News

Contrary to the popular belief that gout sufferers should avoid soy and legume products as they are rich in purine, a recent study has found that soy products do not increase the risk of gout, and that those who already have the condition and continue consuming them. Purine-rich foods such as shellfish and meat cause higher levels of uric acid in blood, and may cause sodium urate crystals forming in the joints, causing aches and pains. However, soy does not appear to have the same effect despite being high inRead more

The Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health has once again won the Commendation Award at the NUS Annual Safety & Health Performance Award (ASHPA) in 2015. The Commendation Award is the highest award to recognise the Department/Faculty that has most effectively implemented its safety and health management system. The NUS ASHPA is awarded by the Office of Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) and is in recognition of NUS Departments/Faculties, Research Institutes and Corporate Offices which have made or are making significant improvements to their safety and health management systemsRead more

All around the world, we are experiencing increasing rates of myopia, or near-sightedness, but the prevalence of myopia has risen drastically in East Asia over the last 40 years, with countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore experiencing myopia rates of more than 80%. Researchers says sunlight and outdoor time is the best solution to reducing the risk of myopia, and children and teenagers need sunlight during their critical years of their development while their eyeballs are still growing. The solution is to have children “spend more time outside, haveRead more

The use of big data analytics is increasingly being adopted by healthcare groups in Singapore to reform decision-making in healthcare, from managing department and clinic workloads, to identifying target groups for intervention programmes and treatment,and accurately identifying the root cause of operational issues arising, saving hospitals substantial costs in some instances. However, experts say analytics is set to make a bigger impact in the near future. Mr Benedict Tan, group chief information officer for SingHealth hopes that analytics will shift from fine-tuning operational efficiency and effectiveness to involve predictive analyticsRead more

The Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health congratulates Professor Saw Seang Mei on being selected as one of the recipients of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Achievement Awards 2015. The APAO is a federation of national ophthalmology societies fostering the growth of ophthalmology and visual sciences, with the aim of preserving and protecting the vision of the people in the Asia-Pacific region. Formed in 1960, the APAO consists of 19 member organisations from different countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India,Read more

It was a momentous occasion as the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health celebrated the official opening of its new premises at the Tahir Foundation Building on 12 February 2015. Gracing the occasion was Guest-of-Honour Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization and alumna of the School’s Master of Public Health programme. Also lending her presence was special guest Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower. The morning’s programme was inaugurated by Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of theRead more

A gift appreciation session was held for donor, Ms Tai Ai Luen on 16 January 2015 in recognition of her generous donation to the School. Ms Tai’s gift has contributed to the setting up of the Wu Yu Lin Scholarship to fund one postgraduate scholarship annually for the School’s Master in Public Health programme. The Wu Yu Lin Scholarship is named after Ms Tai’s mother, the late Dr Tai Yu Lin, and in honour of her grandfather, the late Dr Wu Lien-Teh. During the session, Ms Tai presented Dean ProfessorRead more

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) had been steadily decreasing since 1988; however since 2008, the number of cases has been increasing to around 39 cases per 1000. A study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore has found that an ageing population and a growing non-resident population has contributed to the rise of TB incidence in Singapore. Looking at cases from the Singapore Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (STEP), researchers found that a higher incidence of infectious respiratory disease among the elderly population, which had almost doubled from 1995 toRead more

For more than 20 years, Associate Professor Wong Mee Lian from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health has been tirelessly involved in projects to promote condom use among those in the sex trade. Her efforts have helped bring down the numbers of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among sex workers and their clients in Singapore. A/Prof Wong received the Red Ribbon award at the 9th Singapore Aids Conference held on 29 November 2014. Presented by Action For Aids Singapore, the award honours individuals who have made significant contributions in the fightRead more

Singapore has ranked second out of 166 countries for healthcare outcomes in a report assessing value for money in healthcare by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The report found that Singapore spent $3,290 (US$2,538) per capita on healthcare, which was 46% less than first-placed Japan, but reported better healthcare value for money spent than the US, which ranked 33rd in outcomes but spent US$9,216 per capita. Dr Chia Shi-Lu, head of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health, said the report shows how well Singapore’s healthcare framework is supporting theRead more

Women with genital warts appear to cope less well than men, faring poorer on questions relating to emotional well-being, according to a study published in the Sexual Health Journal. The findings suggest that female patients may require more attention from caregivers. Genital warts is the fourth most common sexually transmitted illness (STI), with slightly more than 1,100 cases of genital warts each year. Assistant Professor Luo Nan from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, one of the study’s authors, said that the study highlights how patients are affected byRead more

The NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health congratulates Professor Saw Seang Mei for having been named an ARVO Gold Fellow in the Class of 2015 by The Association for Research in Vision and Opthalmology (ARVO). The ARVO Fellows recognises current ARVO members for their individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the Association. ARVO Fellows will serve as role models and mentors for individuals pursuing careers in vision and opthalmology research. We, at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, extend our heartiest congratulations to Prof Saw on thisRead more