Career-switching professionals, twins and trailblazers: Duke-NUS' Class of 2029 redefines path to medicine

PRNewswire
Singapore, August 8: A new chapter in Singapore's healthcare story began today as 78 aspiring doctors from Duke-NUS Medical School's 19th Doctor of Medicine (MD) cohort donned their white coats and recited the Hippocratic Oath, committing themselves to a future of medical excellence, professionalism and a lifelong service of healing. 78 students embark on their journey to become doctors at Duke-NUS Medical School's 19th White Coat Ceremony. 46 individuals have made the shift from other careers into medicine , including a lawyer with experience as a yoga coach, a software engineer and professionals from diverse paths, underscoring Duke-NUS' distinct positioning as Singapore's only graduate-entry medical school. For the first time, twin sisters enter the MD programme together.
Duke-NUS' Class of 2029 reflects the School's bold and purposeful cultivation of medical talent--by welcoming individuals from a wide spectrum of academic and professional backgrounds.
This year's students range in age from 22 to 33 and include 46 early-to-mid-career professionals who have switched paths to pursue medicine. Forming the School's largest batch of career-pivoting individuals, they bring with them rich perspectives from fields such as law, software engineering and economics. Also represented are fresh graduates from universities worldwide, as well as seven students admitted through Duke-NUS' conditional pathways in partnership with Singapore's top universities.
Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean of Duke-NUS, said:
"Duke-NUS was founded to reimagine how medical talent is developed in Singapore. By welcoming students with many academic backgrounds and life experiences, we bring together diverse minds united by a shared purpose--to serve, to heal and to improve health for generations to come. The White Coat Ceremony reflects our shared commitment for our students to become competent and compassionate doctors who may also contribute to medicine as scientists, educators, policy makers, innovators and future healthcare leaders."
Along with their undergraduate degrees in a variety of fields, six members of the Class of 2029 hold Master's degrees and one has attained a PhD prior to joining the programme.
Among the incoming students is Ms Seah Xue Er, Cheryl, 33, a former senior counsel with J. P. Morgan and a private legal practitioner with a decade of experience in law.
Ms Seah, who has also taught yoga part-time, believes in competency and in being compassionate when caring for her patients.
"I want to be a doctor who is hands-on, passionate and relentless in advocating for the best outcome for every patient. I would be someone who perseveres in the duty I have undertaken to provide the best care, treatment and recovery solution for them," she said.
Another student, Ms Tania Chattopadhyay, 30, left a career in software engineering to pursue medicine--a dream she had wanted to fulfil since being inspired by her father's battle with a heart disorder.
Now a mother, she is committed to engineering preventive health solutions in cardiovascular and metabolomic disorders treatment.
"I believe many conditions can be detected early or even prevented altogether with the right tools, education and systems in place. I want to work on solutions that empower patients to take charge of their health and make care more proactive and effective," she said.
This intake also includes the School's first pair of twin sisters, MsShruthi Kumar and Ms Swathi Kumar, 23, who studied psychology and engineering respectively and share a passion for healing.
"Taking the next step into medicine together feels incredibly special--not just as a personal milestone but as a shared dream we've nurtured side by side," said Ms Shruthi Kumar, with Ms Swathi Kumar adding: "We've always challenged and supported each other, and now, we're excited to approach learning with different viewpoints and to bring our different strengths to medicine, together."
Mr Tang Zheng Yang Tony, 24, an English Literature graduate who joined Duke-NUS via a conditional admissions pathway from Yale-NUS College, believes that medicine and literature are "two sides of the same coin" that illuminate the complexities of human life. He hopes to draw from the empathy and introspection instilled in him by his humanities training to offer holistic care as a clinician.
"I have been blessed with many knowledgeable professors and a wealth of reading material that enliven me not just in an aesthetic sense, but also philosophically and spiritually, forming an important 'human' foundation for the medical profession," said Mr Tang, a recipient of the Duke-NUS Dean's Scholarship.
The Class of 2029 includes 57 Singaporeans, four permanent residents and 17 international students from countries including China, the United States, the Philippines and India. All students will also undergo most of their clinical training at SingHealth institutions and graduate with an MD degree jointly awarded by Duke University and the National University of Singapore.
Duke-NUS is the only graduate-entry medical school in Singapore. Its MD curriculum--rooted in research and team-based learning--caters to students who bring maturity, purpose and diverse experiences to medicine.
About Duke-NUS Medical School
Duke-NUS is Singapore's flagship graduate entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted 'Clinicians Plus' poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five Signature Research Programmes and ten Centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore's largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has led to the creation of 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives.
For more information, please visit www.duke-nus.edu.sg
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