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Antibiotics are critical for human and animal health, and it is not an exaggeration to state that they are one of a few critical discoveries that have improved human health dramatically in the past century. Yet, their use in humans and animals are not without risks and trade-offs. As with all medicines, there is a potential risk of adverse effects in humans (and animals), and antibiotic resistance—a natural consequence of increasing use of antibiotics—is considered by the World Health Organization as one of the greatest threats to global health today.Read more

A study commissioned by the Ministry of Health and involving 5,415 adult inpatients from 13 public and private acute hospitals found that 11.9 per cent of the patients caught an infection while being treated for other conditions. About one in four of the affected had an infection in their bloodstream, while a similar number had pneumonia. What is more worrying is that 7 per cent of such healthcare-associated infections were caused by bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. “That means we have to use more toxic and less effective antibiotics,” said Associate

In the first scientific study ranking countries based on human capital, Singapore came in 13th in the world out of 195 countries and territories in 2016, up from 43rd place in 1990. Recently published in The Lancet, the study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation looked at expected human capital: the number of years of peak productivity for workers between 20 to 64 years old, taking into account education and health. Singapore had a significant increase in its expected human capital, from 17 years of productivity in 1990 to 24 in

For incoming students from AY2019/2020 onwards, there will be a reduction of tuition fees by up to 75% for Singaporean Citizens, 75% for Singaporean Permanent Residents and 65% for International Students, if deemed eligible for the Ministry of Education subsidy. Tuition fees for AY2019/2020 will be released by the NUS Registrar’s Office in due course. More information may be found here. Apply now! Online applications for the August 2019 intake are now open and close on 19 December 2018. Visit here for more information on the MPH programme. For further enquiries, contact MPH_Admin@nus.edu.sg.

On 15 September 2018, at the 50th Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Ms Tan Sok Teng, Research Associate, was conferred the Young Investigator Traveller’s Award and Dr Andre Matthias Müller, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, received the Best Oral Presentation Award. Congratulations, Ms Tan and Dr Müller! The Young Investigator Traveller’s Award is given to promising young researchers with high potential to bring impactful public health implications. Ms Tan has been passionately working with refugees for the past 10 years. After joining the School, she worked

The MOH pilot National Population Health Survey 2016/17 shows more men are overweight, with more of them also suffering from chronic conditions. The survey of more than 3,000 people found that 43 per cent of men aged between 18 and 69 were either obese or overweight, compared with 29 per cent of women. Compared to the 2010 National Health Survey, the recent results indicate that more people now suffer from high blood pressure and cholesterol. This increase is likely due to both the ageing population and number of people who

Free healthcare screenings for residents in the Neighbourhood Health Service will be expanded to include health checks for depression and hearing tests. This is in addition to screenings for chronic diseases, cancer, and dental and vision issues. The programme was started by medical students from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in 2007 to bring health screening to the doorsteps of rental flat residents throughout Singapore. “The students had decided to expand this year’s screening efforts to cover a wider range of clinical conditions as they found that residents

The School is proud to share that Professor David Koh’s “Textbook of Occupational Medicine Practice 4th Edition” was Highly Commended in the Primary Health Care category for the 2018 British Medical Association (BMA) Medical Book Awards. Our heartiest congratulations, Prof Koh! “This is such a pleasant surprise and indeed a great honour. It is wonderful to know that this book has an international outreach and recognition from our professional peers,” said Prof Koh. “We hope it will be a useful guide for all those who are interested in occupational medical practice —

The NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health has been re-designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health for a period of four years, effective 22 June 2018 to 22 June 2022, under the leadership of Associate Professor Norbert Wagner and Associate Professor Chia Sin Eng. As a WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO CC), the School provides support to WHO in three ways: The School will support WHO in expanding coverage of Occupational Health Services through capacity building activities and development of training materials. A/Prof Wagner,

On 12 August, Assistant Professor Vincent Pang Junxiong was named one of the Singapore Honorees (Humanitarian and/or Voluntary Leadership) at the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) Awards Ceremony in recognition of his outstanding achievements in his field of work and contributions to the community. The TOYP Awards are given out by Junior Chamber International (JCI), a non-profit organisation that provides development opportunities to empower young people to create positive change. TOYP has been given out worldwide annually since 1983 and past winners include John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Benigno Aquino and many