News: MedCamp Returns with Bigger Crowd and Stronger Lineup

By Thung Pei Ying, Senior Executive

On 2 and 3 June, the Novena Campus was abuzz with young hearts and minds keen to pursue medical education. The highly anticipated MedCamp returned, hosting almost double the participants of inaugural camp in 2023 – 143 pre-university students from across 25 schools in Singapore.

Throughout the two-day camp, the students participated in a suite of immersive activities in LKCMedicine labs, teaching facilities, medical library and heritage centre with fervour and enthusiasm, leaving them with the fondest of memories at the end, as well as new friendships and new-found knowledge and passion for Medicine.

MedCamp Day 1

MedCamp Assemble!

On both days, students arrived bright and early for registration, where they collected their special MedCamp paraphernalia that included comestibles for the day.

This was followed by a welcome message and camp rallies from several school leaders, including the Dean of LKCMedicine Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Dean for Education Associate Professor Faith Chia, Vice-President of LKCMedicine Medical Society Phoon Yan Xin, as well as Chief Camp Marshal Ms Mariam Rahman.

“My hope is that MedCamp gives you a true taste of this vibrant, demanding and deeply rewarding journey that we’re all in, in LKCMedicine.” – Phoon Yan Xin

“I hope that this programme will be fun for you. We want to show you a little bit of what is medical education like. You will see our technology, and will be talking to students and teachers. I hope that will help you to make your choice, whether or not you want this to be your future career.” – Prof Joseph Sung

“I leave you with a thought – All of you have been given such great gifts, and all of us have special skills. So, ask yourself, ‘where is it that I can use these skills?’ The world has deep needs. Where do we contribute? With that, I hope that you have a great time at MedCamp!” – Assoc Prof Faith Chia

Following this, campers played some exciting icebreaker games to get to know their teammates from different schools and various backgrounds. They were split into 12 teams, where each team was named after a planet in the solar system. This year’s MedCamp also welcomed 17 student volunteers from Raffles Girls’ School, who took on the role as camp marshals to lead each team around the campus.

MedQuest 1: “Intro to Anatomy” Workshop

Campers were first introduced to the function and clinical or surgical significance of anatomy at our state-of-the-art Anatomy Learning Centre (ALC), led by Associate Professor Sreenivasulu Reddy Mogali, LKCMedicine Head of Anatomy. Using plastinated human specimens and novel multi-modal tools, campers learnt about core concepts from a multi-disciplinary team of instructors comprising anatomists, surgeons, radiologists and pathologists. They also had the chance to experience a virtual dissection of the human body using the Anatomage table, as well as the novel 3D printed organs and 3D modelling through Augmented Reality visualisation.

Unlocking Medical Discovery – Where AI meets the Library

Over at the Sim Hoay Cheok – Sim Foundation Library, a new library engagement session led by LKCMedicine’s very own expert librarians gave campers the chance to witness how the medical library empowers our medical students with AI tools like Riley, the Information Literacy in Evidence-Based Medicine (IL-EBM) chatbot, integrated into their Scientific Enquiry and Evidence-Based Medicine (SEEM) curriculum. Campers were tested on their newly attained knowledge through a quiz, with specially prepared prizes presented to the top 10 scorers.

Ultimate MedChallenge

The MedChallenge tested the campers’ quick thinking and ability to work swiftly as a team – both essential qualities that a doctor should possess. Campers raced against time as they navigated the Novena Campus using a specially designed map, completing a series of questions using clues scattered across campus landmarks.

MedQuest 2: Lab Immersions

Campers also witness the advanced and innovative research at one of six LKCMedicine labs over at the Clinical Sciences Building, up from five labs in the inaugural MedCamp.

At the NETosis biology lab led by Assistant Professor Christine Wong and her team, campers learnt about the cell death process where neutrophils spill out their DNA and cellular contents, forming the highly toxic neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

At the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore) led by Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah’s team, campers tried their hand at many tests, such as retinal imagining, mini MRI workshops and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The activities taught campers the importance of dementia research and the latest tools to identify and tackle dementia early.

Over at Nanyang Assistant Professor Xia Yun’s lab, campers appreciated the cutting-edge research of generating kidney organoids (also known as mini kidneys in a dish) from human pluripotent stem cells. These mini kidneys represent a physiologically relevant model of the human kidney, offering unprecedented opportunities to study pathophysiology that is unique to the human kidney.

At the Centre for Microbiome Medicine (CMM) led by Associate Professor Sunny Wong, campers were introduced to the world of microbiome research through an engaging presentation on the microbiome’s impact on human health, disease, and the future of Medicine. As they toured the state-of-the-art research laboratories, CMM scientists showed campers how real-time microbiome experiments and analyses were conducted.

At Associate Professor Yusuf Ali’s lab, the research focuses on pancreatic islet health and gut microbiome research in type 2 diabetes and cancer. During the lab tour, campers were introduced to the gut microbiome's role in health and disease, and saw experimental setups used in pancreatic islet and gut microbiome research.

MedCamp 2025 offered a newly added Lab Immersion with the Office of Patient Engagement (OPEN). Led by Ms Ai Ling Sim-Devadas, Deputy Director for OPEN, campers explored how patient involvement helps to shape medical research to yield meaningful outcomes for patients. They also intereacted with and heard first-hand from patient partners during the session in a human-library style discussion.

Ask Me Anything – Career in Medicine (Part 1)

Day 1 ended off with a bang during the Ask Me Anything session featuring Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Head of General Surgery Department, Associate Professor Glenn Tan, hosted by A/Prof Faith Chia. In his presentation, A/Prof Tan shared rare insights into his life as a surgeon. He ended the session with this quote: “There is always someone to learn from. One of my mentors told me this – If I’ve seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

MedCamp Day 2

Decked in matching t-shirts specially designed for MedCamp 2025, campers kicked off Day 2 with more team bonding games to hype them up.

MedQuest 3: “Future Healthcare” – A Digital Learning Workshop

Following a talk led by Assistant Professor Bernett Lee, Director of the Centre for Biomedical Informatics, campers had the chance to practise clinical communication with an AI-powered clinical chatbot, prescribe medication using a digital ePrescription tool, and challenge their knowledge and reflexes through VR activities conducted by the Digital Learning team. They also experimented with voice cloning and designed their own digital twin!

MedQuest 4: “Get the Heart Beating” – Practical Skills Lab Workshop

At the Practical Skills Lab led by Mdm Ramani Saravanan, Assistant Director and Lead for Practical Skills and Clinical Procedures at LKCMedicine, campers learnt the importance of hygiene in a clinical setting through play, and gained confidence in using clinical tools through simulations and hands-on practical stations.

Team-Based Learning – Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

Campers participated in a Team-Based Learning (TBL) demonstration by Ms Yang Lishan, Lead for TBL Facilitation, with Dr Vivek Perumal, Senior Lecturer of Anatomy as the content expert. Through the session, campers put their new-found medical knowledge to the test and gained a better understanding of LKCMedicine’s innovative pedagogy whilst exercising their teamwork.

Ask Me Anything – Career in Medicine (Part 2)

Before the day ended, campers were hosted to another Ask Me Anything session, this time with LKCMedicine’s Class of 2018 alumni: Dr Rachel Lim and Dr Tiong Wen Shuo, hosted by Dr Daniel Quek, LKCMedicine Assistant Dean, MBBS Lead. Dr Lim and Dr Tiong not only shared about their journey through LKCMedicine’s curriculum but also touched on many aspects of the vibrant student life and community. As they took questions from the floor, Dr Quek, Dr Lim and Dr Tiong were able to provide campers with useful insights from multiple perspectives – as educators, alumni, and most importantly, as medical professionals.

The Learning Journey

To conclude MedCamp 2025, campers were given 45 minutes to brainstorm a 3-minute presentation to express their reflections in creative ways. From skits to raps, songs to poems, campers put their hearts and souls into showcasing their experiences and thoughts on the two-day MedCamp.

The presentations were judged across content, creativity and expression, by a panel of judges: LKCMedicine Vice-Dean for Clinical Affairs Professor Kwek Tong Kiat; LKCMedicine Chief Operating Officer Dr Serene Ng; President of NTU Student Union, LKCMedicine Year 4 student Edison Ng; and Head of MedCamp Organising Committee Mdm Siti Rohanah Koid.

While results were tabulated, Professor Kwek took to the stage to give a short closing address. Expressing his hopes that the MedCamp has been helpful in providing the campers with more knowledge and information on medicine, he encouraged them to keep in touch with LKCMedicine as they continue their exploration of medical education.

MedCamp 2025 Awards Ceremony

The MedCamp ended off with a boisterous prize presentation. The team with the best reflection presentation was rewarded with hospital attachments, made possible by LKCMedicine’s primary clinical partner, NHG Health.

With this second edition of MedCamp, LKCMedicine continues its journey to nurture and shape the minds of future doctors. Through the interactive and engaging activities, LKCMedicine strives to uphold its commitment to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals.