From Curiosity to Conviction: MedVenture 2026 Inspires Students from Junior Colleges and Polytechnics
On 31 January, LKCMedicine introduced a one-day immersive workshop to the School’s exciting roster of annual outreach initiatives. Delightfully dubbed MedVenture 2026, it offered 80 pre-university students, who are part of NTU Singapore’s Early Admissions & Scholarships Exercise (EASE) 2026, a peek into the world of a medical student and the type of modern and innovative pedagogy they would be exposed to at LKCMedicine.
The crowd of students gathered bright and early at the Novena campus, keen to learn about all things LKCMedicine.
And that was exactly what was in store for them!
The day began with a rousing round of icebreakers that split the adventurers into seven groups named after a science and medical terms, representing how different parts of medicine — from biology and the brain to data and patient care — come together in real-world healthcare.
While the students were interacting with like-minded peers from different schools and making new friends, their parents were invited for a Breakfast Chat hosted by LKCMedicine’s Vice-Dean (Education) Associate Professor Faith Chia, Chief Operating Officer Dr Serene Ng, Communications & Outreach Director Madam Siti Rohanah Koid, Assistant Dean, (Admissions & Overseas Elective) Associate Professor See Jee Jian; Assistant Dean (MBBS Lead) Assistant Professor Daniel Quek, and Assistant Dean (Year 2) and Head of Anatomy Associate Professor Sreenivasulu Reddy Mogali.
After mingling with the School’s leadership and Student Ambassadors at the Sim Hoay Cheok – Sim Foundation Library, the parents left the session well-informed about LKCMedicine’s approach to shaping Singapore’s future doctors, as well as the passionate and highly reputed faculty members leading the School’s award-winning curriculum.
Now, back to the MedVenture participants – their day had just started!
The prospective students were warmly welcomed by Asst Prof Quek. He broke down the strengths of the School’s future-focused MBBS programme, based in the context of Singapore’s healthcare landscape with an emphasis on high-quality, value-based and patient-centred care.
“LKCMedicine’s curriculum can be summarised into five Rs: Refreshing; Relevant; Rigorous; Real-world ready; and Resilient,” he quipped.
Addressing the elephant in the world, Asst Prof Quek detailed how the School is incorporating AI and VR tools to supplement students’ learning while reinforcing the humanistic elements of medicine. In fact, this conscious effort to stay on par or ahead of technological advancement in healthcare is not limited to students but also extends to faculty members.
“I am also learning at the same time as you! It is important for me and my fellow educators to acquire skills and deepen my knowledge to create new solutions for [our students]. At LKCMedicine, we have trained our faculty to be the best they can be.”
MedVenture Captain Ms Mariam Rahman proceeded to give the adventurers an overview of the programme line-up, and off they went!
Throughout the day, the students had the opportunity to spend “An Hour with...” LKCMedicine educators, scientists, doctors and healthcare partners: people who play a key role in enabling the School to advance the practice and science of medicine through education and research for the good of humanity.
The adventurers were accompanied by some 20 LKCMedicine Student Ambassadors, eager to guide them to the different stops and share more about the vibrant student life at the School.
Adding to the bustle of MedVenture were 12 student volunteers from Raffles Girls School, who took on the role as navigators to assist with running the event.
An Hour with our Team-based Learning!
The Adventurers had their first taste of LKCMedicine’s innovative teaching method at the bespoke Learning Studio that was specifically designed for Team-based Learning (TBL). Led by Lead for Educational Development Ms Jessica Ang, attendees dived into the different phases of a TBL session from putting their science knowledge to the test to discussing and debating with their peers.
“The [TBL demo] broadened my perspective about the different methods used to teach at LKCMedicine. I have been exposed to something similar before in Junior College, and I think this approach is quite effective in letting students explain their thought process in how they answer their questions,” reflected Naya Golyan, National Junior College graduate.
An Hour with our Anatomists!
Over at our state-of-the-art Anatomy Learning Centre, the adventurers were thrilled to discover the use of plastinated human specimens and novel multi-modal tools in anatomy education, the very foundation of being a doctor.
Assoc Prof Reddy walked the students through the benefits of using tech-enhanced methods, such as virtually dissecting the human body with an Anatomage table and having better visualisation of the organs through Augmented Reality and 3D printed models.
Like many of the participants, St. Joseph's Institution International student Xander Burton left the session inspired. “The Anatomy lab was really interesting. I enjoyed being able to learn through the use of donated human bodies. The hands-on experience was very interesting and something I may not get elsewhere. The MedVenture experience so far has helped me be more informed about my decision to apply to LKCMedicine.”
An Hour with our Scientists!
To gain a better idea of how research and medicine have a transformative and symbiotic relationship that better patient’s lives, the adventurers traipsed over to four research centres and laboratories located at the Clinical Sciences Building.
At the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore), the team detailed the different ways they identify early and accurate markers of cognitive impairment as part of the Centre’s effort to improve diagnosis and prevent the onset of dementia.
The adventurers also tried their hand at retinal imagining, mini-MRI workshops and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
In Assistant Professor Lynn Yap’s lab, the students were introduced to the cellular-tastic world of cardiometabolic medicine. They had a behind-the-scenes look at how cells are generated to rebuild cardiac tissue as part of regenerating damaged heart muscles.
The next stop in this tightly packed hour was the HELIOS-SG100K Centre, a health screening centre that aims to understand the behavioural, social, environmental and molecular factors that influence health and disease in Asian populations through large-scale, population-based studies in Singapore and across Asia.
Participants had a unique opportunity of observing how health data is collected and understanding how such studies are then translated into effective population and community-based approaches that promote well-being.
Vice-Dean (International Relations) Associate Professor Yusuf Ali wrapped up the hour with a talk on mighty but tiny gut microbes, and the interactions between nutrients, metabolic pathways and diseases like diabetes. Earlier, Madam Rohanah took the students on a whirlwind tour of LKCMedicine labs located on level 11 of the CSB – showcasing the interdisciplinarity of LKCMedicine’s transformative research.
“Research is new to me, but what I liked was that the research [at LKCMedicine] is very current and up to date with global trends, such as diabetes management which is a chronic problem in Singapore and other countries. The research I learned about today is applicable to the future and prepare for population health,” shared Quek Ying Ying from Hwa Chong Institution.
An Hour with our Doctors!
What is a better way to understand the nature of the medical profession than hearing directly from clinicians who are at different stages of their career and in different specialties?
During the Dialogue on Career in Medicine, which was moderated by Assoc Prof Chia, LKCMedicine alumna Dr Gwyneth Joy Lim (Class of 2022) and Adjunct Associate Professor Glenn Tan, currently Divisional Chairman (Surgery), Head of Department of General Surgery and Head of Service for Vascular Surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, entertained and inspired the students with their honest insights and experience.
Looking back at her formative years as an LKCMedicine student, Dr Lim recounted how the School prepared her to sit with complexities, to serve the community and to think like a doctor while staying human. As Internal Medicine Resident at NHG Health currently, these lessons continue to serve her well.
MedVenture was not solely about exercising the brain muscle! It was also about being quick on the feet and displaying good teamwork; skills that will come in handy as a doctor.
This was on full display during MedVenture Quest!
Adventurers were given a map and a mission to get familiar with the nooks and crannies of the School and uncover the story of LKCMedicine and the medical world.
Attractive prizes awaited the fastest two teams with the greatest number of correct questions answered!
While MedVenture was filled with high energy and inquisitive chatter, the day ended on a more reflective note.
Learning Journey
The attendees embarked on their last activity which was to conceptualise a five-minute presentation that captured what they learnt and their thoughts about potentially being a medical student. There were no limits to their creativity!
Audience and a panel of judges, comprising Dr Ng, Assoc Prof See, Madam Rohanah and LKCMedicine Students' Medical Society President Melissa Hock, were treated to an array of performances ranging from skits to raps, songs to dad jokes.
It was certainly no easy feat for the judges to decide on the winning teams.
Before the winners of MedVenture Quest and Learning Journey were unveiled, Dr Ng thanked the students for spending their Saturday with us.
The closing segment of MedVenture was one for the books. The auditorium echoed with loud cheers and applause as the prizes were announced, but nothing would prepare the attendees for the biggest twist: A one-week research placement at designated LKCMedicine labs or research centres for the team with the best reflection!
While the prizes were enticing, the adventurers left MedVenture with something bigger and more important – a conviction to pursue medicine and how LKCMedicine can help them achieve that goal.
“When I first thought about medical school, it felt something rather distant, something that is the next chapter of my life. After today, I felt like I [could be] part of this School and many of the activities were centred on walking around the facilities and getting to know the different places. It made me feel like a typical day in life if I was a student here, which helped me form a bit of closeness towards pursuing a place in this School,” said Shwe Yadanar Win from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
“Before deciding to study medicine, I knew there were a lot of different challenges, such as workload and many responsibilities. Through the MedVenture, I have learnt that there is a lot of support in place to help us along our journey so that we can make it through,” added Nanyang Junior College graduate Jared Wong.
We present to you the winners of MedVenture 2026!
MedVenture Quest:
1st place: Matrix
2nd place: Helix
Learning Journey:
1st place: Vector
2nd place: Signal
3rd place: Synapse
