Stories that define us
Where science meets care: Our Academic Medicine story
Ever wondered what makes modern medicine tick? At its heart lies Academic Medicine (AM) - but what exactly is it, and what does it matter? Academic Medicine is where patient care meets education and research. It is an approach that allows healthcare professionals to weave medical education and cutting-edge research into their daily clinical practice.
Let’s explore why AM is transforming healthcare:
- Patients. AM ensures access to the highest standards of clinical care and advanced medical options. Patients benefit directly from research outcomes and the wealth of knowledge within the medical community.
- Students and staff. By having a strong faculty that straddles between clinical work, medical education and research, we create an environment where continuous learning thrives. Students and staff develop mastery through rigorous inquiry, hands-on learning and constant improvement.
- Healthcare. AM cements Singapore’s position as an international hub for medical innovation and research. Our commitment to excellence has earned recognition - Singapore General Hospital (SGH) was ranked 12th among the world-class medical centres in Brand Finance’s 2025 report. We share accolades with prestigious institutions like the United States’ Mayo Clinic Health System and Stanford University Medical Centre!
The SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC), established in 2005, exemplifies this vision by bringing together SingHealth’s clinical expertise with Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS)'s educational and research capabilities. Read on to find out how we have been charting the path to better healthcare, not just in Singapore but the world!
Milestones
2011
Academic Clinical Programs (ACPs)
Established to harnesses expertise across
SingHealth and Duke-NUS, the ACP framework
creates powerful synergies in clinical care,
education and research.
As of 2025, 15 a ACPs
have been formed.
2012
September
Academic Medicine Education Institute
(AMEI)
The Institute supports the ACPs’ educational
initiatives by nurturing an inclusive and
interprofessional community of educators
dedicated to advancing teaching excellence.
November
Academic Medicine Research Institute
(AMRI)
AMRI provides comprehensive administrative
and scientific technical support to our
research community. In addition, we have
nine
SingHealth Duke-NUS Joint Research
Institutes
that were established to foster research
collaboration, develop core facilities and
encourage further collaborations between the
scientific and medical communities within
our AMC.
2013
SingHealth Duke-NUS Disease Centres
(SDDCs)
These strategic models of care brings
together multidisciplinary teams to provide
coordinated care for patients with specific
conditions. By streamlining the patient
journey, SDDCs reduce the number of hospital
visits while improving cost-effectiveness.
By 2025, 16 SDDCs have been formed.
2014
Memorandum of Understanding with
Duke-NUS
This strategic partnership harnesses the
collective strengths of SingHealth’s
clinical expertise with Duke-NUS’ medical
education and research capabilities,
creating a robust AMC.
2017
SingHealth Academy offers training
through five new colleges and a new
medical simulation institute
The colleges and institute are:
- College of Clinical Medicine
- College of Clinical Nursing
- College of Allied Health
- College of Clinical Dentistry
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation
2018
SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health
Institute
Leveraging our combined expertise to address
current and emerging health challenges
across Asia and beyond.
2021
Academic Medicine Innovation Institute
(AMII)
The Institute provides a virtual framework
to foster a culture of innovation and
facilitate the sharing of best practices
across the AMC. It brings together the
various innovation programmes and offices to
jointly map out innovation strategies to
better support our innovators.
2023
SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical Humanities
Institute
The Institute provides a virtual framework
to foster a culture of innovation and
facilitate the sharing of best practices
across the AMC. It brings together the
various innovation programmes and offices to
jointly map out innovation strategies to
better support our innovators.
2025
March
SingHealth Duke-NUS Artificial
Intelligence in Medicine Institute
SingHealth has established a new joint
centre with Duke–NUS that focuses on
research, education, and commercialisation
of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
April
Sixth Academic Medicine Advisory
Council (AMAC)
The bi-annual meeting was led by Professor
Victor Dzau and a newly appointed AMAC
panel. Internationally prominent figures in
AMAC provided the SingHealth Board and the
Duke-NUS Governing Board independent advice
and strategic guidance on the development of
academic medicine. These internationally
renowned academic clinician leaders and
distinguished advisors shape the evolution
of our ACPs, Signature Research Programmes,
Joint Institutes, SingHealth SDDCs and
academic medicine priorities.
