MASTER'S MESSAGE

LIM Shih Hui

Master (2012-2016)
Academy of Medicine, Singapore

22 December 2014

Dear Fellow Academicians

2014 is again a busy and significant year for the Academy. As we reflect the old and bring in the new, I would like to wish all an enjoyable holiday season with your loved ones.

To conclude the year, I am pleased to highlight major events and activities by the Academy and its Colleges which took place in the last two months.

1. Visit to the Academy by A/Prof Benjamin Ong, Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Singapore

The Academy Council had the pleasure of hosting a dinner in honour of A/Prof Benjamin Ong at the Academy of Medicine, Singapore on 19 November 2014.

We updated A/Prof Ong on the development of the Academy in the last one year. Amongst various developments, we highlighted the following:

• Initiative to strengthen the relevance of Academy;
• Inauguration of 2 new Colleges and formation of 2 new Chapters;
• Annals of Academy of Medicine Impact Factor and citations;
• 58 professional opinions requested by the Ministry of Health (MOH);
• Collaboration with Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam to help to train Bruneian specialists;
• Award of Prof Brian Hodges as MOH 2014 HMDP Visiting Expert in Medical and Health Profession Education (26 January – 2 February 2015);
• Involvement of the Academy in specialist training and assessment; and
• Collaboration with Maastricht University in running the in-campus units of the Masters of Health Professionals Education (MHPE) in Singapore in July 2015.

A/Prof Ong shared his view that Academy could take a leading role in Maintenance of Competencies (MOC) of specialists and requested Academy to propose a framework on MOC which is sustainable. We had a candid and lively discussion on MOC which included format of MOC, getting buy-in from practicing specialists, piloting on a few specialties and the time-frame. The Council feedback that the change to MOC has to be incremental so that it can garner buy-in and face less resistance from the medical community.

On behalf of the Council, I am grateful to Prof Ong for taking time to dine with us and hear our plans. The Academy’s goal remains in upholding the professionalism and clinical competencies of doctors in Singapore. The Council will continue to engage MOH and look forward to many good years of MOH’s support in maintaining the standards of the specialists.

2. Inauguration of the Colleges of Psychiatrists and Emergency Physicians

With the inauguration of the College of Psychiatrists on 5 November 2014 and the College of Emergency Physicians on 20 November 2014, the Academy now has a total of 11 Colleges.

In my address at the inaugurations, I reminded our Fellows that the main objective of transforming Chapters into Colleges is to help each specialty within the Academy to further develop professionally. The newly formed Colleges now have to serve their respective Fellows better, and the Academy will work closely with all the Colleges to uphold the professional standard of our specialists.

• Master Address at the inauguration of College of Psychiatrists
• Master Address at the inauguration of College of Emergency Physicians

3. FAMS Membership Update

The Academy, along with the Colleges and Chapters, has again made extraordinary stride in strengthening our Fellowship. I am delighted to report that the concerted effort has set another record as we welcomed 212 new Fellows to the Academy in 2014.

4. Annual Report for 2014

The Academy will soon publish its 2014 Annual Report which I look forward to share in due course. As we look back at the past twelve months with pride, many of the achievements and accomplishments are made possible by our Fellow Academicians whom we owe a debt of gratitude for serving the Academy’s mission with commitment and professionalism.

Before I conclude, I wish to remind all of us that holidays are a good time to strengthen our connections and renew relationships. Dr Seuss (1904-1991) once quoted: “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory”. So “turn off” the cell phones, tablets, computers and other electronic gadgets and take time to focus on the moments with our family.

Merry Christmas and wishing you a good year ahead!

Best Wishes

Dr Lim Shih Hui
Master
Email: master@ams.edu.sg