What our Students Say
We welcomed our first batch of SUTD-Duke-NUS Special Track students on 2018. Hear what they have to say about the programme and the unique healthcare-related courses and activities.
"It was an eye-opening 2-day Healthcare IAP at CGH, as we were able to get a glimpse of the healthcare system from 2 perspectives - engineers and doctors. We were shown how engineers were using technology to create more efficient systems and medical procedures in hospitals, and also shadowed doctors during their rounds and clinics to learn more about the life of a doctor in the hospitals. This allowed me to understand the importance of this partnership between engineers and doctors to provide for the needs of patients.
The idea of “healthcare engineering” came to life during my UROPs as I was given the opportunity to be involved in the development of a medical device and, was also able to learn more about healthcare analytics. This kept me up-to-date on the current healthcare issues faced and the work that is being done to address them. It also gave me further insight into the relevance and application of what I was studying in my undergraduate degree to the healthcare field, giving me a head-start in pursuing my interest in healthcare engineering."
Gan Hui Ting, Class of 2021 (Bachelor)
"Being in this special track have certainly presented us numerous exciting opportunities. Warmly held by Changi General Hospital (CGH), the healthcare IAP we had undertaken remains one of the most memorable. Apart from receiving insights and future projections of Singapore’s healthcare development by CGH’s senior doctors, guided tours were tailored to let us in on how various departments collaborate to deliver high-quality healthcare. Granted with the privilege to shadow consultants, we were offered a glimpse of the multiple roles a doctor plays beyond a clinician, that of a team-leader and mentor-figure.
Back at SUTD, the dynamic faculty and environment enable convenient access to research opportunities. Guided by faculties and their research teams, my UROP has presented me with the platform to develop lab skills and a practical understanding of cancer cells. Besides the fun and fruitful experience, I am appreciative that such exposure to research has cultivated great friendships."
Gan Yu, Class of 2021 (Bachelor)
"Having embarked on the SUTD-Duke-NUS Special Track for a year already, I am slowly changing my perception towards medicine as a career, in that healthcare transcends patient contact. My experience in UROP requires me to understand the malaria treatment procedures in developing countries, and thereby how best to effectively implement MASK-RCNN (a computer vision technology) - it makes me understand that being a doctor-engineer would offer me a vantage viewpoint of a healthcare problem, and has convinced me to take on the role of a communicator bridging the two unlikely roles in future projects."
Loh De Rong, Class of 2021 (Bachelor)
"I am fortunate to be given opportunities such as the Healthcare IAP at Changi General Hospital and UROP, which were challenging and empowering to me as a budding engineer-physician. From shadowing doctors to conceptualising designs, these experiences prime me to take on the world of MedTech and Medicine head-on.
In my UROP I saw different disciplines coming together to generate elegant healthcare solutions. By applying principles from light spectroscopy to ergonomics to circuitry, a blood detection device was created that could accurately signal to nurses when a patient is bleeding (and not sweating due to different light properties!).
This programme has pushed me to see issues from many new angles and to apply best clinical practices observed by our mentors. I believe that having this broad approach towards patient care would help make any SUTD-Duke-NUS student an effective engineer and physician in the future."
Abu Bakar Bin Othman, Class of 2021 (Bachelor)