LKCMedicine celebrates 10th anniversary

Every October marks a special month for the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and it dates back to a historic moment in 2010.

On 29 October that year, history was made when NTU Singapore and Imperial College London inked a Collaboration Agreement to establish a new medical school for Singapore.

The School later came to be known as the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, after the Lee Foundation made a historic gift of $150 million for the School's setup.  

While the COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably altered the way we live, when the date emerged, it did not stop the School from celebrating this momentous occasion.

Today, the School held a simple but meaningful anniversary celebration attended in person and virtually by the LKCMedicine-NTU-Imperial-NHG family from across the globe.

Birthday bash

The event began with LKCMedicine Governing Board Chairman Mr Lim Chuan Poh congratulating the School on its 10th anniversary which is only possible with the hard work and whole-hearted commitment of many people.

This, said Mr Lim, includes the Governing Board members – some of whom have been with the School since Day One –, officials in the Ministries of Education and Health, NTU Singapore and Imperial leadership, staff and faculty, National Healthcare Group (NHG) Leadership and clinical-education teams, donors led by the Lee Foundation, the support and advice of our partners A*Star, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School and other clinical entities, as well as the LKCMedicine leadership, faculty, staff and pioneering cohorts of students.

"Today we can all be very proud of LKCMedicine and what it stands for: a world-class medical school delivering on its mission of producing doctors you and I would like to have caring for us. The mission is particularly salient in this pandemic as three cohorts of LKCMedicine doctors serve in our community and setting the examples for their juniors on what being a doctor is all about," he added.

Mr Lim then invited NTU President, Professor Subra Suresh, to say a few words. "LKCMedicine can be proud that its doctors have risen to the challenge and are on the frontlines combating COVID-19 and other medical challenges in Singapore. They place themselves at risk every day to save lives, keeping the community safe and healthy," said Prof Suresh.

He added that despite the multiple challenges posed by the pandemic, LKCMedicine remains resilient and focused on achieving its strategic goals and the best outcomes for our students, in the full knowledge that the bond with its partners and support from its immediate and extended communities remains as strong as ever.

Imperial President Professor Alice Gast who spoke next said that the celebration "is an opportunity to thank the generous benefactors and philanthropists for their vision and generosity as well as the Singapore government for foresight in helping us set up LKCMedicine." She also credited the board Chairman Mr Lim for his tireless energy and all that he put in for LKCMedicine.

In closing, Prof Best, the Dean also congratulated the School on turning 10, highlighting the many great strides it's made. "Our MBBS programme is internationally benchmarked, with a reputation for being innovative and highly student-centric, producing doctors who exercise their hearts as well as their heads in caring for their patients. We have a thriving research programme designed to have (a) real impact on future medicine and healthcare."

After their well-wishes, everyone who was present at the event (virtually or onsite) sang a birthday song for the School.

'We are 10!' artwork

This was followed by the unveiling of a 'We are 10!' artwork to commemorate LKCMedicine turning 10. Mr Lim as well as members of the Governing Board each added brushstrokes onto the canvas to complete the picture. 

The vision behind the 'We are 10!' artwork is for each brushstroke, each colour to depict the many facets of the School.

The canvas is then given more meaning with a symbolic silk fabric gifted by Imperial, that has been treated with the chemical structure of mauveine, the synthetic organic purple-colour dye serendipitously discovered at Imperial by William Perkin in 1856, reflecting the bold and pioneering character of those with an Imperial education and training.

NTU put the final stamp to the canvas with a 3D printed number "2020" in NTU red, highlighting the 10th anniversary year. The piece signifies NTU's leading reputation in 3D printing research. What's worth noting is the number "2020" has been 3D printed by LKCMedicine Anatomy Learning Centre, which uses 3D printing technology to print anatomical specimens for anatomy teaching.

The celebration goes on

As cake is synonymous with birthdays, everyone in LKCMedicine was given a 'We are 10' cupcake, decorated with a pictorial nod towards the School's achievements over the past decade.

The LKCMedicine Heritage Trail game was also launched today. The game tests participants on their knowledge about the School's history and 10 lucky winners will each win a $50 cash voucher and hamper.

Happy 10th anniversary, LKCMedicine!