Back to story

Welcome address by Professor Subra Suresh at the Inaugural James Best Distinguished Lecture

[Recorded] Welcome address by Professor Subra Suresh

President & Distinguished University Professor Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Inaugural James Best Distinguished Lecture

Saturday, 19 March 2022, 7.00pm

Professor James Best,
Partners, friends, and colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen

Good evening and a warm welcome to the inaugural James Best Distinguished Lecture. This series is part of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine's newly launched 10th Anniversary Distinguished Visitor Programme.

I would very much like to be with you in person on our beautiful Novena campus in Singapore, but work beckons and I am unable to join you physically. However, I would not want to miss this important occasion, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to say a few words of welcome to all of you in Singapore and around the world who are joining us today both in person and online.

Please allow me to first thank our generous anonymous donor who has made this Distinguished Visitor Programme possible. He is present among the audience. The University is grateful for his contribution and his strong belief in this initiative and its potentially immense impact. His gift makes it possible for NTU and the LKCMedicine community to engage with renowned experts who are eminent leaders and movers in their fields.

For one week, each distinguished visitor will interact, network and share their expertise with our University faculty, students, and the wider community to address thought- provoking issues not only in medicine but also in other fields that impact medical education, research, and practice.

I am especially delighted to welcome Professor James Best as the inaugural Speaker of this series, and his very aptly titled lecture, “Preserving the Art and Furthering the Science of Medicine”.

This lecture series is named in honour of Professor James Best in recognition of his outstanding contributions to NTU and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Professor Best is a highly respected academic, medical leader and educator, who led NTU's medical school for seven years before stepping down last year.

Under his leadership, LKCMedicine attained global recognition for the quality of its medical education. With three decades of experience in the art and science of medicine and medical education, I am glad that Professor Best remains with us as a Visiting Professor today.

The James Best Distinguished Lecture Series is aligned with the NTU 2025 strategic plan to address a variety of transformative initiatives that include learning, research, innovation, community building, as well as addressing humanity’s grand challenges. LKCMedicine is set to play a major role in this regard, particularly in the areas of healthy living and ageing.

COVID-19 has already accelerated the development and deployment of digital health technologies. There are opportunities to further nurture the use of these technologies to improve public health and disease surveillance, clinical education and care, research, and innovation.

In our quest to make populations healthier and more resilient to future shocks like COVID-19, an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and holistic approach will be fundamental to success. I am pleased to say that NTU is well-placed to bring together experts from medicine, engineering, technology, humanities, arts, social sciences, as well as collaborating across disciplines to share knowledge, influence change, and develop solutions with global impact.

Today’s event ties in meaningfully with this vision. Congratulations to the medical school on the launch of the James Best Distinguished Lecture Series. I would also like to congratulate and thank James for his contributions to NTU, including delivering today’s lecture.

I wish you all an insightful and rewarding session. Thank you.