NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health

31/07/2026

A warm welcome to the newest members of our School community from the MPH, MScHEOR, GDPH, MSc and PhD programmes!

Student Orientation 2026 marks an especially meaningful milestone as we welcome the inaugural cohort of our MSc in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (MScHEOR).

Addressing the new cohort, our Dean, Prof Teo Yik Ying, highlighted the breadth and growing importance of public health—from managing disease burdens and addressing current health priorities to anticipating emerging challenges, strengthening regional capabilities and ensuring sustainable health financing.

We wish all our students a rewarding and enriching educational journey. We look forward to seeing how they will apply their knowledge and skills to make a meaningful impact on public health and healthcare in Singapore, across Asia and beyond.

30/07/2026

On 29 July 2026, our faculty from the NUS School of Public Health, Prof Alex Cook, Assoc Prof Piya Hanvoravongchai, Assoc Prof Cynthia Chen, Assoc Prof Winston Chin and Asst Prof Ian Ang, met the delegation from Peking University and Peking Union Medical College to discuss reforms of healthcare systems.

The delegation shared research work on risk-stratified integrated care, telemedicine cooperation networks, China’s People-Centred Integrated Care pilots, and medical alliances to better support primary care and strengthen links between county and municipal hospitals. They also highlighted the use of big data to support health systems, along with China’s growing rehabilitation and palliative care sectors.

Discussions on China’s health system reforms, centred around diversification of rehabilitation or aftercare locations as citizens increasingly seek care in hospitals.

Assoc Prof Winston Chin shared Singapore’s supportive and palliative care programmes, attributing some of its success to efforts by Singapore’s voluntary welfare organisations.

There were some similar challenges across countries, and opportunities especially in strengthening primary care, supporting ageing populations and advancing health services research.

We look for to continued international collaboration, and thank Prof Luzhao Feng, Vice Dean, School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Peking Union Medical College; Assoc Prof Jie Qian, School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Peking Union Medical College; Asst Prof Qing Wang, School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Peking Union Medical College; Prof Beibei Yuan, Deputy Director, China Center for Health Development Studies, Peking University; Assoc Prof Jin Xu, China Center for Health Development Studies, Peking University; and Ms Yuting Sun, China Center for Health Development Studies, Peking University.

29/07/2026

Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) is one of the fastest-growing disciplines in healthcare, playing a critical role in informing decisions on which medicines, vaccines, and medical technologies are subsidised and reimbursed within public healthcare systems.

Join Assoc Prof Alec Morton in Chennai for a masterclass exploring the evolving role of HEOR, how artificial intelligence is transforming the field, and why HEOR expertise will remain valuable in an AI-enabled future.

📅 29 August 2026 (Saturday)
🕐 5.00pm–5.45pm
📍 ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

Participants will also learn more about the MScHEOR programme and how it equips graduates for impactful careers in healthcare decision-making, health technology assessment and market access.

27/07/2026

Dr. Ruth Divine Daguro Agustin, our NUS School of Public Health MPH student, participated in a recent Guideline Development Group (GDG) meeting, chaired by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 2018, WHO recorded that about 5.3 million children under the age of five died. The WHO guideline on the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) of Azithromycin is intended to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, aiming to end all preventable deaths of newborns and children under the age of five by 2030.

The recent GDG meeting serves to update this guideline. This includes the assessment of age specific effects and contextual factors such as baseline mortality, malaria endemicity and health system capacity. The GDG members looked into the potential risks associated with MDA of Azithromycin, such as the implications on antimicrobial resistance over time to make evidence-informed recommendations on how the MDA of Azithromycin, as a public health intervention to reduce under-five mortality, should be implemented.

The GDG consisted of multidisciplinary experts from all WHO regions, serving in their individual capacities, selected based on technical expertise and experience working in low and middle income country settings. All GDG members underwent a rigorous assessment of conflicts of interest.

Over the course of 3 days, the GDG members discussed systematic reviews, evidence summaries, modelling results, technical updates, and proposed updated WHO recommendations for the use of MDA Azithromycin.

Dr. Ruth learned a lot from fellow GDG members. She provided inputs based on her experiences in guideline development, programme implementation and policymaking in the Philippines.


Please read more about the WHO guideline here:
https://bit.ly/4bhfUk1

24/07/2026

We are pleased to share that Dr Cecilia Teng has been awarded the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (ATEA) 2026 – Individual Category. She is also a recipient of the NUS ATEA Award in 2023 and 2025 respectively. In recognition of receiving the award for the third time, she will be conferred the NUS ATEA Honour Roll in 2027.

The ATEA is a University-level award that recognises excellence in teaching, educational design and assessment, and leadership in promoting strong pedagogical practices among colleagues. The award honours colleagues whose teaching and/or innovative use of technology has positively contributed to student learning and a broader culture that values teaching.

Please join us in congratulating Dr Teng on this outstanding achievement.

23/07/2026

The BRIDGE (Building Regional Insights and Data for Governance and Health Equity) network, an initiative at NUS School of Public Health, formally launched the BRIDGE network Data Capacity and Systems’ Working Group in July with a data capacity workshop. This BRIDGE data capacity workshop is co-organised by Precision Public Health Asia Society, and supported by CMB Foundation.

The BRIDGE network brings together academic institutions, regional policymakers and partners working to strengthen data evidence for policy and make health system improvements across Southeast Asia.

Representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, global partners from the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, WHO Europe, and the ACPHEED Secretariat Establishment Office, met to strengthen health data systems, discuss challenges and analytical capacity.

The network is organised around three core pillars: Health System Performance Assessment (HSPA), Data Capacity and Systems, Global Burden of Disease (GBD) and Risk Modelling.

The broader aim of this initiative is to build regional capacity in health data points, for evidence-informed policy and health equity, leading to better healthcare across ASEAN countries.

Special thanks to Assoc Prof Piya Hanvoravongchai and Dr Clive Tan, all participants for their contributions.

Please read more here: https://bit.ly/44PyJqX

22/07/2026

From overcoming academic setbacks to earning a PhD, Dr Mervin Tee’s journey is a powerful testament to take a different path with resilience and courage.

After failing his GCE O-Level examination, he worked long hours in a factory while preparing to retake his papers. Mervin persevered through polytechnic and attained a scholarship for his bachelor’s degree, before pursuing his PhD at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. His research in cognitive decline using neuroimaging, reflects his aspiration to improve lives on a broader scale through public health research and policymaking.

This year, Mervin graduated with his wife, Dr Cindy Chan, who completed her PhD research on promoting healthy choices among primary school children. The couple supported one another throughout their doctoral journeys while also welcoming their first child.

Congratulations, Mervin and Cindy! We are proud to celebrate this meaningful milestone with you and look forward to the impact you will continue to make through your research.

Please read their inspiring story here: https://bit.ly/4b7uOt8

21/07/2026

21/07/2026

The Digital Health Roundtable on Health Data Sharing for Impact, part of the annual Smart Health Asia Conference 2026, convened regional policymakers, health sector leaders, technical experts and global partners to advance responsible health data sharing across Southeast Asia this month.

Held at our NUS Medicine & Science Library, the Roundtable brought together representatives from national health agencies, academic institutions, healthcare organisations, regional networks, and global partners across Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

This roundtable builds on the 2022 White Paper on Responsible Data Sharing in Health and Healthcare. Discussions referenced current policies on health data sharing, data mobility and pathways toward a more connected regional health data ecosystem.

Co-organised by Precision Public Health Asia Society, NUS School of Public Health, and Messe Berlin Asia Pacific, this creates a platform for continued collaboration to facilitate regional framework, specifically on sharing healthcare data responsibly and safely in pandemics.

We would like to thank the participants, Ministry of Health (Singapore), TRUST Data Office (Singapore), Ministry of Health (Malaysia), BPJS Kesehatan Indonesia and ACPHEED Secretariat Establishment Office (ACSEO) Thailand for their sharing. Special thanks to Assoc Prof Piya Hanvoravongchai and Dr Clive Tan, for bringing this important regional dialogue together.

Please read more about the White Paper here: https://bit.ly/4wfUvjO

20/07/2026