News

Each year, the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health hosts a number of students enrolled in its undergraduate internship module, providing an opportunity for those interested to experience public health in practice. The School encourages a cross-disciplinary approach, bringing together different perspectives to address the public health challenges of today and tomorrow. Our interns come from a diverse range of undergraduate programmes: from Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, to Political Science, Sociology and even Linguistics. “Internships here are a helpful opportunity to experience the development of research andRead more

COVID-19 infection numbers have risen tremendously across several Southeast Asian countries over the recent weeks. The sudden surge in cases is mounting worries that the region could become a potential pandemic hot spot. Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Director of Global Health, attributed the varying transmission rates across countries to four ‘B’s — Biology, Behaviour, Bureaucracy and Bytes. “It’s the same virus around the world, so the biology is more or less the same,” said Assoc Prof Lim. “On behaviour, safe distancing and masks are very pertinent. If nothing else, theRead more

Non-communicable diseases, ageing populations and COVID-19 are some of the most pressing health challenges of our time. The immensity of these challenges calls for collaborative effort across the public and private sectors. Facilitated by Professor Chia Kee Seng and Professor Alan M Trager, President of the PPP Initiative Ltd., the Introduction to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) online workshop held from 13 to 24 July welcomed 17 policymakers, healthcare professionals and academia to explore how PPP can be used to combine the strongest elements of the public- and private-sector capacity to addressRead more

The School is proud to share that Dr Zaw Wint has been appointed Dean of the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB) Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Established in September 2000, PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences was formerly known as the Institute of Medicine. It was later renamed in July 2009, following the integration with the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah College of Nursing. From August 2017 to July 2020, Dr Zaw served as the Deputy Dean of Undergraduate, Administration and Finance. He assumed the roleRead more

It has been six months since COVID-19 hit Singapore, making mask-wearing and social distancing the ‘new normal’ now. However, our fight against the virus is increasingly turning into a mental battle as fatigue sets in. Over the weekend, crowds were observed gathering at shopping malls, eateries and beaches. Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying commented that it is inevitable that individuals start to let down their guard, become complacent, or simply frustrated, after months of facing the strain of COVID-19. Prof Teo pointed out that while public education is key toRead more

Half a year after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Singapore, what are some of the lessons learnt so far and how can these shape the way we tackle the pandemic moving forward? The Straits Times held a webinar to examine this with an expert panel comprising Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying, Professor Dale Fisher and Professor Ooi Eng Eong. Held on 23 July, the hour-long webinar was moderated by senior health correspondent Salma Khalik and saw over 1,000 participants. A broad scope of topics relating to COVID-19 wasRead more

The ASEAN countries have generally fared well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although gaps remain in coverage and performance, the number of cases and deaths have not been as high as countries such as UK or US, even adjusting for different population sizes, health spending and national wealth. Speed, strong partnership between political and scientific leadership, and societal support are three important factors that have contributed to this. But while individual countries may perform decently in a pandemic like COVID-19, can the region collectively perform outstandingly by working more closely together?Read more

The School is pleased to welcome its new vice deanery leadership, with effect from 1 July 2020: Vice Dean (Academic Affairs): Associate Professor Jeannette Lee Vice Dean (Education): Dr Liow Chee Hsiang Vice Dean (Global Health) and Programme Leader (Infectious Diseases): Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang Vice Dean (Practice) and Director (Public Health Translation): Associate Professor Jason Yap Vice Dean (Research) and Domain Leader (Biostatistics and Modelling): Associate Professor Alex Cook Appointment of Associate Professor Jeannette Lee as Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) Associate Professor Jeannette Lee has been appointed as the new Vice Dean (Academic Affairs). She will formallyRead more

A sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in countries that have recently emerged from lockdowns is now sparking concerns of a possible resurgence in coronavirus infections. Globally, many are fixated on the number of daily reported cases as they are often regarded as indicators of second waves of infection, which may potentially lead to lockdowns. “However, the measure of a country’s ability to manage the COVID-19 outbreak goes beyond a simplistic focus on daily case numbers – an indicator which dangerously ignores the impact of the outbreak on the economy andRead more

1,375 dengue cases were reported last week, making it the highest number of weekly cases ever recorded in Singapore since 2014. The record-breaking figure suggests that Singapore might be heading for a big year, wrote Assistant Professor Hannah Clapham in a commentary zooming in on our battle against two outbreaks: COVID-19 and Dengue. While the ‘circuit breaker’ has managed to reduce person-to-person contact thereby stabilising the COVID-19 outbreak, it seems to be doing the opposite for dengue, which spreads from human-to-mosquito-to-human. Dr Clapham noted that a combination of factors mayRead more

Crowds return to the streets as Singapore enters phase two of re-opening last Friday. However, experts urge members of the public to remain cautious as the virus still lurks in the community. Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying said, “While it is understandable that people want to return to some degree of normalcy in their lives, the reality is there is a much higher risk of being infected when people mingle in crowds.” Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Programme Leader (Infectious Diseases), commented that such crowding “could potentially lead to aRead more

The School is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Legido-Quigley and Assistant Professor Mary Chong are recipients of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Faculty Awards for the Academic Year 2018/19. Assoc Prof Legido-Quigley is the recipient of the SSHSPH Outstanding Researcher Award AY2018/2019. This award recognises top deserving researchers who have achieved a consistent track record of research excellence and impact in their area of expertise. Dr Chong has been awarded the SSHSPH Teaching Excellence Award AY2018/2019, which recognises faculty members who have excelled in teaching, and haveRead more