LKCMedicine's first cohort celebrates graduation with special dinner
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The hotel lobby was abuzz with excited chatter and laughter as LKCMedicine’s Class of 2018 and their families arrived for what was the students’ first reunion since starting work on 2 May. The School’s first graduates were joined by the School, NTU and Imperial’s many well-wishers for a graduation dinner at Orchard Hotel. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour Minister for Education Mr Ong Ye Kung, who mingled with some of the graduates during a pre-dinner reception.
After guests took their seats in the Ballroom, the merry chatter of happy reunions subsided as the LKCMedicine Trio took their seats on stage. As opening act to the formal programme, the classical trio, made up of Class of 2020 students Ng Wei Ron on the piano, Christopher Chua on the violin and Jonathan Koo on the cello, delighted the audience with their rendition of Schubert’s upbeat and vivacious Piano Trio No 1 in B-Flat Major and a version of Joe Hisaishi’s whimsical Melodies, which Christopher and Wei Ron had specially arranged for the occasion.
After the applause faded, LKCMedicine Governing Board Chairman Mr Lim Chuan Poh addressed the more than 300-strong audience, extending his heartiest congratulations to the 49 graduates present at the event and their families.
“Obviously, you have to wait two more days before you officially graduate as medical doctors,” he added.
Placing the evening’s significance in the wider LKCMedicine context, Mr Lim reminded guests of the School’s past milestones that underpin its establishment. While tonight’s event may be the end of one chapter, the graduates’ trailblazing journeys will continue for many years to come. To ensure they set off right, Mr Lim offered three pieces of advice to guide them. “One: As every good doctor would tell you, know that the patient comes first. Humanity is an ethos we’ve spent time and effort to nurture in you,” he said. He also urged students to find their own way to redefine medicine and transform healthcare, and to remember their heritage.
“In setting up the medical school, the three major stakeholders – NTU, Imperial College and NHG – have all fulfilled a long-held ambition,” he said. “LKCMedicine fulfilled those and more. As our pioneer cohort, you have already made a name for yourselves as trailblazers. Now, you become our ambassadors in the healthcare system and the face of the School with the patients and the wider community. You, therefore, continue to be our partner in shaping LKCMedicine and contribute to our vision and mission.”
NTU President Professor Subra Suresh, then took to the stage, extending a very special welcome to the graduates as NTU’s newest alumni. “As part of NTU’s Class of 2018, you join the university’s family of approximately 230,000 living alumni who are spread across about 150 countries around the globe. On behalf of this big family, I would like to say ‘Welcome!’”
“As the firstborn, it is also your duty to mentor future generations of LKCMedicine alumni and students. Your juniors will come to rely on your experiences and lessons learnt, and these will become a precious resource, and I hope that you will all share generously,” added Prof Suresh, who is also the inaugural Distinguished University Professor.
Representing LKCMedicine’s other parent institution, Imperial Vice-Provost for Education Professor Simone Buitendijk expanded on Prof Suresh’s remarks by adding Imperial’s well-wishes and a warm welcome to the graduates, who will also be joining the Imperial alumni community.
Sharing her impression of the students formed over her many visits to Singapore, Prof Buitendijk said, “They are going to be great new young doctors. They have a lot of skills besides medical skills.”
She also remarked on the graduates’ dedication to patients as people. “Medicine is not just a technical profession, and it’s so important that you see patients as people and think about their backgrounds and lives. And this sense of humanity is very tangible in this cohort of students,” she added.
After her remarks, the room erupted in lively chatter as guests resumed their conversations over dinner.
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As well as being the first cohort-wide reunion, the dinner also saw a number of graduates being recognised for their achievements.
Witnessed by Guest-of-Honour Mr Ong, Dr Julia Ng was the first to receive her award. The Academy of Medicine, Singapore Medal recognises qualities of leadership, passion and compassion, and is awarded to a student of exemplary character who demonstrates independence, initiative and resilience. Master of the Academy of Medicine Dr S R E Sayampanathan presented Dr Ng with her medal and certificate.
The next award presented was the College of Family Physicians Prize. The prize recognises an outstanding essay on a topic around family medicine which demonstrates critique of scientific evidence and personal reflection. President of the College of Family Physicians Assistant Professor Tan Tze Lee presented Dr Lavisha S Punjabi with the winner’s certificate for her essay on this year’s topic discussing the benefits to patients and society of a healthcare system in which family medicine is well developed.
After the two School-level awards were handed out, Mr Anthony Teo was invited on stage to present a framed congratulatory letter to Dr Leon Tan, who is the inaugural recipient of the Anthony SC Teo – Gordon Johnson Gold Medal. Dr Tan, who will receive the medal during convocation, was recognised for his outstanding achievement during his Year 3 to 5 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations.
As guests continued to enjoy their dinner, harpist LKCMedicine Class of 2022 Gwyneth Lim enchanted them with her performance of Variations on a Theme of Paganini by Mchedelov.
With dinner coming to an end, it was time for the inaugural LKCMedicine Alumni Association President Dr Tan to say a few words. Sticking with the motto that a picture speaks a thousand words, Dr Tan put together a short video celebrating the Class of 2018 over the years, which played to a song he had composed himself to celebrate his and his cohort’s graduation.
He was then joined on stage by LKCMedicine Dean Professor James Best, and the two exchanged mementos. Prof Best presented Dr Tan with the special gift the School produced for the students. Presented in a memory box with their name, the students received a copy of The Patient Comes First, a collection of the thoughts and reflections penned by each of the 52 graduates and the deans.
Dr Tan, in turn, presented Prof Best with a commemorative plaque featuring photos of the cohort and their names.
After the exchange, Prof Best remained on stage to deliver his closing remarks. Graduates of LKCMedicine are uniquely privileged, he noted, as they have not one but two alma maters, a term that translates as ‘nurturing mother’. “You have two nurturing mothers in both NTU and Imperial College London. And you know you should always be good to your mother, or at the very least keep in touch,” Prof Best joked.
But he also reminded students of need to remain humble always. “In medicine, we must never think that our needs take primacy over the needs of our patients’, we must never think that we have learnt all that we need to learn and we must never think that we are too lofty to ask for and listen to the advice of our colleagues,” he said.
Following his remarks, the LKCMedicine, NTU and Imperial leadership, as well as the School’s partners, were invited to join the graduates for a commemorative photo.
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The graduation dinner was the first of a number of activities leading up to the official graduation, which will take place on 24 July at Nanyang Auditorium on NTU’s main campus. During the convocation, LKCMedicine graduates will receive their MBBS degrees, awarded jointly by NTU and Imperial.
Looking ahead to the momentous occasion, Sir Philip Dilley, Chair of Council at Imperial, said: “We are very proud of these newest members of our alumni community. Their academic brilliance is strengthened by their courage, compassion and confidence. As they leave formal education, we are excited by what they are yet to achieve.”
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