Third Spacing: Recent Episodes
Third Spacing
Third Spacing is the yet to be defined space between cells and vessels, where fluid moves from one space to another. In sociology, the Third Space is where people meet to unwind, let down their guard and talk about things that matter to them, distinct from work and home, towards connection.
Third Spacing, the podcast makes space to explore important topics on the fringes of clinical medicine in Singapore. We talk to doctors with unusual lifepaths and passions, professors who shaped our traditions or our futures, pioneers who took risks in arts, civil society, education, research to expand the possibilities of what medicine can look like in Singapore.
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In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jonathan Ng, CEO and founder of Iterative Health, a US-based healthcare startup pioneering the use of AI-based precision medicine for the detection and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. He’s also the chairman of Children of Cambodia, a philanthropic organization he set up at 16 years old that helped establish Cambodia's first neonatal ICU, pediatric burns and pediatric cardiothoracic surgery unit. We discuss the personal values that motivated his philanthropy and eventual pivot to business from medicine. He also shares about his journey of founding Iterative Health and the importance of expanding one’s horizons and breadth of experiences.
In this episode, we shift our conversation with Hazirah Mohamed, a public health PhD student at the University of Toronto, towards health equity at large, where her research focuses on resource allocation in end of life care. She shares her journey to public health, her insights to designing a patient-centred preventive health model, in light of HealthierSG, and how we can make change in the very systems that we work in.[00:00:42] Hazirah’s public health background (q1)
[00:04:31] The problem with opportunistic testing (q2)
[00:09:34] The priority on efficiency in our systems and how we can make change from within these systems
In the first of this two-part episode we talk to Hazirah Mohamed (she/her), a public health PhD student at the university of Toronto. She is the author of “Kita dah cukup manis? (We are sweet enough?): Resisting the bitter pill of racialised health framing on the Malay community” in Brown is Redacted, an anthology of essays on race in Singapore. We discuss the uses of race in society and in medicine, and the importance of cultural competence.[00:00:35] Introduction to Hazirah and Overview of her research on Malay issues (q1)
[00:06:13] Thoughts on public health campaigns and how their framing could influence health outcomes. (q2)
[00:12:08] Why is race being seen in isolation problematic in healthcare? (q3)
[00:18:51] How can we be more culturally competent? (q4)
[00:28:27] How should healthcare workers and doctors approach the topic of race? (q5 and 6)
[00:35:41] How should we think about the reasons why people may or may not have health-seeking behaviour (q7)
[00:41:03] Final thoughts (outro)
In this episode, we interview Prof Roger Foo, a practicing cardiologist who is also the Director of the NUSmed and NUHS Cardiovascular Disease Translation Research programmes, and head of the NUHS Clinician Scientist Academy. We talk about his path to becoming a clinician scientist, how his interest in cardiology developed, exciting insights into cardiovascular research and tips for students to engage in research.
In this episode, we speak to Dr. Jeremiah Pereira, the Medical Director of MaNaDr Clinic, who is one of Singapore's only physicians with gender-affirming care as their primary focus. We break down the meaning behind the term gender-affirming care, what it is commonly perceived as, and what it is not, the motivations behind pursuing this work, and the importance of acknowledging Singapore's history as a pioneering gender-affirming surgery centre in the late 20th century.
In this episode, we speak to Faith Nadine, a PGY2 who now practices as a locum GP and blogs at Chasing Faith and Love. We honestly talk about her reasons for walking down this unconventional pathway, mental health as a junior doctor, and her thoughts on her future.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Evelyn Wong, Associate Consultant and Founding Member of the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Services at the National Cancer Centre Singapore. She shares the challenges faced by her adolescent and young adult cancer patients as well as the development of her app, AYABytes, which hopes to improve the health literacy of our patients in Singapore. Through this endeavour, she hopes to better support her patients in their journey and inspire change for other patients in need.
[00:00:30] What is functional abdominal pain?
[00:02:17] What is the difference between functional and idiopathic?
[00:03:37] What is the patient journey like through the healthcare system from their family doctors all the way until you see them in a hospital as a specialist?
[00:05:39] Walk through the approach of helping patients once they are in front of you.
[00:07:50] Navigating the shift away the biomedical model to the biopsychosocial model.
[00:09:40] Response to understanding functional GI disorders
[00:11:25] How to reach out to primary care physicians, the first people who see these patients who present with a functional GI disorder?
[00:12:55] Difference in approach to a child that comes up with IBS versus an adult
[00:16:16] How to effectively build a therapeutic alliance?
[00:19:15] Role of alternative or complementary medicine in dealing with functional GI disorders
[00:24:14] Experience in building a multidisciplinary team to manage functional GI conditions.
[00:27:30] Developing a personal interest in functional abdominal pain
[00:29:05] Patient’s response to co-management with a psychologist
[00:32:14] General advice to interested healthcare trainees interested in functional GI
In this episode, we talk to Dr Renzo Guinto, who is the Chief Planetary Health Scientist & Co-Founder of Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and A/Prof at the Practice of Global Public Health of the Planetary and Global Health Program of the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine in the Philippines. Having obtained his PhD in Public Health from Harvard, he talks about the power dynamics in Global Health, the tension between equalising that dynamic, while gaining credence from the Global North, and Singapore's potential role in promoting health in Southeast Asia.
In this episode we talk to Associate Professor Sophia Archuleta, the Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases in NUH and President of the NUHS Women in Science and Healthcare (WISH) initiative. She shares her experience of being a woman in healthcare, the need for advocacy to come from both women and women, for more female representation in healthcare leadership, as well as how we can start rethinking gender norms in healthcare.
In the first part of this episode, Dr. Lakshmi shares about her early experiences being involved in Global Health work and research. Her frequent visits to relatives in India exposed her constantly to the realities of poverty and inspired her to think of how public health and medicine can be used to address social problems as well. Dr. Lakshmi further elaborates on how to avoid the trap of "voluntourism" when executing Global Health projects overseas.
In the second part of this episode, Dr. Lakshmi compares her clinical training in Singapore to the very diverse backgrounds of her colleagues in the US. She argues that there are universal ideas such as implicit bias training and provision of culturally competent care that are also very much applicable in the Singapore context and therefore should also be explored. Finally, Dr. Lakshmi contends that because of the understanding that many different factors also contribute to therapeutic outcomes aside from general health, doctors also need to upgrade to be more than just doctors.
In this episode, we interview Dr Victor Zhuang, a Fung Global Fellow at the Institute of International and Regional Studies, Princeton University, an International Postdoctoral Scholar at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU, as well as Principal Consultant with SG Enable. We talk about what the disability research field is like in Singapore, technology and disability, as well as how inclusivity will likely be in the Singaporean context.
In this episode, we interview Clydia Tan, who identifies as a person with hearing loss, who trained in nursing. She shares the challenges she encountered during her nursing studies and we explore how aspiring healthcare professionals with disabilities can be better supported. We also discuss how healthcare workers with disabilities add value to the delivery of patient care.
In this episode, we interview Dr Paige Terrien Church, a neonatologist and developmental-behavioural paediatrician at the University of Toronto. She shares her personal journey as a physician living with spina bifida and describes some challenges she has encountered in her medical career. We also discuss her 2017 publication in JAMA paediatrics entitled “A Personal Perspective on Disability: Between the Words,” in which she publicly disclosed her disability for the first time, sharing with us the thoughts and feelings behind the act.
In this episode, we talk to Ms Cassandra Chiu, a psychotherapist who happens to be blind. As the first female guide dog user in Singapore and author of the book “A Place For Us”, she shares her experience as a disability rights advocate in Singapore. We discuss what her work entails, she elaborates on some anecdotes from her book, and sheds light on how we can all play a part towards building a more inclusive environment.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Satveer Kaur-Gill, a postdoctoral Research Associate at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, as she shares about the challenges the marginalised face in navigating health infrastructure. We discuss about cultural and structural competence when assessing any patient, especially the underprivileged, and most importantly how to make research impactful for target communities.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Rayner Tan, a postdoctoral fellow at Project China, in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a visiting research fellow at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS and at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, about his public health research in HIV, and marginalised populations at large in Singapore, and how his sociology background influences his methodology.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Hsu Li Yang, Vice Dean of Global Health and Programme Leader in the Antimicrobial Resistance Programme at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and infectious diseases physician, about how he came to contribute to comics for public engagement such as The Antibiotic Tales with cartoonist Sonny Liew, and medical historical books he’s written, Tuberculosis: The Singapore Experience1967-2018 with Dr Loh Kah Seng, and why you shouldn't feel guilty about your creative pursuits.
In this episode, we talk to Youmin, a nature and forest therapy guide, yoga nidra facilitator and founder of Xiu Nature Connections, a nature-led health and wellbeing service and consultancy. She shares with us her discovery of forest therapy, its benefits, and how she is bringing forest bathing to Singaporeans.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Satyam Tripathi, director of Union Yoga and an Ayurvedic trained physician specialising in Yoga & Rehabilitation about the principles of Ayurvedic Medicine, and steps to broaden its reach.
In this episode, we speak to Dr Alexandra Seidenstein, a researcher, medical student and yoga practitioner. She shares with us the benefits of yoga and mindfulness, and how we can potentially incorporate it into medical treatment.
In this episode, we talk to Prof Angie Chew, founder of Brahm Centre and Singaporean of the year 2019. She created a mark in the mental health landscape in Singapore. Here, she breaks down the term mindfulness and uncovers the benefits of meditation.
In this episode, writer Linda Collins continues sharing about how we should care for the grieving, the importance of our mental health systems in Singapore, as well as in New Zealand, and why suicide prevention involves every single person - even the ones suffering. CONTENT WARNING: Today’s episode deals heavily with the topics of suicide and grief.
In this two-part episode, we talk to Linda Collins, copy editor at the Straits Times, and writer of works such as Loss Adjustment, and Sign Language and the Death of Reason, which details the passing of her daughter, Victoria McLeod, by suicide in 2014. In this part, we have a frank conversation on her motivations and ruminations from writing Loss Adjustment, how she deals with the passing of a loved one, and how to navigate the tumultuous realm of grief. CONTENT WARNING: Today’s episode deals heavily with the topics of suicide and grief.
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jeremy Lim, Associate Professor and Director of the Global Health Institute at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, on how the Singapore healthcare system works. Dr. Lim argues that a better understanding of health economics and the underlying political philosophies is the key to making fundamental changes to the healthcare system.
In this episode, we talk to Associate Professor Khoo Hoon Eng is the Associate Dean of Faculty for academic affairs at the Yale-NUS college, and the former vice dean of education in Yong Loo Lin school of Medicine. She shares her personal journey across disciplines, and across places, her own personal education background in liberal arts, and her professional experience starting and building liberal arts institutions.
In this episode, we speak to Dr Joanne Yoong, senior economist and director at the Centre for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California. We discuss the concept of integrated care and its incorporation into Singapore’s healthcare system, define economic terms in healthcare, and highlight why an understanding of healthcare financing is advantageous to medical students.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Angela Tan, who is a palliative care physician, life coach, and intimacy coach. We discuss what her work entails, the limitations of mainstream medicine when tackling sexual health, and how we can all work towards improving the sexual health environment.
In this episode, we talk to Professor Paul Tambyah, President of the International Society of infectious Disease and Senior Consultant of Infectious Disease at National University Hospital, as he shares his take on the role doctors play as advocates, how medical students can begin to advocate for their patients, and his personal journey in activism starting from his youth.
In this episode, we talk to June Chua, founder of The T Project, the first and only social service for the transgender community in Singapore providing counselling, shelter, and a community centre. She shares the challenges and barriers the transgender community face when seeking gender affirming care, and how we can create a more inclusive healthcare environment for all.
In this episode, Prof Wong Mee Lian, Associate Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of public health, shares her experience working to decrease the incidence of sexually transmitted infections among sex workers. Emphasising the importance of empathy when communicating with her target community, Prof Wong demonstrates how to effectively gather qualitative and quantitative information to help improve health among these communities. Finally, Prof Wong touches on the tangible benefits public health can bring to communities, citing interesting personal experiences from her work.
In this episode, we interview Prof. Gerald Koh, Head and Clinical Director of the MOH Healthcare Transformation (Future Primary Care), and founder of T-Rehab, on how technology is being used in health policy and healthcare delivery, its impact on the doctor-patient relationship, and his personal journey from community hospital doctor to a PhD in public health, and his current role.
In this episode, we collaborate with Oasis@Outram and HCA Hospice Care to speak to one of the terminally ill patients at Oasis, as she reflects on her life and shares with us her stories and her wisdom.
In this two-part episode, we commemorate the life of Prof. Cynthia Goh who passed away due to pancreatic cancer on Feb 13th 2022. Prof. Cynthia was an emeritus consultant in the Division of Supportive & Palliative Care in NCCS. She was one of the pioneers of hospice care in Singapore and was the founding president of HCA Hospice Care. She also chaired the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network. In the first part of the episode, Prof. Cynthia talks about what palliative care entails, and shares about her journey of establishing hospice care in Singapore.
In this two-part episode, we commemorate the life of Prof. Cynthia Goh who passed away due to pancreatic cancer on Feb 13th 2022. In the previous part, Prof. Cynthia talked about what palliative care entails, and shared about her journey of establishing hospice care in Singapore. In this part, Prof. Cynthia discusses some of the most important issues in palliative care, including patient dignity, advanced care planning, and euthanasia.
In this episode, we interview Dr Denise Dillon, Associate Professor in Psychology at James Cook University, in a special collaboration with The Weird and Wild. Prof Dillon sheds light on eco-anxiety and how it could affect us in the near future. She also explains to us why we are resistant to act on climate change while discussing the importance of our environment in healing.
In this episode, we interview Pats Oliva from Health Care Without Harm to learn more about the organisation’s goal and how they are working to reduce the healthcare industry’s adverse impact on climate. We explore a few projects Health Care Without Harm has spearheaded, and discuss how communities and individuals can play a part in reducing healthcare's role in climate change.
In this episode, in a special collaboration with Qi Yun from The Weird and Wild, we interview Victoria Haldane from Planetary Health Alliance who is also the co-president and cofounder of Emerging Leaders for Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare (ELESH). Planetary Health Alliance is an organisation that seeks to stimulate conversations about planetary and human health. We talk about the importance of planetary health and urgency for action. Finally, we explore how medical students and clinicians alike can take action in promoting planetary health.
Professor Warwick Anderson, professor of History at University of Sydney, talks about planetary health and how colonialism shapes the practice and system of medicine. He shared with us about his recent projects on planetary health, how human health is intimately interrelated with the health of our planet, and why medical professionals are perfect advocates for climate change.
Associate Professor Jason Lee, Deputy Director of the Human Potential Translational Research Programme at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, shares his perspectives on tackling heat stress. In this episode, he emphasizes the important concepts in heat stress and clarifies some common misunderstandings about heat stress.
In this episode, Associate Professor Jason Lee continues his previous conversion regarding heat stress. He shares about Project HeatSafe, a collaborative research project geared towards mitigating the impacts of rising temperatures in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, he compellingly shares his ideas on how collective individual and medical practitioner efforts could make a change in heat stress related environmental issues.
If healthcare worldwide were a country - it would be the 5th biggest greenhouse gas emitter. Climate change’s impact on physical health is obvious - but have we considered ways in which healthcare impacts the environment?
Together with @theweirdandwild in this series, we talk to individuals from science, architecture, psychology, and community organising to unpack the ways we can begin to see that our responsibilities to our patients are not limited to the immediate, but extend to the planet at large.
In this episode, we interview Mr Jerry Ong, architect with CPG Consultants, in a special collaboration with The Weird and Wild. Mr Ong shares with us his goals and responsibility as an architect to create a healing environment in his design. He also emphasises the importance of sustainable design, and discusses the multiple aspects in consideration when designing a healthcare infrastructure project.
Professor Stefano Harney, who has held teaching positions at the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business and numerous international institutions, talks about our understanding and measurement of intelligence, and how this might affect the effectiveness of our education system. We touch on educator’s roles in fostering creativity and critical thinking, and the way authority might affect our abilities in encouraging creative voices. Finally, we explore the potential benefits of incorporating creative learning into medical education in Singapore.
In the continuation of our two-part episode, Dr Hakim shares more about why human health encompasses more than just physical conditions and how the loneliness epidemic highlights the importance of prioritising intentional connections.
In this episode, Dr Hakim Wee, who has worked in Afghanistan with Afghan Peace Volunteers for close to 20 years shares the meaning behind his name ‘Hakim’ and his journey from running a private medical practice in Singapore to working along the Afghan-Pakistan border. We ask about his biggest takeaways and what keeps him going in the face of endless destruction.
We talk to Dr Terence Huey, Senior Consultant in Hepatobiliary surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Programme Director of the National Healthcare Group General Surgery Residency programme about changes in clinical culture since he was a student, the necessity of resilience, his philosophy of what makes a good surgeon and how they all influence the evolution of postgraduate surgical education.
In this episode, we invite Associate Professor Nga Min En from NUS Medicine to speak with us about Pathweb, an interactive Pathology teaching resource meant for students of medicine and the medical sciences. We explore her journey in creating the resource, from her initial motivations to developing and expanding the project onto various platforms. We discuss the importance of feedback in fuelling improvement and its role in evaluating success, as well as maintaining individual goals in relation to measuring success.
In the second half of our two-part interview with Prof Joseph Sung, Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in NTU, we discuss how medical education should adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Joseph Sung, Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in NTU, shares his experiences in medicine and how they have shaped his attitudes towards medicine and life.
In the continuation of our two-part episode, we speak with Dr Chen Zhi Xiong about the role medical humanities can play in bettering medical education. Linking this to current health programs at NUS we speak at length about developing medical exchange programmes to improve their effectiveness. Dr Chen shares his view on global health programs and the importance of teaching men to fish rather than simply providing the fish.
In this episode, Dr Chen Zhi Xiong, deputy education and programme director at the department of physiology at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine shares his experience going into and developing medical education with us. We ask about Dr Chen’s work life balance and how that helps him as an educator. Finally, we discuss the implications of employing a reward system in a hypercompetitive setting, and what could be done to ease the arising tensions, particularly from a human sciences perspective.
Grace Chua, 3rd year medical student at LKC Medicine is also a badminton player with the Singapore National Team. We discuss the possibility of keeping up with professional sport training on top of medical studies, and Grace explains her time management strategies and prioritisation of interests. We also discuss how she pioneered the possibility of attending university alongside sport for others in similar positions.
Dr Sudesna Roy Chowdhury (she/her), developer of a translation website that has aided the fight against Covid-19 and Her World magazine’s Woman of the Year 2020, delves into her experience as an advocate for marginalised communities in Singapore, especially the migrant worker community. Centering on Dr Sudesna’s personal insights, we discuss the importance of advocacy and ways in which we can all make a difference as doctors and medical students.
Feel free to DM Sudesna on Instagram @sudezna if you would like to be involved / have any further questions for her!
Dr Leslie Tay, of ieatishootipost, shares his love of food with us and Dr Paul Tern of @AlternativeCV. Together, we explore the possibility of maintaining a hobby alongside medical practice, and Dr Leslie explains his motivations behind the food blog. We also discuss the role hawker culture plays in our collective Singaporean heritage, and ways we can preserve this unique piece of our identity.
Dr Shravan Verma is the founder of Speedoc, an advanced medical home care service. In the first of our two-part interview, we explore what it means to be a “clinical innovator” and how Dr Verma’s background in biomedical engineering and medicine has coalesced into his entrepreneurial venture, Speedoc. He shares about common obstacles doctorpreneurs might face and the mindset required to succeed for those who, like him, aspire to problem solve through innovation.
In the second half of our two-part interview with Dr Shravan Verma, founder of Speedoc, we discuss how house calls, though anachronistic, might still have its place in Singapore’s primary care services. Dr Verma also shares how he overcame numerous challenges in the initial stages of setting up Speedoc. Given technology’s increasingly pervasive role in healthcare, he recommends some skills which doctors can pick up – beyond what is taught in medical school – to keep up with the changing norms.
Dr Muntasir, a hand surgeon from Sengkang General Hospital, talks about his experience volunteering and translating at foreign workers’ dormitories during the height of the COVID19 Pandemic in Singapore. In our conversation, he shared ways we can build our sense of empathy and professionalism through finding positive role models during tough training, the humility to apologise when a mistake is made, and confronting our fear of the unknown.
Professor Christopher Cheng is the CEO of Sengkang General Hospital and author of I Thought I Knew, a book that chronicles his experience with prostate cancer and as a pioneer in surgical techniques to treat the condition. In this episode, we discuss authenticity in the doctor-patient relationship, complex adaptive systems, and self-forgiveness.
Dr Tan Yia Swam is the first female President of the Singapore Medical Association, a breast surgeon at Thomson Medical Centre, and a proud mother of three sons. In this episode, she candidly shares about the initial scepticism some expressed about her ambition to pursue surgery, the encouragement she received from supportive seniors, and eventually succeeding as a female surgeon. As President of the 61st SMA Council, she envisions to herald a revamp of the SMA, with a focus on increasing engagement with and improving representation for young medical students and doctors.
Leighton and Lucius are year four medical students at NUS Medicine. Leighton transferred from NUS Pharmacy, while Lucius was from NUS Nursing. They shared their motivations for transferring, the preparation process and practical advice for others considering transfer.
Tan Jun Xiang and Goh Wei Sheng are fifth year medical students who form a handful of ex-polytechnic students in NUS Medicine. We find out about what inspired them to embark on this relatively unconventional journey and who were the key people they sought advice from before applying. We also discuss how their polytechnic education has prepared them for the rigour of medical school and the various opportunities one can take to socialise with different people in medicine.
Prof Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine, talks about the waves that are changing medicine and how medical students can preserve our core sense of humanity in clinical practice and research by tapping on the arts and social sciences. He also shares about the newly launched MBBS Intercalated Year Programme, which aims to prepare students for such disruptions and to navigate increasingly complex and multidisciplinary environments.
Third Spacing is the yet to be defined space between cells and vessels, where fluid moves from one space to another. This podcast makes space to explore topics surrounding clinical medicine.
In the second half of our two-part interview with Graham Matthews, A/Prof at the NTU School of Humanities, we discuss work by NTU medical humanities by both undergraduate and graduate students to the wider community but also efforts to engage and include experiences of illness from around the region in South East Asia.
Associate Professor Graham Matthews is Head of English and Coordinator of the Medical Humanities Research Cluster at NTU Singapore. In the first of our two-part interview, A/Prof Matthews provides a broad overview to the Medical Humanities, an interdisciplinary field that draws from literature, philosophy and history, to understand illness or the experience of disease. He also introduces us to developments within the field, including Critical Medical Humanities, the works of Katherine Montgomery and Rita Charon, and explores key themes of empathy and uncertainty.
Dr Justin Ker is a neurosurgeon and author of The Space Between the Raindrops. In the second part of our interview, Dr Ker reflects on his identity as doctor-writer, discuss his writing process, future writing projects, and advice for students considering writing seriously.
Dr Justin Ker, neurosurgeon and published author, shares about his unconventional start to medicine and how his practice inspires his writing. He also gives us a glimpse into his writing process and discusses what it means to be a Singapore writer.
Dr Chang Tou Liang – a full time general practitioner and a reviewer of classical music for the Straits Times for 23 years. In this episode, we discuss how his interest in music developed as a child, how he started writing for the straits times, and how it impacts his relationship with his patients. Along the way, Dr Chang tells us, how he knew his wife was the one (thanks to music, no less), and most curiously, how much he is paid per article.
Dr Maleena Suppiah, the Deputy Director of Clinical Education, National University Health System, Singapore elucidates empathy a term which used often – but what does it actually mean? Can we, and how do we learn empathy?
In the second part of our interview with Dr Devanand, we also discuss how the medical humanities can grow further in Singapore. Along the way, Dr Devanand shares his insights into the value of Narrative Medicine and the implications of Defensive Medicine on how clinicians approach their work today. We end the interview by discussing what his favourite books are.
In the first part of this two part series, we talk to Dr Devanand Anantham, Director of the SingHealth Medical Humanities Programme and Head of SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre, about the role of the Medical Humanities in the hospital.
He shares the possibilities of infusing the humanities into the teaching of medicine and clinical practice and an upcoming programme aims to instil in healthcare professionals a deeper understanding of sickness and suffering through various disciplines such as philosophy, religion, and literature.
Third Spacing is the yet to be defined space between cells and vessels, where fluid moves from one space to another. In sociology, the Third Space is where people talk about things that matter to them towards connection.
This podcast makes space to explore topics surrounding clinical medicine. We talk to doctors with unusual lifepaths and passions, professors who shaped our traditions or our futures, pioneers who took risks in arts, civil society, education, research to expand the possibilities of what medicine can look like in Singapore.
In the next 8 episodes, we explore the Medical Humanities, an interdisciplinary field that involves literature, philosophy, but also art to explore illness, which is the experience of disease.
But what does it really mean? Let's explore, together.
In this episode, Dr Chong Yeh Woei, Chairman of the Singapore Medical Association Charity Fund (SMACF), discusses the importance of diversity in medicine and healthcare at large. The SMACF provides financial assistance to medical students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Recognising the various barriers needy medical students or potential medical school applicants deterred by the cost of a medical education might encounter, the SMACF aims to provide access for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue medicine and fully focus on studies by easing both financial and psychological difficulties. He also shares his thoughts on how the medical community can further address inequality, through active civic participation.
Associate Professor Tan Kong Bing from the Department of Pathology talks about his start in teaching pathology and gives us insider details on certain “war charting exercises” that our professors and lecturers at NUS Medicine have been involved in. Having recently stepped down as Phase II Director, he also reflects upon his proudest achievements, especially his efforts in student engagement and supporting medical students who face mental health struggles. A/Prof Tan discusses the importance of student feedback, and a behind the scenes insights as to how our feedback is used to enact curriculum change.
In this episode, Assistant Dean of NUS Medicine, Prof Malcolm Mahadevan, shares about his ground involvement in the COVID-19 response in community isolation facilities and how his past volunteering stint with migrant workers better informs his handling of the situation. Reflecting upon his time in NUHS' emergency department, he talks about the similarly urgent and practical concerns that he needs to address at the moment while still recognising the importance of building rapport and engaging with the migrant workers sincerely. Just like the rest of us, Prof Mahadevan has also faced some uncertainty in these unprecedented times, but he shares with us how he has come to terms with these anxieties and continues to fulfil his current duties with conviction.
Vice Dean of Education at NUS Medicine and Senior Consultant at NUH’s Division of Rheumatology, Prof Lau Tang Ching, shares 3 sagely advice on how students can achieve their ikigai in medicine – one of which is forging strong and long-lasting relationships with our peers. He also gives us an exciting glimpse into the upcoming changes to the medical school’s curriculum at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels (inter-professional opportunities, healthcare analytics, and much more…). Find out how theology and tai chi have also shaped his worldview and influenced how he practices medicine.
Podcast host, Ann Hui, is the first NUS Medicine student to have taken a gap year with the Yale-Visiting International Students Program before returning for her clinical years. Two juniors, Caitlin and Ying Ying embark on the same journey a year later. Amongst the three of them, they took a diverse set of classes which include medical anthropology, documentary film-making, engineering, and architecture. Now that they are back in Singapore, they share about their lessons at Yale and how they are applying or adapting what they have learned to Singapore’s context to be better informed medical students and future doctors. They also reflect on their initial motivations for taking a year off medical school and offer some advice to fellow students who aspire to go beyond their calling in medicine.
Third Spacing, the podcast makes space to explore important topics on the fringes of clinical medicine in Singapore. We talk to doctors with unusual lifepaths and passions, professors who shaped our traditions or our futures, pioneers who took risks in arts, civil society, education, research to expand the possibilities of what medicine can look like in Singapore.