[30 June 2009]
SMU and SingHealth launch first healthcare graduate diploma in Singapore

Customised programme aims to equip healthcare leaders of tomorrow with latest healthcare knowledge and business leadership skills

Singapore, 30 June 2009 (Tuesday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), the largest public healthcare group, today launched the SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership. This partnership brings about the first such graduate diploma in healthcare available here that combines strong expertise from Singapore's leading players in management education and healthcare services, education and research.

Targeted at medical doctors in Singapore, the Asia Pacific region and beyond, the graduate diploma aims to groom today's savvy healthcare leaders for challenges ahead by equipping them with both healthcare management and business leadership skills. The curriculum was co-developed and will be taught jointly by senior doctors and leaders from SingHealth and senior SMU faculty, drawing from the domain expertise in their respective fields.

Learning from thought leaders in both industries, participants of the graduate diploma stand to benefit from courses that discuss healthcare management strategy, thriving in today's global and regional healthcare landscape, alignment of healthcare strategy to achieve patient satisfaction and the skills to achieve excellence in people, quality and financial management.

Associate Professor Annie Koh, Dean of Executive and Professional Education at SMU, said: “We are pleased to be the academic partner with SingHealth in this important programme to develop holistic clinician leaders who excel in both healthcare management and business leadership. The healthcare industry is an important pillar of Singapore 's economy. Strong leaders who understand the complex and fast-changing global healthcare environment are needed to move our healthcare institutions ahead of the time to embrace the challenges of the business world. This will pave the way for Singapore to seal its position as a medical hub for the region.”

The new SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership is an extension of a longstanding working relationship between SMU and SingHealth, which started since 2006. Some 400 doctors and healthcare professionals (including hospital administrators, nurses, and allied health professionals) from various SingHealth institutions have participated in executive training programmes developed and delivered by SMU's Office of Executive Education.

Professor Tan Ser Kiat, Group Chief Executive Officer, SingHealth, said: “Being at the forefront of healthcare service delivery, education and research in Singapore and Asia, we look forward to contributing first-hand insights and practical knowledge of the opportunities and challenges facing today's healthcare practitioners. Most importantly, this collaboration with SMU is key to grooming a new breed of clinicians for generations to come, who not only lead in providing the best care but to take Singapore to the forefront of healthcare delivery.”

Commencing its first class for 35 participants in September 2009, this nine-month graduate diploma will be jointly administered by SingHealth Academy, the dedicated healthcare education arm of SingHealth, and SMU's Office of Executive Education. The programme is open to all medical doctors from the local and regional healthcare industry, who are aspiring healthcare administrators and leaders or are currently performing administrative and managerial roles in healthcare institutions.

(Please refer to Annex A for more details on course content, admission criteria, and application process.)

About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)

SingHealth is the largest healthcare group in Singapore, offering a complete range of multi-disciplinary and integrated medical care. The group consists of 3 Hospitals, 5 National Specialty Centres, and a network of 9 polyclinics. We have a faculty of internationally qualified medical specialists and are also well equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment medical technology. We are dedicated to providing quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to our patients. By pursuing excellence in our 3 pillars of Service, Education, and Research, we aim to be the trusted leader in healthcare for our patients, partners, staff, and the community.

Members of the SingHealth group:

Hospitals: Changi General Hospital , KK Women's and Children's Hospital, and Singapore General Hospital

National Specialty Centres: National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre of Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre

SingHealth Polyclinics: Bedok, Bukit Merah, Geylang, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Queenstown, Sengkang, and Tampines

About SingHealth Academy

Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) has a strong tradition in healthcare education. From Singapore's first medical and nursing schools to the introduction of allied health professions, and now home to the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, healthcare education finds its roots here at our grounds. SingHealth has trained and nurtured generations of healthcare professionals, both locally and regionally.

SingHealth Academy is an education collaboration of SingHealth's healthcare institutions and specialised education centers that supports SingHealth's pursuit of academic medicine. The focus is on three key areas: supporting the development of healthcare education curricula activities, building up healthcare education intellectual capital and establishing a strong faculty base.

SingHealth Academy is dedicated to meet the diverse needs of a modern healthcare system. Through a combination of academic and clinical experiences, healthcare professionals are empowered with the training and resources needed to advance clinical knowledge and expertise, with the ultimate purpose of improving patient care. SingHealth Academy aims to nurture its talents into outstanding healthcare leaders of tomorrow.