The MD class of 2013 gathered on 2nd June 2016 for a class reunion. Alumni caught up with one another over a delicious Middle Eastern dinner at Kazbar. Besides reminiscing about the good old days as medical school students, everyone was eager to swap their "war stories" in their respective residencies. It was a fruitful gathering to rekindle old memories and forge new bonds.

Alumni Relations is glad to pay for your yearly class reunion, so start planning one today and give us a call!

The Alumni Speaker Series hosted its inaugural talk in October 2016. The series aims to interest both the alumni and students through talks about current issues in medicine and introductions to specialty residency programs. To kick off the series, we invited Dr Hanley Ho, a consultant from the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, to give a presentation on Singapore's response to Zika virus. Our alumnus, Dr Andrew Green from Class of 2012, shared his experience as part of the Preventive Medicine Residency program and served as MC and moderator.

The inaugural class of Duke-NUS had a class reunion on 10th December 2016 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of their graduation. Nearly half the class attended along with an impressive number of spouses, significant others, and children. Noting the number of children, one class ambassador said, "Our class has effectively replaced itself."

The class caught up on each other's lives and career progressions, enjoyed good food and relived their childhood days as they played with the many kids present.

Please get in touch with Alumni Relations if you would like to help organise a class reunion.

On 10th December 2016, the Alumni Relations organised a Coffee Appreciation Workshop for our hard-working young doctors. Held at Highlander Coffee, we had very enthusiastic participation from our residents in SGH. Committed alumni Dr Edwin Yang and Dr Maria Noviani (both MD class of 2016) came post-call, and definitely needed the caffeine boost. The workshop started with a brief history of the coffee beans before diving into the different methods of preparing the beverage. After a few rounds of tasting, everyone had a blast making their own coffee and even some fanciful latte art. Everyone came away from the event with a greater appreciation of the cup of java, and maybe discovered their hidden talent as a barista.

On 26th January 2017, Dr Arpana R. Vidyarthi and Alumni Relations hosted the 1st Duke-NUS alumni event for our alumni working in NUHS. More than 10 of our alumni turned up for the mini gathering, including Dr Melissa Tan (MD Class of 2014) with her baby girl.

We had a second gathering on 4th October 2017, and MS4 students were also invited. The alumni were glad to share their first-hand experiences of NUHS with the students who are considering applying for residency there.

On 8th February 2017, the Student Council organized our first College Day, supported by Student Affairs & Alumni Relations. The primary objective was to foster better relationships between our students and alumni through sharing a meal and near-peer teaching by alumni. After the dinner, the three simultaneous presentations began. Firstly, Dr Chia Ghim Song, Class of 2011, walked a group over to SGH where he led students through the interpretation of x-rays. Back in Stead College, our first alumni couple from the Class of 2011, Dr Rena Dharmawan and Dr Daniel Yong, talked about Work/Life Balance, career decisions and life as a surgical trainee. Lastly, Dr Anu Pandey and Dr Sashen Aponso from Class of 2015 coached students on how to best prepare for CPX4, the final exam fourth years take in April. Students gave positive feedback on all the talks, which made for an auspicious start to the Year of the Rooster.

The Duke-NUS Alumni Clinical Observership (DACO) programme is a joint initiative by Recruitment & Admissions and Alumni Relations for prospective medical students to gain insights into the medical profession. Under DACO, an undergraduate student will be paired with a practising doctor, who is a Duke-NUS alumnus, for 2-days in the hospital. DACO began in June 2017 and ran for the second time in December 2017 with a plan to administer the programme twice a year. We successfully matched 25 local and international students with 12 alumni who volunteered in 2017.

Thank you to the 2017 DACO volunteers:

1. Dr Lim Jing Wei (Class of 2012)		7. Dr Ivan Ogloblin (Class of 2015)
2. Dr Maverick Uy (Class of 2012)		8. Dr Kenneth Chin (Class of 2016)
3. Dr Wang Ming (Class of 2013)		9. Dr Ho Shu Fang (Class of 2016)
4. Dr Zhou Zhihong (Class of 2013)		10. Dr Lek Sze Min (Class of 2016)
5. Dr Eric Cher (Class of 2014)		11. Dr Owen Png (Class of 2016)
6. Dr Glenn Goh (Class of 2015)		12. Dr Edwin Yang (Class of 2016)

We welcome more volunteers and encourage you to step forward for our June 2018 programme. Find out more about DACO here.

During the tail end of the second Duke-NUS Dialogue, Prof Wong Tien Yin raised an issue that has also been a topic of many of our alumni's discussions. Perceived lack of Associate Consultant positions is a topic that has troubled many of our alumni and students.

To learn more, the Duke NUS Medical Alumni (DNMA) invited Prof Terrance Chua, Group Chairman of the Medical Board of SingHealth, to give a talk to our alumni and students on the 13th of June 2017. Through the event, Prof Chua shared his perspectives on the matter and addressed the concerns of our senior residents who are soon to complete their training. Prof Chua also took the chance to advise recent graduates on career planning.

NUS Day of Service is a day when the entire NUS community comes together to give back to society. More than 1,400 alumni, students and staff volunteered for 21 community projects across Singapore and overseas, and reach out to a total of about 4,500 beneficiaries.

On 9th September 2017, Duke-NUS joined in this meaningful event for the first time by carolling to the patients in the wards of SGH. Taking the lead was the Duke-NUS Music SIG, with their renditions of classic English and Chinese evergreens. Patients, family and even the healthcare professionals all stopped to listen and show their appreciation with applause and song requests.

Alumni Relations encourages alumni to get together to socialize and network. One of the ways events are organized is along specialty lines. Specialty groups create an opportunity for building a sense of Duke-NUS community within each residency, and set the stage for mentorship of future alums as well as students. On 16th October 2017, the alumni from the Diagnostic Radiology Residency organised a dinner gathering. Calling themselves "Dudes of Duke Radio", they enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at Supply & Demand. Dr Chia Ghim Song and Dr Lim Kheng Choon, both Class of 2011 and Associate Consultants with SingHealth, were generous in sharing their experience excelling in the residency.

Start organising a get-together for your specialty. Bond with fellow Duke-NUS alumni over a nice dinner and Alumni Relations is happy to help with funding. Contact Alumni Relations at alumni@duke-nus.edu.sg for more information.

In February 2017, Dr Bianca Chan (MD Class of 2011) came to Practice Course Year 2 as a guest tutor and shared with our year 2 students on her experiences managing moral distress as a student and trainee.

In May 2017, Dr Aditi Manjeri (MD/PhD Class of 2011) and Tu Anh Pham (MD Class of 2015) were in school to share with the students about their post-graduation life and experience.

In August 2017, Dr Edwin Yang (MD Class of 2016) attended the SIG fair and took the chance to share with the students.

December 2017 was a busy month. Dr Chan Wee Lee (MD Class of 2017), Dr Sean Wu (MD Class of 2017), Dr Wu Hong King (MD Class of 2017), Dr Ruan Xu Cong (MD Class of 2017) & Natalie Wee (MD Class of 2016) shared their experience in IM Residency from the 3 clusters.

Dr Owen Png (MD Class of 2016), Dr Kenneth Chin (MD Class of 2016), Dr Ho Shu Fang (MD Class of 2016) & Dr Kenneth Goh (MD Class of 2017) assisted the students with the CDAC Health Screening in December 2017.

Dr Edwin Yang (MD Class of 2016), Dr Lek Sze Min (MD Class of 2016), Dr Janice Tan (MD Class of 2016), Dr Isabelle Jang (MD Class of 2014) & Dr Ku Chee Wai (MD Class of 2013) mentored the students at the Suturing Workshop organized by the Surgery SIG in December 2017.