GRADUATE MEDICAL SCHOOL - SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE AND DUKE UNIVERSITY

Home > Media Centre > Press Releases

GRADUATE MEDICAL SCHOOL - SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE AND DUKE UNIVERSITY

1. The National University of Singapore (NUS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate with Duke University on the establishment of the Graduate Medical School (GMS) at the proposed NUS Outram.

2. The establishment of the GMS is in line with NUS' transformation into a multi-campus university (MCU) system. The GMS will be the anchor programme in the proposed NUS Outram campus, one of the 3 campuses envisaged under the NUS MCU system. In the longer term, there is scope to set up a School of Health Sciences to offer undergraduate training in allied health sciences such as pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, etc.

3. As Singapore's second medical school, the GMS will offer a graduate-entry medical programme in collaboration with Duke. NUS' collaboration with the Duke University School of Medicine will inject greater diversity into our local medical training and in the longer term, the local medical profession. The four-year programme leading to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree will provide medical training based largely on the Duke curriculum. Its target intake is 50 students per year, with a steady state enrolment of 200.

4. The GMS is of strategic significance to Singapore as it will produce a new breed of medical doctors and clinician-scientists, and also serve as an additional avenue to attract and anchor foreign talent in Singapore. Graduates from the GMS will augment our pool of doctors and clinician-scientists to support our healthcare system and our Biomedical Sciences initiative.

5. Duke is widely recognised as one of the best medical schools in the US. Based upon factors such as reputation, research activity, and faculty resources, the US News & World Report has ranked Duke year after year as being among the leaders in American medical education. The involvement of Duke would help to raise the profile of the GMS and enhance the standing of Singapore as a regional centre for medical education and clinical research.

6. With Duke's commitment to GMS, it will join the growing number of leading universities with a significant presence in Singapore in education and research, with strong linkages to industry. This will further strengthen Singapore's position as an Education Hub.

7. With the signing of the MOU, Duke and NUS will next work out the detailed agreement for collaboration to establish the GMS by 2006.