President Tan Sri Dato' Dr
Haji Abdul Majid Bin Ismail (seated 2nd left), with Dato Dr S Pathmakanthan
(seated 3rd left), Datuk Dr Yeoh Poh Hong (standing 2nd left), Assoc
Prof Teo Choo Soo, Director of the NUS Office of Alumni Relations
(standing extreme right), and friends at the dinner.
The 80th medical alumni association reunion was held in the tranquil
valley of Putrajaya from 28 - 30 November. The golf game at the Staffield
Country Club, which started the weekend of celebrations, should have
been “rained off” but such was the enthusiasm of the participants
that the game was played through by everyone!
The merriment and camaraderie expressed at the informal night, led
by the effervescent Dr Lim Cheng Lim, was overwhelming. It spurred the
ladies to Ôchallenge’ the men in a rendition of Daisy, Daisy.
Not to be outdone, the men showed off with their own boisterous version
of the song, KE Hall style.
A boat tour on the Putrajaya Lake was followed by dinner at the Marriot
Hotel. The evening heralded Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Haji Abdul Majid
Bin Ismail as President and Professor Arthur Lim as President-elect.
Alumni gold medals were awarded to Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Haji Abdul
Majid Bin Ismail and Dr Loke Kwok Kheong for their unstinting contributions
to the alumni association.
During this reunion, the Alumni Rotating Visiting Professorship Lecture
was delivered by Prof Tony Kong, from the Department of Pharmaceutics
of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Prof Kong addressed
the topic of Genomics and Biotechnology - Their Impacts on Drug
Discovery and Health Care in the New Millennium [See boxed story below].
The
Alumni Rotating Visiting Professorship Lecture
Dr
Ah-Ng Tony Kong’s lecture on genomics and biotechnology
provided an overview on the latest advances in these areas and
the impact they have on drug discovery and healthcare in the future.
He is the Professor and Director of the Graduate Programme in
Pharmaceutical Science at the Department of Pharmaceutical Science
of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. His current research
concerns cellular signal transduction and gene expression elicited
by naturally occurring cancer chemo-preventive compounds found
in fruits and vegetables.
According to Dr Kong, the development in genomics and biotechnology
will allow diagnostic and therapeutic advances in patient care.
In conjunction with traditional approaches, researchers in Malaysia
and Singapore will be in a good position to join the scientifically
advanced countries in harnessing the technology. This will advance
the biotechnology enterprise in Malaysia and Singapore. Dr Kong
said: “Singapore is developing its genome and biotechnology
sectors. These areas could be utilised to facilitate drug discovery
in Singapore in the future.”
Office of Alumni Relations
National University of Singapore
Shaw Foundation Alumni House
11 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244
Tel: (65)6516 5775, Fax: (65)6777 2065, Email: oarconnect@nus.edu.sg
Dr
Ah-Ng Tony Kong’s lecture on genomics and biotechnology
provided an overview on the latest advances in these areas and
the impact they have on drug discovery and healthcare in the future.
