How Duke-NUS Medical School supports staff to drive healthcare innovations
Professor Patrick Tan in his Duke-NUS lab, where groundbreaking cancer genetics research translates into clinical trials with real-world impact. PHOTO: DUKE-NUS MEDICAL SCHOOL
BRANDED CONTENT 'Our role is about service': Why staff stay, grow and drive healthcare innovation at this med school Duke-NUS Medical School's culture of open collaboration and access to a vast clinical ecosystem enables its staff to push boundaries in medicine and public health
From installing life-saving devices at Housing Board void decks to discovering new cancer treatments, innovation at Duke-NUS Medical School extends beyond the lab.
In March 2025, in collaboration with SingHealth, the school launched its Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Institute (AIMI) with the aim to equip healthcare professionals with the tools and support to develop and apply AI solutions in the real world.
There is tremendous use for AI, from finding new drugs to understanding complex biological pathways, to detecting patterns in the emergence of diseases, says Professor Patrick Tan, Duke-NUS' senior vice-dean for research.
A Stanford-trained MD (Doctor of Medicine)-PhD holder, the 56-year-old was one of the school's pioneer faculty members and has been appointed the next and fourth dean of the school, effective January 1, 2026.
'The character of Duke-NUS is very special,' he says. 'We're a medical school that produces doctors who do more than clinical care, researchers who do more than publish papers, and administrators who lean into our mission of innovative education and impactful research that transforms the practice of medicine in Singapore and beyond.'
This sense of shared purpose is echoed by Associate Professor Shiva Sarraf-Yazdi, who sums it up succinctly: 'Our role is about service.'
Duke-NUS was established in 2005 as a partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University and the National University of Singapore.
A former Duke-trained surgeon, she joined Duke-NUS more than a decade ago to focus on medical education. 'The act of surgery itself measures impact in days, weeks or months but education measures impact in decades,' says the 53-year-old, who is now the vice-dean for education overseeing the Duke-NUS MD programme.
The school has been ranked as one of Singapore's best employers for five years running, in a list compiled by global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times. Faculty members and staff have cited a high level of trust, strong emphasis on workplace diversity and clear work expectations as factors that make Duke-NUS stand out as an employer.
Prof Tan, who leads a 600-strong research office, says: 'Part of my job is to bring in the best people, assemble the best teams, and make sure they can do their best work with supporting structures in place to tackle the big questions of the future.'
The setting up of AIMI marks the school's latest move to leverage cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary expertise to solve complex healthcare challenges and redefine what's possible in patient care.
A spirit of innovation at Duke-NUS Medical School empowers every member to push boundaries, to transform medicine and improve lives. (Seated, from left) Professor Patrick Tan, senior vice-dean for research; professor Thomas Coffman, dean; and Dr Zhou Jin, principal research scientist. (Standing, from left) Mr Anirudh Sharma, director, communications and strategic relations; and associate professor Shiva Sarraf-Yazdi, vice-dean for education.
PHOTO: DUKE-NUS MEDICAL SCHOOL
Creating real-world impact
Prof Tan says the scale and success of the work of Duke-NUS researchers is made possible because of the institution's collaborative model and access to Singapore's broader healthcare ecosystem.
That includes his own groundbreaking contributions to stomach cancer research.
Prof Tan's work in gastric cancer won the American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award in 2018 – a first for a team from Asia.
Supported by Duke-NUS, his team – comprising researchers from the National Cancer Centre Singapore, the Genome Institute of Singapore and collaborators from Japan, Taiwan and Thailand – identified key genetic abnormalities in stomach cancers and translated those findings into targeted clinical trials.
Reflecting on his focus on research rather than clinical care, he says: 'When you provide clinical care, it is to one patient at a time. This is tremendously important. But if you can find the cause of disease and therapy to intervene, there is a much broader level of impact.'
Another real-world example is the installation of AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) across Singapore, an initiative led by Duke-NUS' research on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates.
'It wasn't a drug, but it saved lives. That's the impact,' says Prof Tan.
Breakthroughs in medical research and healthcare Fighting cancer
From developing Singapore's first home-grown cancer drug (ETC-159) to mapping stomach tumours for personalised therapies, scientists at Duke-NUS are leading advances in cancer treatment.
From developing Singapore's first home-grown cancer drug (ETC-159) to mapping stomach tumours for personalised therapies, scientists at Duke-NUS are leading advances in cancer treatment. Pioneering Covid-19 response
Duke-NUS is among the first globally to isolate, culture and characterise the SARS-CoV-2 virus, driving innovations in Covid-19 testing, vaccines and therapeutics – including the world's first FDA-approved neutralising antibody test kit.
Duke-NUS is among the first globally to isolate, culture and characterise the SARS-CoV-2 virus, driving innovations in Covid-19 testing, vaccines and therapeutics – including the world's first FDA-approved neutralising antibody test kit. Hope for Parkinson's
Duke-NUS is advancing cell therapies for brain diseases like Parkinson's, taking these treatments from the lab to clinical trials in Singapore and overseas.
Duke-NUS is advancing cell therapies for brain diseases like Parkinson's, taking these treatments from the lab to clinical trials in Singapore and overseas. Driving longevity research
Researchers at Duke-NUS discovered how the IL-11 protein is linked to ageing and excess scar tissue build-ups in organs or tissues, paving the way for new treatments.
Researchers at Duke-NUS discovered how the IL-11 protein is linked to ageing and excess scar tissue build-ups in organs or tissues, paving the way for new treatments. Beating cardiac arrest
Research led to the placement of over 10,000 automated external defibrillators across Singapore and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for more than 180,000 people annually – dramatically improving survival from cardiac arrests outside hospitals.
Empowering bold innovations
Prof Sarraf-Yazdi feels the school's innovation-friendly culture encourages bold ideas.
This support has enabled her team to embark on new projects that continually enhance the school's education programme to better prepare students for clinical practice.
One of her earlier initiatives was the MD Programme Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship. It was run as a pilot to expose students to multiple clinical disciplines in a holistic approach while enabling them to form stronger connections with patients, mentors and peers.
Insights from the pilot helped reshape the MD curriculum, such as the longitudinal C.A.R.E. (Connect, Assimilate, Reflect, Explore) Programme, which now spans the entire curriculum. The programme complements students' capabilities for practice by progressively incorporating essential skills like communication, clinical reasoning, ethics and professionalism, while exploring emerging healthcare priority areas such as Population Health and AI in medicine.
Associate Professor Shiva Sarraf-Yazdi with Duke-NUS students during one of their clinical education programmes, practising procedural skills in a safe environment.
PHOTO: DUKE-NUS MEDICAL SCHOOL
'It is easy to take bold steps when you are backed by a courageous team and supported by institutional leadership that tolerates failure, embraces change and encourages innovation,' she says.
In addition to Duke-NUS, she credits the school's extended ecosystem – including over 2,000 clinical faculty across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre – for guiding students through their clinical education.
Enduring impact on public health
At Duke-NUS, professional growth is not limited to students. By providing a supportive environment including flexible work arrangements to encourage lifelong learning, faculty and staff are enabled to deepen their expertise and expand their capabilities.
Prof Sarraf-Yazdi herself pursued two additional degrees while working – a Master of Health Professions Education from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Business Administration from NUS.
Programmes such as the Dean's Excellence Awards and Administrative Achievement Awards also help in highlighting staff contributions and fostering peer appreciation.
Prof Tan says: 'There is an ethos and culture to Duke-NUS that has sustained me.
'Here, you will find that many of us stay for quite a long time because we're all attracted to this very dynamic place that tackles some of the key and important questions of the future that affect Singapore and the world.'
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