Well-deserved NHG Awards for LKCMedicine faculty
Professor Pang Weng Sun, Vice-Dean (Clinical Affairs) and Associate Professor Wong Teck Yee, Assistant Dean, Year 4 & Family Medicine, from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) received accolades at the annual National Healthcare Group (NHG) Awards ceremony held tonight at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Auditorium.
Prof Pang was presented with the Lee Foundation-NHG Lifetime Achievement Award – the highest honour from NHG – which recognises his significant and impactful achievements throughout his medical career, particularly for his pioneering work in geriatric medicine and palliative care.
A/Prof Wong received the Education Leaders Award which is presented to NHG staff with leadership roles amongst multiple avenues related to education and who demonstrate emotional competence, build trust and lead people from different professions and backgrounds for educational excellence.
NHG presented awards to 41 individuals and 13 teams across seven award categories during the ceremony. The awards were presented by Guest-of-Honour and NHG Chairman Madam Kay Kuok.
Said Mdm Kuok, "NHG continues to commit resources and efforts to develop and recognise its staff. Our NHG Award recipients today exemplify people-centredness, integrity, compassion, and stewardship in their meaningful work, in their collaboration, and in their conduct with colleagues and partners in the community."
Since the 1990s, Prof Pang has been instrumental in building up geriatric medicine capacity in Singapore, setting up the Society for Geriatric Medicine, developing the curriculum for both geriatric medicine and palliative care in postgraduate medical education, and setting up palliative care services in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He continues to work closely with Singapore's Ministry of Health on population health and eldercare-related committees, and on Advance Care Planning. Prof Pang is valued for his "heart" in teaching, mentoring and moulding future healthcare leaders.
Prof Pang is also the Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer (Population Health) at NHG as well as the Executive Director of the Geriatric Education and Research Institute. He was also the Chairman of the Medical Board for the Alexandra/Khoo Teck Puat Hospitals from January 2005 to June 2011. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board, Duke-NUS Centre for Ageing, Research and Education and a member of the Singapore Medical Council.
A Fellow of the Academy of Medicine in Singapore and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK, Prof Pang trained in geriatric medicine at the City Hospital in Edinburgh and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom. He was previously a consultant geriatrician in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the former Head of the Department of Geriatric Medicine in Alexandra Hospital. He was also the former President of the Society for Geriatric Medicine from 2001 – 2007.
Prof Pang, on receiving the award, said, "I am sure there are several others deserving of the award for contributions in their respective fields. The achievements and progress that have been made in geriatric medicine and palliative medicine are not mine alone, but that of many colleagues over the years. I could do what I did only because of my colleagues who supported and eventually took over and did a better job.
"We tried to make things happen when geriatric medicine was only just being introduced here 30 years ago. I think we have achieved much, particularly in the development of geriatric medicine and palliative medicine. This award is not about me; but also a recognition of my colleagues who came alongside and helped to build up geriatrics and palliative care."
"I would like to express my gratitude to all the family medicine practitioners whom I've worked with previously, both in the public and private sectors. Their dedication and passion for teaching and mentoring our students have made my journey both fulfilling and meaningful. I hope my students will bring with them the ideals and ethos of family medicine in whatever career paths they choose in the future."
"Professor Pang is a man of integrity, compassion and wisdom," said Prof Naomi Low-Beer, the Vice-Dean of Education at LKCMedicine who works closely with him. "He will always listen intently and make wise judgements in the best interest of patients and the School. He commands the respect and trust of those whom he works with and is an excellent role model for clinicians and students," she added.
Besides serving as a Vice-Dean with LKCMedicine, Prof Pang also continues his role as a Senior Consultant Geriatrician in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. His area of interest is end-of-life care for the elderly. Prof Pang has contributed his geriatric expertise at many community service events.
On receiving the NHG Education Leader Award, A/Prof Wong said, "I'm honoured to receive this prestigious award from NHG. I've been involved in teaching medical students for the past 15 years. I enjoy sharing the outpatient clinical experience with the students and showing them the excellent work done by my colleagues in the primary care setting. This award is not just for me but also for my fellow educators and friends who have supported me in my various roles.
A/Prof Wong – in addition to his primary role as an LKCMedicine Assistant Dean – is a Senior Consultant, Family Physician in the Department of Continuing & Community Care, Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He is also the Education Director in the NHG Pre-professional Education Office and the Academic Director of NHG College.
Still active in clinical practice as a Family Physician, A/Prof Wong was previously the Head/Senior Family Physician of Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic under NHG before he took on the appointment of Assistant Professor in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. His main role was the Family Medicine (FM) Undergraduate Education Director, where he oversaw FM undergraduate teaching and assessments across 18 polyclinics and over 100 private primary-care clinics. He also held the appointment of Consultant Family Physician, Division of Family Medicine in the National University Hospital.
A/Prof Wong currently examines for the Graduate Diploma of FM and the M.Med (FM) in Singapore and is an external examiner for the NUS Medicine MBBS programme.
On the awards, LKCMedicine Dean Prof James Best said, "We are delighted with these latest awards for Professor Pang and Associate Professor Wong. As a clinician, Prof Pang lives up to our vision of being a doctor that you and I would like to have caring for us. As faculty member, he inculcates his beliefs and values into our students so that they will also live up to the same vision. A/Prof Wong has always been an excellent educator and Is a great role model for our medical students. My heartiest congratulations to both of them whom I believe will continue to be an inspiration to our colleagues and students."
Also receiving the Education Leaders Award tonight was LKCMedicine Adjunct Associate Professor Michelle Jong. A/Prof Jong holds several roles in the School including the Teaching Block Lead (Renal & Endocrine), Subject Lead (Endocrinology), Lead (Scientific Enquiry) and Posting Lead (Endocrinology). She is also a Senior Consultant in the Department of Endocrinology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The NHG Awards started in 2001 with the inaugural Lee Foundation-NHG Lifetime Achievement Award. New categories for NHG Distinguished Contributor Award and NHG Outstanding Citizenship Award were added in 2005, with a third category for NHG Distinguished Achievement Award included in 2007. Collectively known as the NHG Awards, they recognise the dedicated healthcare professionals across NHG who go the extra mile.
The Accolades
Amongst Prof Pang's other notable awards are the Healthcare Humanity Award, conferred by The Courage Fund in 2005, which recognises him as an outstanding healthcare worker who is also an inspirational role model for going the extra mile to offer care and comfort to the sick and infirm. He received the Public Administration (Silver) at the National Day Awards in 2012. For his lifelong dedication and service to public healthcare, he was awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Educator at the National Medical Excellence Awards 2016, and the National Day Long Service Award 2018.
A/Prof Wong was awarded the Courage Medal from the Courage Fund by Singapore's Ministry of Health in 2003, given out to healthcare professionals and workers for their selfless dedication in fighting against SARS. He was awarded the MOH-NHG Health Manpower Development Plan (HMCP) award fellowship in 2005 to Monash University, Melbourne, for general practice teaching and improvement of preventive health in the primary-care setting. In 2012, A/Prof Wong received the HMDP Award for Clinical Educators from the NHG. He received a Nanyang Education Award (School) in 2016 from Nanyang Technological University, and a Long Service Award from Tan Tock Seng Hospital in the same year.