMedicine Vice-Dean (Research) Associate Professor Sanjay Chotirmall
• LKCMedicine Chief Operations Officer Dr Serene Ng
• LKCMedicine Vice-Dean (Faculty Affairs) Associate Professor Yasunori Saheki
• LKCMedicine Vice-Dean (International Relations) Associate Professor Yusuf Ali
  

Appreciation Token for LKCMedicine’s Student’s Medical Society (LKCMedSoc)

• LKCMedSoc President and M4 Student Ms Keng Xin Yi
• Former LKCMedSoc President and M5 Student Mr Lim Rong

Appreciation Token for LKCMedicine Alumni Association (AA)

• Dr Angela Tham (Class of 2023)
• Dr Jonathan Au (Class of 2024)

 

Gratitude was also extended to LKCMedicine’s external partners who have journeyed with the School since its inception. Prof Sung was joined onstage by Vice-Dean (Education) Associate Professor Faith Chia and Vice-Dean (Clinical Affairs) Professor Kewk Tong Kiat to present the following tokens:

Appreciation Token for Healthcare Partners

• Alexandra Hospital
• Changi General Hospital
• Institute of Mental Health
• Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
• KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
• National University Hospital
• Ng Teng Fong General Hospital
• Sengkang General Hospital
• Singapore General Hospital
• Tan Tock Seng Hospital
• Woodlands Health

 

Complementing the theme of gratitude, LKCMedicine’s talented student acapella group, MedLee, brought the appreciation dinner to a close with a delightful rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and a medley of “A Whole New World” and “Beauty and the Beast”.

Guests, familiar with these timeless tunes, sang along, adding to the evening’s revelry.

It was a spectacular evening of reflection, camaraderie, and the LKCMedicine community left even more motivated to bring the School to greater heights!