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Friday, 23 Sep, 2022
From the imaginations of scientists to the public domain: new programme to nurture next generation of clinician-innovators at Duke-NUS
Singapore’s status as a thriving global innovation node received a boost with the launch of a new programme that will spark an innovation-driven mindset in the next generation of clinicians, engineers and entrepreneurs.
Hosted at Duke-NUS, the new Health Innovator Programme provides an immersive experience for third-year medical students who are teamed up with peers from the National University of Singapore’s engineering and business programmes, and mentored by clinicians and industry partners. The inaugural cohort comprises nine students split into three teams who will focus on innovations in women’s health.
“[The Health Innovator Programme] represents a fantastic opportunity for third-year Duke-NUS students who are interested in innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean of Duke-NUS, during a pre-recorded message at the launch of the programme.
Underlining the School’s commitment to innovation, Prof Coffman added that this programme will help “bring discoveries from the imaginations of scientists and inventors into the public domain where they can improve lives.” Discoveries that he hopes will stand alongside innovations such as cPassTM, the first clinically approved surrogate virus neuralisation test, and exciting therapies and potential cures for diseases such as fibrosis and cancer that are being developed by scientists at Duke-NUS.
Professor Thomas Coffman (centre left) and Duke-NUS Governing Board Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin (centre right), who joined the launch of the Health Innovator Programme, talk to students about innovation
Held at the Amphitheatre at Duke-NUS on 22 September, the launch—like the programme—brought together stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem, including innovation champions like Professor Dean Ho from NUS, representatives from industry such as Enterprise Singapore and startups like Vivo Surgical as well as clinician mentors from the SingHealth Group.
Sharing his reflections during the launch, Professor Alex Sia, CEO of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the main clinical partner institution for this women’s health-themed edition of the programme, highlighted the opportunity at hand.
“We now have a unique opportunity to set something up that will be able to impact the medtech scene in general in Singapore,” said Prof Sia, adding that the programme will provide a springboard to link up with other areas and sectors to solve bigger challenges ahead.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the launch, four students from the inaugural cohort talked about their projects, what had prompted them to apply for this programme, their experience so far and the challenges they have faced.
The students talked about the clinical needs their teams are exploring, which range from in-vitro fertilization to fibroid surgery and prenatal ultrasound technology. With the guidance of their industry partners and clinical mentors, they will go on to invent solutions and develop prototypes before presenting their projects at a Shark Tank-style presentation at the end.
Professor Scott Compton, Associate Dean for Medical Education, moderated a panel of Health Innovator Programme fellows, who shared why they applied for the programme, what they had learnt and what some of the biggest challenges were so far
“In the coming years, we’ll actually be scaling this programme further and we’d like the support of everyone here on our journey as we become the flagship innovation programme for all medical students here in Singapore,” said Assistant Dean and Professor for Clinical Innovation and Ecosystem Development Rena Dharmawan, who developed the programme.
L-R: Professor Rena Dharmawan from Duke-NUS, Professor Dean Ho from NUS, Ms Audrey Lok from Enterprise Singapore and Professor Alex Sia from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, all spoke during the launch of the Duke-NUS Health Innovator Programme on 22 June