News

The School and the Precision Public Health Asia Society launched the Whitepaper on Responsible Data Sharing in Health and Healthcare on 22 July 2022.

Graduands, alumni, faculty, and currents students convened on 15th July for an exciting evening of celebration and reunion at the SSHSPH AlumNite 2022 held at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. This special occasion, themed “Together Once Again!”, is exceptionally meaningful as it represents a long overdue reunion for the SSHSPH family after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Our graduands were able to celebrate a key milestone in their public health journey surrounded by friends and family. Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying, addressed the graduands, congratulating themRead more

On this special day, the School’s graduates celebrated their dedication and commitment to the field of public health at the Commencement ceremony. Valedictorian for the Master of Public Health, Ms Yap Li Wen, who is also the winner of the Tye Cho Yook Gold Medal, shared her aspirations of improving community health and the importance of innovative problem-solving. She said, “As MPH graduates, we are a community whereby everyone plays different roles within the healthcare system. We now have a wider network of people we could learn from and collaborateRead more

With the upcoming implementation of the new Cancer Drug List in September 2022, there have been heated debates about the impact of this policy on cancer patients. The list outlines the outpatient cancer drugs and clinical indications that are claimable under MediShield Life and MediSave. The issues raised include off-label drug usage and significant price discrepancies between public and private drugs. Will shifting cancer care back to public centres truly address the crux of these issues in a sustainable manner? And how can the private sector also play a vitalRead more

Dengue is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes. The four dengue serotypes are all endemic in Singapore. In 1968, Singapore initiated its dengue control programme. This control programme includes environmental management, source reduction, public health education, inspection of premises and fines for identification of mosquito breeding sites. Novel tools, such as the use of Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to suppress urban mosquito populations, are also being developed to enhance the programme. The School has developed a set of teaching case studies to develop in-depth understanding and critical thinking on publicRead more

The NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and the Australian National University, College of Health and Medicine (ANU, CHM), have signed a Programme of Cooperation Agreement to facilitate cooperation for the establishment of programmes of exchange and collaboration in regional health security through health system strengthening. In a signing ceremony held on 30 June, Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying, and ANU CHM Dean, Professor Russell Gruen, signed the agreement, which was witnessed by Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Vice Dean (Global Health), and His Excellency, the Hon WilliamRead more

COVID-19 is one of the biggest threats to public health in recent years. For Singapore, another worry to our healthcare system is non-communicable diseases such as stroke, diabetes and heart diseases. Thus, it is pivotal that we move towards population health, shifting our focus from primary care to disease prevention. In the eighth episode of Innovating for the Future, we hear from NUS professors including our Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying, Vice Dean (Research), Associate Professor Alex Cook and Vice Dean (Global Health), Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, on howRead more

Singapore has one of the fastest ageing populations in the world. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above. An ageing population coupled with a rapid fertility rate decline puts pressure on our healthcare system. Can we find ways to slow down ageing and at the same time, investigate the costs of ageing and the impact of work and retirement on health? In the seventh episode of Innovating for the Future, we hear from NUS professors including our faculty, Assistant Professor Cynthia Chen, on shaping theRead more

As the world gradually recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, many cannot help but wonder what more can be done to safeguard our healthcare systems and prepare for the next global health crisis. After all, it is a question of ‘when’ it will happen, not ‘if’. The 10th instalment of the Public Health Thought Leadership Dialogue (PHTLD) held on 2 June 2022 featured guest speaker Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Health for Malaysia, who spoke on the topic of Future Proofing Public Health Care. The 90-minute-long event held at MD1 TahirRead more

While the COVID-19 pandemic has advanced areas including vaccine science and global strategies on reduction of transmission of virus, it has similarly exposed inherent structural deficiencies such as vaccine inequality and mismanagement by governments. As wildlife consumption returns in parts of Asia, the threat of outbreaks similar to COVID-19 remains. Climate change and deforestation have increased contact between animals and humans, increasing the risk. While the end of the COVID-19 pandemic looks near in sight, is the world prepared for future outbreaks? Have we learnt our lessons or will weRead more

The number of dengue cases reported so far this year has already exceeded that of 2021’s in total, and is steadily creeping towards the levels in 2020 when Singapore saw its worst outbreak. Why is this happening despite efforts by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the public in mosquito control? And what more can we do to play our part in keeping vigilance in Singapore’s fight against dengue? Assistant Professor Hannah Clapham and Associate Professor Alex Cook, Vice Dean (Research), weigh in. Read the full commentary here: Why isRead more