Speech by President Tony Tan at the Singhealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress 2014

Mr Gan Kim Yong
Minister for Health

Dr Amy Khor
Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower

Dr Lam Pin Min
Minister of State for Health

Mr Kai Nargolwala
Chairman, Duke-NUS governing board

Professor Ivy Ng
Group CEO, SingHealth

Professor Ranga Krishnan
Dean, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

        I am indeed very pleased to join you this morning to officiate the opening of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress, which brings together healthcare’s brightest minds to share knowledge and the latest findings to advance patient care.

        Healthcare around the world faces challenges ranging from new disease patterns to rising healthcare costs. Most recently, the global threat of infectious diseases has become prominent with the emergence of the MERS Corona virus and Ebola virus. Singapore has an added complexity to our healthcare landscape – our population is rapidly ageing and this will require higher intensity of medical attention. Our healthcare providers must continually push the boundaries of medicine to ensure that our healthcare system continues to meet the changing needs of our population.

        Medical research and education are as important as clinical excellence for the advancement and improvement of medical care. The theme for this Congress “Academic Medicine – Transforming Vision into Reality” reflects the on-going quest to advance medical care and do better for patients through a multi-prong approach involving clinical care, research and education. Singapore has made good progress in this regard over the last few years.

        In 2005, SingHealth entered into a partnership with Duke-NUS to develop the SingHealth Duke-NUS academic medical centre (AMC). The AMC brings together SingHealth’s well-established clinical service and research capabilities with the strengths of Duke-NUS in medical education and research. Through programmes, structures and initiatives to support multidisciplinary research and education efforts, the AMC aims to advance medicine from bench to bedside and develop practical solutions that improve treatment and care delivery.

        This building– the Academia – which was launched last year to bring together the education and research facilities in this campus, has become a hub for diagnostic, education and research endeavours for professionals from Singapore and the region. More than 1,900 local and international conferences, seminars and workshops have been held here since its opening. SingHealth and Duke-NUS are continuing to further enhance healthcare education by providing recognition and support to dedicated teaching faculty through education grants and awards. I am confident that the Academia will serve as an incubator for biomedical breakthroughs and care innovations.

        Singapore’s efforts to translate science into clinical applications have started to yield results. One example is the achievement of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), which in partnership with Duke-NUS and the Genome Institute of Singapore at A*STAR, has recently discovered novel genes for age-related cataract, a global leading cause of blindness. The findings will significantly improve clinicians’ understanding of age-related cataract and the genes are a potential therapeutic target to delay cataract formation or to delay growth progression.

        Another example is a study by the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) on the safety of breast surgery for breast cancer patients who are older than 80 years of age.

The team studied such patients who underwent breast surgery over a 10-year period, and found that breast surgery on those above 80 years of age is safe. As the incidence of breast cancer among our population is set to rise as we age, the elderly should not be deprived of a chance to receive this definitive treatment.

        Today, the National Heart Centre Singapore and Duke-NUS will launch the National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS). It will serve as a dedicated research institute to improve treatment and seek cures through research for cardiovascular diseases. The NHRIS will focus on pertinent research themes in cardiovascular medicine including heart and blood vessel functions, genetics and metabolic heart diseases.

        I am pleased to note that in conjunction with the NHRIS’ launch, the Tanoto Foundation has kindly contributed $3 million to establish a new Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine and to fund research initiatives undertaken by the NHRIS. This Tanoto Foundation Professorship will be awarded to an outstanding clinician researcher who demonstrates the ability to advance cardiovascular medicine through academic leadership, medical education and innovation.

        Today’s congress and the launch of the NHRIS are testament to the on-going commitment of SingHealth and Duke-NUS to improve patient care through academic medicine. These efforts, underpinned by your motto to put patients at the heart of all you do, will make it possible to transform academic medicine from vision to reality.

        In conclusion, let me now declare open the SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientific Congress 2014. I wish all of you a successful congress and an enriching learning and sharing experience.

        Thank you very much.