Guest-of-Honour US Ambassador to Singapore His Excellency Mr Jonathan Kaplan poses for a photo with graduating students and Duke, NUS, Duke-NUS and SingHealth leaders

“Through the Duke-NUS collaboration, you have had the opportunity benefit from a diverse range of perspectives, teaching methodologies and learning environments, preparing you to excel in an increasingly connected—and often disconnected—world.”

Reflections from the Class

In celebrating the 90 graduates from the Class of 2024, this year’s ceremony marked the largest number of PhDs awarded.

Speaking on behalf of her cohort, Dr Felicia Ang, who earned a PhD in Integrated Biology and Medicine, reflected on their journey: “Although this journey often felt like a solo mission to Mars, it actually turned out somewhat like a Chan Brother’s group tour.” 

Dr Felicia Ang, speaking on behalf of the PhD cohort, addresses the more than 400 guests at the Graduation and Hooding Ceremony

Dr Low Feng Yi, representing the MD cohort, reflects on how it felt entering medical school during the first year of a global pandemic

Marking a milestone

The Class received their scrolls on stage in front of many distinguished guests, including NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye, Duke-NUS Governing Board Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin, SingHealth Group CEO Professor Ng Wai Hoe and Mr Tony Chew, Founding Chairman of the Duke-NUS Governing Board. Their families and loved ones, whose instrumental role in supporting the students during their studies was acknowledged by Prof Coffman, and the many proud faculty members cheered from their seats.

Celebrating the journey that brought the Class to this day, Prof Thomas Coffman congratulated them on their accomplishments. Arriving in July 2020, the MD cohort embarked on their studies in the depth of the COVID pandemic. 

“When the world opened up, you became a close-knit group, transitioning seamlessly from remote learning into a community of aspiring doctors who have supported one another during trying times. You faced uncertainty with confidence, mastered new ways of learning and solved unimagined problems—truly embodying our School’s values of courage, compassion, integrity and collaboration,” he said. “And you have already had a significant impact, leading community service projects and publishing an impressive number of peer-reviewed papers—right now 50 and counting!” 

“At that time, I began seeing patients coming to Duke with a new and fatal infectious disease caused by an unknown pathogen, with no therapeutic options. So this may sound familiar to you — but it wasn’t the COVID pandemic,” said Prof Klotman, who is also Dean of the Duke University School of Medicine.  

“It was the beginning of the AIDS pandemic and I was seeing the first AIDS patients at Duke. My love of medicine and science came together: crystallising a path as a physician-scientist studying that challenging disease. I took a huge detour, many years to develop the tools to become a scientist and to follow my path and my passion” 
 

Reaffirming their commitment to patient care

As part of the ceremony, the new doctors pledged themselves to uphold the principles of medicine articulated in the Hippocratic Oath—something they had done for a first time during their White Coat Ceremony. They were joined by clinical faculty members in the recitation.

Professor Ivy Ng, Duke-NUS Governing Board member, leads the Class of 2024 in reciting the Hippocratic Oath

The newly minted doctors pledge to uphold the principles of the Hippocratic Oath in their practice