Assessment of Collaboration for Duke-NUS Medical School

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Health (a) since the establishment of Duke-NUS Medical School, how many doctors have graduated; (b) how many graduates stayed on to do medical research; (c) whether the objective of this collaboration between Duke University and NUS to develop a world-class medical institution has been achieved; and (d) whether NUS will be able to run this post-graduate medical school without collaboration with Duke University School of Medicine.

The Duke-NUS Medical School was established in 2005 and admitted its first batch of students in 2007. A total of 558 students have graduated with Doctor of Medicine (MD) or MD-PhD degrees since its establishment. Close to 10% of the MD students enrol in the combined MD-PhD pathway and the majority of the graduates undergoing post-graduate clinical training are engaged in research.

As the first batch of MD students only graduated in 2011, currently only 79 (14%) of its graduates have fully completed their post-graduate clinical training. Among the School’s graduates, 30 held or currently hold appointments as Adjunct Research Fellows at Duke-NUS. To date, Duke-NUS graduates have published more than 540 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented more than 450 presentations at local and international conferences.

The Duke-NUS project is strategically important to the development of the medical science and healthcare landscape in Singapore. It has met the objectives for which it had been established, including injecting capabilities and diversity into the healthcare system, to realise the synergies between clinical service, research and education.

MOH therefore fully supports NUS’s commitment to continuing its close collaboration with Duke University.