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Following an anonymous donation of $15,000 to the School this year, the Lee Hin Peng Medal was established in recognition of Emeritus Professor Lee Hin Peng’s stellar achievements and contributions to public health in Singapore and the region. With effect from this semester, the university-level medal will be awarded annually to a graduating student from the Master of Public Health, Master of Science or PhD programmes, who has obtained a good CAP and the best score for the Public Health Research Methods module. Emeritus Prof Lee, who officially retired from NUS onRead more

In collaboration with the School and Mediacorp, the Tampines Group Representation Constituency engaged its residents at the ‘Eat Healthy, Live Healthy’ talk-show held at Our Tampines Hub on 20 September 2017. Professor Teo Yik Ying, Vice Dean (Research), and Dr Mary Chong were featured as panellists, together with Mr Desmond Choo, Mayor of the North East Community Development Council, Mediacorp artiste Zheng Ge Ping and Dr Fadzil Hamzah, a sports physician at Changi Sports Medicine Centre, Changi General Hospital. Prof Teo gave an overview of the state of chronic diseases in Singapore, particularlyRead more

“In order to fully realise the potential of the influenza vaccine – a life-saving innovation, people need to be willing to take it.” Vaccines play a vital role in healthcare, but take-up rates are far from ideal. Dr Heidi Larson, professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and Dr Neisha Sundaram, research fellow at LSHTM and visiting research fellow at SSHSPH, talk about the role of innovation in public health. Read more here: Harnessing innovation in public health, The Straits Times, 15 September 2017

Achieving less than one workplace fatality per 100,000 workers requires Singapore to look beyond Vision Zero, an approach which appears to focus predominantly on tackling workplace safety hazards and, at most, occupational and work-related diseases. To make this goal a reality, Singapore needs to widen its perspective and recognise that the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, like diabetes and hypertension, are equally important, because these diseases can affect a worker’s safety and capacity to work. Led by Associate Prof Chia Sin Eng, Vice Dean (Academic Affairs), the School’s Total Workplace SafetyRead more

With more than 480 fast food outlets in Singapore, it is no wonder that Singaporeans are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining out. In fact, fast food sales have increased by seven per cent over the last year. A study by Associate Professor Rob van Dam and Dr Salome Rebello, along with the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Health Promotion Board, also indicated that fast food sales have increased by more than 13 per cent over the past five years. Worryingly, but not surprisingly, more than 70 per cent ofRead more

For Asians, just looking at Body Mass Index (BMI) levels is not a good enough measure of obesity. Compared to our Caucasian counterparts, Asians tend to store fat around our internal organs. Because of this, it may not be obvious if we are at risk of diabetes because we have BMI levels in the ‘normal’ range and we don’t ‘look’ obese. With a projection of 1 million diabetics in Singapore by 2050, it is important to start now and make healthy living our goal from an early age. “There hasRead more

Ensuring well-being and zero fatalities at the workplace requires more than just the Safety component — Workplace Safety and Health has three: Work, Safety and Health. We have safety measures set up, says Associate Professor Chia Sin Eng, Vice Dean (Academic Affairs), although sometimes people may not follow precautions and put themselves and others in danger’s way. “But how about the health part of it? Are we moving into that and looking at it?” he asked. Citing the 2012 London Olympics as a good example, he says in addition to theRead more

What role does Artificial Intelligence (AI) play in healthcare and public health? Assistant Prof ‘Morning’ Feng Mengling and Dr Ngiam Kee Yuan, Deputy CIO of the National University Health System, share how AI can help doctors and nurses take better care of their patients. By managing big data and information flows, AI can help improve diagnoses, predict complications, assist in preventive medicine and bring multidisciplinary teams together to solve healthcare challenges. Read on here: How AI can aid healthcare, TODAY, 8 September 2017

Half of Malays and 60 per cent of Indians over the age of 60 have diabetes, as compared to 25 per cent of Chinese in the same group. Does this mean that culturally specific programmes may be the key to tackling the disease? For certain groups of Singaporeans, such as the elderly, this may indeed be a useful approach to the topic, says Professor Tai E Shyong, senior consultant at the National University Hospital’s Endocrinology Division and Professor at SSHSPH. But in terms of prevention, Dean, Professor Chia Kee Seng, says thatRead more

Diabetes is a “wicked problem” and there is no single factor that increases one’s risk of developing it. We have many enemies in this War: behaviour, genetics, socio-cultural and psycho-emotional factors… But the worst? Apathy and Complacency. The most worrying age group is those under 40 years old, says Dean, Prof Chia Kee Seng, adding that “at this age, they are more concerned with pursuing wealth, very often at the expense of their health”. This reiterates the need for a mind-set shift to place equal focus on both wealth and health, whichRead more

Joining the conversation on the war on diabetes, Assoc Prof Rob M van Dam comments on the use of warning labels on beverages with high sugar content. Warning labels were recently mentioned in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally speech, but the concept is not new – in places like Chile and the UK, warning labels have been placed on products with high sugar content. Hear Assoc Prof van Dam’s thoughts on the subject: ‘Singapore Tonight’, Channel NewsAsia, 23 August 2017

Singapore needs a multi-prong, whole-of-society approach to tackle diabetes. In addition to government and individual efforts, the workplace is critical if we want to win this long-drawn war, says Dean, Professor Chia Kee Seng. Unfortunately for many of us, especially in our early years of work, we tend to neglect our health in the pursuit of wealth. We need a collective shift in mind-set to not just focus on chasing ‘wealth’, but to form good habits for ‘health’ as well. Prof Chia says that we ought to “cultivate good habits forRead more