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A new smartwatch, the FitSight, may help prevent myopia in children. The gadget, aimed at children aged six to 12, tracks light intensity of the wearer’s surroundings, which is then translated into hours and minutes. Prof Saw Seang Mei from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and head of myopia research at the Singapore Eye Research Institute, has embarked on a study involving 100 primary school-going children to test the first prototype of the FitSight. Prof Saw hopes that usage of the device will encourage children to spendRead more

Outbreaks and epidemics are often recognised by an explosion of sudden infections and high mortality rates, as seen in the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa or the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. The recent outbreak of Hepatitis C at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is different, from its mode of transmission to the lack of symptoms present, which has led Hepatitis C epidemics to be termed “shadow epidemics” by epidemiologists. Prof Chia Kee Seng and Prof David Heymann shed light on the preventive measures and challenges in detecting a

Having a couch potato lifestyle increases the risk of heart disease among men aged 50 and above, a study of about 400 people has found. The participants who were Chinese men aged 50 and above, and had never had heart failure or a heart attack, were found to a higher body fat percentage, an indicator of coronary heart disease. Interestingly, the findings suggested that it was not due to sitting for long periods, as other sedentary activities such as playing computer games or having a desk-bound job did not result

Ageing is an inevitable process, but by adopting various lifestyle habits, we can ensure we age gracefully and healthily, said Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, speaking to Nee Soon South residents at a talk on ‘Overcoming Ageing’. Prof Chia highlighted that to manage the ageing process, we should accept the process of ageing as an inevitable one. With 60% of Singaporeans consuming more than their daily required intake, he also cautioned that we should ensure that we eat less, but eat right – reducing

In a recent article in The Straits Times ‘Bring back house calls’, Dr Sandeep Jauhar called for the return of house calls in the United States, owing to lack of continuity of care for patients post-discharge and resulting in costly unplanned hospital readmissions. However, according to Associate Professor Gerald Koh from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, in Singapore, hospitals and intermediate and long-term care providers have been working closely to tackle on care for patients after discharge. Aged Care Transition (Action) teams of care coordinators, set up by the

The School has received a generous contribution of $872,500 from The Courage Fund Ltd to establish The Courage Fund PhD (Infectious Disease) Scholarship. The Scholarship will be available for both full-time and part-time PhD candidates in AY2016/2017, and will also allow full-time PhD candidates an attachment in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Established in 2003 at the height of the SARS epidemic, The Courage Fund was jointly organised by the National Healthcare Group (NHG), Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore Medical Association (SMA), Singapore Nurses’ Association (SNA) and

The MoU was signed by Dean Prof Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital and Vice Dean (Research) A/Prof Teo Yik Ying from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. The MoU will see the two institutions collaborating on research projects centred around tuberculosis and dengue, in the areas of genomic surveillance, vaccine efficacy, modelling of vector and disease burden, and economics of dengue epidemics. The Schools will also collaborate on joint capacity building workshops in pathogen genomics and biostatistics, and will be committed to future staff and

Dr Tam Wai Jia is a Medical Officer with MOH Holdings and is currently on attachment with the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, contributing to the School’s Global Health team, developing education curricula and outreach initiatives to improve the health of future generations. With the School, she also researches on cross-cultural competencies in healthcare and migrant health, a topic close to her heart and passion to impact lives in underprivileged communities; and one which resonates with the School’s mission to turn discovery into healthier communities. Having been

The 14th Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Series: ‘Diabetes Asia 2015’ Conference was held on 6 to 9 August 2015 at Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and attracted doctors, nurses, dietitians and researchers from Asia, Australia, US, UK and South Africa. The conference covered a variety of topics including pre-diabetics, new advances in pharmaceutical and complementary treatments of diabetes, self-management in diabetes, nutrition and diabetes, diabetes complications, and diabetes in different populations including children, pregnant women and the elderly. Keynote speakers for the event included Professor Harold E. Lebovitz from the

The NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health warmly congratulates Professor David Koh on being conferred the title of Distinguished Professor at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Prof Koh was conferred the title by His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei for his academic achievements and contributions as a faculty member of the Universiti. In addition, Prof Koh currently serves as Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research and Innovation) at the Universiti. We, at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, heartily congratulate Prof Koh on the conferment of this prestigious achievement and wish