Becoming a doctor for the world
Classes at University of Cambridge and a clinical elective at a London hospital gave NTU medical student Loh Pei Yi unforgettable lessons in compassionate healthcare
by Wong SY
For Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine students like Loh Pei Yi, semester breaks may be shorter but they are full of purpose.
In her fourth year, she spent six weeks at the University of Cambridge researching cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic health. This was funded by an award for topping her NTU class in her first two years.
“Going to Cambridge felt like a full-circle moment,” she reflects. “I was offered a place there to study natural sciences, but chose medicine at NTU instead after a family member had a medical scare. It reshaped my understanding of what it truly means to protect loved ones – not only shielding them from harm, but also safeguarding their health and wellbeing.”
The Cambridge stint gave her a fresh perspective on medical research. “I was the only undergrad in the lab, and the work was rigorous,” says Pei Yi. “In just six weeks, I learnt how to design a study, formulate hypotheses, analyse real-world data and communicate scientific findings clearly. I wasn’t familiar with coding for statistical analysis before that, so I had to learn on the job. The intensity pushed me well beyond my comfort zone, but it also gave me the confidence to tackle unfamiliar problems quickly and independently.”
Away from the lab, she found time to explore Cambridge’s colleges, go punting along the River Cam and wander through the university’s historic libraries.
In her fifth year, Pei Yi was off to the UK again for a six-week clinical elective at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital with her course mates.
“We experienced a very different healthcare system from Singapore’s, but just like in NTU, we practised diagnosing and managing acute conditions, and communicated with patients and families both in clinical settings and in simulated clinical situations,” notes Pei Yi.
Training alongside final-year medical students from Imperial College London enriched her learning, while observing joint case discussions across clinics – spanning neurology to rheumatology – deepened her appreciation of multidisciplinary teamwork in patient care.
One moment at a memory clinic stays with her. “I met a patient, an accomplished doctor and professor, exhibiting signs of memory decline. I was tasked to conduct a cognitive assessment, and I found it deeply heart-rending when he struggled with the tasks. Despite this, he remained eloquent and intellectually curious, even sharing insights about medicine and genomics with me. Watching dementia erode the abilities of someone who had dedicated his life to knowledge was profoundly moving. It reminded me that patients are not defined by their illnesses, and that one day, they could be the people we love most. That encounter strengthened my resolve to become a better doctor,” says Pei Yi.
She adds: “My time in London reaffirmed the value of my NTU education. Working in a different healthcare system showed me that the skills, values and patient-centred mindset cultivated at NTU are both rigorous and globally relevant. I returned to Singapore with a stronger sense of responsibility to serve.”
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
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Read more stories about NTU undergraduates learning beyond borders here.
This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2026 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
