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Recent research suggests three cups of coffee a day keeps the doctor away. Assoc Prof Rob M van Dam evaluates this theory as well as examines the benefits and concerns surrounding coffee. Media Coverage: Coffee, a healthy drink or an unhealthy addiction?, Channel NewsAsia, 27 July 2017 Is Coffee Good For You?, The New York Times, 13 February 2020 That cup of joe: Friend or foe?, The Straits Times, 19 February 2020

Our heartiest congratulations to Professor David Koh, who was awarded the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award by the College of Public Health & Occupational Physicians (CPHOP), Academy of Medicine, Singapore! He received the award from guest of honour, Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport, at the 12th annual Public Health and Occupational Medicine Conference held 21-23 July 2017, at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore. With Singapore’s ongoing “war on diabetes”, the battle against increasing youth obesity as well as continuing efforts to

The NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) co-organised the NUS-MIT Healthcare Analytics Symposium and Datathon 2017 on 30 June – 2 July 2017 with Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Singapore as their industrial collaborator. Held for the first time in Singapore, the event gathered over 200 local and international clinicians, data scientists, software engineers and innovators to strengthen cross-disciplinary collaborations and explore how data analytics could be more effectively used in healthcare systems.   Dr Mengling ‘Mornin’ Feng, Organising Chairperson and

Are all Japanese dishes equally healthy? Dr Mary Chong gives us the lowdown on what constitutes a healthy meal, and tips on making your next dining out experience a more nutritious one. Media coverage: 少而多 日料健康吃法, 早报现在/zbNOW, 13 July 2017

Although the number of adults smoking in Singapore fell progressively from 23 per cent in 1977 to 13.3 per cent in 2013, it has hit that plateau ever since. In support of the National Environment Agency’s recent announcement of a smoking ban taking place in Orchard Road next year, with smoking restricted to only allowed designated outdoor areas, Dean, Professor Chia Kee Seng, agrees that more can still be done to prevent non-smokers from picking up the habit and for smokers to quit. Media Coverage: More can be done to stub

It was a memorable and joyous occasion for the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH) Class of 2017 as they marked a significant milestone in their public health journey at the SSHSPH Commencement Ceremony on 7 July 2017. Held at the University Cultural Centre, 40 Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) graduates received their degrees from Presiding Officer Mr Po’ad Mattar, NUS Pro-Chancellor. The ceremony was jointly hosted by the University Scholars Programme with participation from the Institute of

“A shift in mindsets of parents, employers and the private sector (is) needed to tackle the pressing problem of overweight and obesity in Singapore,” says Dean, Professor Chia Kee Seng, following the release of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) recent report, “Tackling obesity in ASEAN: Prevalence, impact and guidance on interventions” in Singapore on 1 June 2017. Commissioned by the Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN), the report states that obesity costs Singapore about a total of US$0.4-1 billion in 2016, up to 9.64 per cent (direct and

Join us as the NUS S_W SWEE H_CK SCH_ _L _F PU_LIC HE_LTH supports the Singapore Red Cross’s Blood Donor Recruitment Programme’s Missing Type Campaign, happening from 04 to 09 July, 2017, to help raise awareness of the importance of blood donation in Singapore. Every day, more than 350 bags of blood are needed to save lives. This works out to an average of a bag of blood needed every four minutes. Blood is needed not only in times of emergency, but also during peacetime where it sustains the lives

Singaporeans are living longer – but are we ready for old age? Singapore’s life expectancy at birth has risen from 59 to 80 years in males, and 63 to 85 years in females from 1960 to 2015. Life expectancies of 90 years and beyond in the near future might be a reality closer than we thought. Yet rising life expectancy, accompanied by a falling fertility rate and an ageing population, brings its set of challenges: the prospect of more seniors in post-retirement age, possibly outliving their financial resources; a shrinking

Singapore could hit obesity rates of 15 per cent in just seven years, according to the Health Promotion Board’s latest data on Singaporeans and obesity. The average Singaporean is getting heavier and more likely to overeat, with more young children putting on more weight. This population-wide shift toward obesity, if uncurbed, could increase the risks of diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Is the Body Mass Index (BMI) an accurate measure of body fat or health? What should be done to change our dietary habits? How can we