New centre to synergise medical education, research and clinical excellence

-Koh Eng Beng

MEDICAL and health science students will soon be able to hone their clinical skills in Asia’s most advanced and integrated “simulated” hospital complete with an operating theatre, an intensive-care unit and four clinical skills laboratories, each with its own “patient” – a mannequin able to simulate various physiological makeup such as body mass, blood pressure and even medical history.

To be completed in 2010, the virtual hospital will be located at the National University Health System (NUHS)’s new flagship building – Centre for Translational Medicine (CeTM). Officiating at the Centre’s groundbreaking ceremony (8 April), Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong said that clinical research will help Singapore grow its medical capabilities, stay ahead of competitors, and maintain its status as a regional medical hub.

VIRTUAL HOSPITAL: Each clinical skill lab will have a “patient” for training purpose.

“Increasingly, our competitive edge in healthcare has to be based on better knowledge and stronger skills, grounded on scientific research, rather than being the cheapest. This is how world-class medical centres like Duke and Johns Hopkins maintain their pre-eminence. Their research institutions are closely linked to hospitals and medical schools. Such integrated set ups make it easier for clinicians and researchers to collaborate across disciplines, and across hospital-school lines,” he said.

Besides hosting the NUS’ Cancer Research Centre of Excellence, two National Specialty Centres in cardiovascular disease and cancer, and the Clinical Imaging Research Centre (CIRC), the Centre will also be the new home of an expanded Investigational Medicine Unit, where first-in-man and early phase clinical trials of new drugs and biomarkers will be carried out. 

GROUNDBREAKING: Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong with Prof Tan Chorh Chuan, Chief Executive, NUHS.

The Centre will also have Biosafety Level 3 facilities to allow the study of highly infectious agents, including those potentially dangerous and unknown. Other translational research undertaken includes immunology, neuro-cognition, and diabetes. These are diseases identified to be of relevance to Singapore and the region.

Prof Tan Chorh Chuan, Chief Executive, NUHS and NUS Senior Deputy President said: “Clinicians and clinical researchers will be able to move easily from the hospital to their labs; basic science researchers will have easy access to clinicians and clinical materials; and students will be studying in a compact but enriching environment that encompasses education, research and clinical care.”