Our Students’ Stories

Reflecting on the past academic year, it has truly been a fulfilling chapter in my academic pursuit. I was enrolled into the pioneer batch of undergraduates in the Second Major in Public Health, led the NUS Public Health Society as President, and started an internship with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Applying for the Second Major was a natural choice for me, having been intrigued by the blend of art and science of Public Health. The curriculum gave me the freedom and capacity to explore various facets of Public Health such as programme and policy design. This helped me to identify areas of interests, and therefore make informed choices in my future endeavours.

While the school’s curriculum provided me with head knowledge, the NUS Public Health Society was where I put theory into action. Through avenues such as Public Health initiatives, research and communications, students get opportunities to create real world health impacts. As President, I oversaw such projects, liaised with external stakeholders, and was involved strategic planning – creating a vision that values health.

Together, classroom and experiential learning equipped me well as I began my internship at GSK. As a Medical Affairs intern in the Consumer Health category, I was involved in crafting accurate and innovative claims for GSK’s products. This involved understanding consumer needs and epidemiology, regulations of different country’s health systems, and other facets of the overall Public Health landscape.

I am thoroughly grateful for these enriching opportunities and am excited to continue on my journey of lifelong learning.

Thanks to Prof Saw, I was offered a scholarship under the Economic Development Board Industrial Postgraduate Programme (EDB-IPP) to concurrently pursue a PhD in Public Health and gain industrial experience as a full-time employee with Essilor International, a leading ophthalmic lenses manufacturer. In collaboration with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), our research work was focused on examining the epidemiology of pathologic myopia. My thesis provides new findings on the prevalence, incidence and progression of pathologic myopia, the associated risk factors, and impact on vision and vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) among adults in Singapore. We found that the prevalence of pathologic myopia in Singapore was one of the highest worldwide at 3.8%. Among myopic adults in Singapore, the six-year incidence and progression were at 1.2% and 17.0%, respectively. Pathologic myopia was associated with visual impairment, and severe grades of pathologic myopia were linked to vision loss, poorer visual functioning and worse VRQoL. While it was demanding to manage multiple tasks and requirements from school, SERI and Essilor throughout the past four years, the experience was fulfilling and helped me in building key skills and competencies necessary for a researcher and study manager.