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Duke-NUS Medical School

Last Updated on 9 April 2023

Duke-NUS Medical School

Established in 2005, Duke-NUS Medical School is Singapore's first US-style graduate-entry medical school. It has pioneered a medical training programme based on Duke University School of Medicine's curriculum, with an annual enrolment of over 60 medical students. A number of medical graduates will go on to develop careers as clinicians with strong research interests. Together with their PhD counterparts, Duke-NUS graduates will play increasingly critical roles in transforming medicine and improving patient care.

The Duke University School of Medicine is recognised as one of the best medical schools in the United States and the world, based on factors such as reputation, selectivity, research activity, and faculty resources.

Among the draws of the medical programme is its unique curriculum, which gives students patient contact one year earlier than at most other schools and includes an entire year devoted to independent research. After graduating, one out of five medical alumni pursue a career focused on research and teaching – one of the highest rates in the United States and a clear measure of Duke's impact on academic medicine.

Duke-NUS Medical School has received over S$350 million in research funding from local and international sources. Its faculty has garnered many competitive awards and grants, and published over 2,800 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Research

Duke-NUS Medical School has established five world-class Signature Research Programmes (SRPs) that are aimed at making a substantive impact on Singapore's biomedical sciences scene, with each extending from fundamental or discovery science into the translational/ clinical realm. The areas have been chosen due to their relevance to major health burdens of Singapore and the region.

Four of our SRPs are laboratory-based:

  • Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (CSCB)
  • Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders (CVMD)
  • Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID)
  • Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders (NBD)

A fifth, Health Services and Systems Research (HSSR), is more orientated towards public health policy with an emphasis on health economics, decisions sciences and disease prevalence/ health burden modelling.

Under the Sing Health Duke-NUS Academic Medicine partnership, Duke-NUS Medical School undertakes clinical research at affiliated hospitals, clinics and specific research sites. It also supports clinical research by providing senior disease experts and senior quantitative experts as part of mentoring teams. In addition, the affiliated Singapore Clinical Research Institute provides full scientific collaboration and guidance in protocol design, execution analysis and publication for investigators.

Programmes Offered

MD Programme

Duke-NUS Medical School offers programmes that lead to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, an MD/PhD degree or a PhD degree in Integrated Biology and Medicine, to groom the next generation of doctors, clinician-scientists, and scientists.

Medical students enter with at least a baccalaureate degree in any field except medicine, and are conferred a joint Doctor of Medicine degree from Duke University and the National University of Singapore (NUS) when they graduate.

Our integrated approach combines academic learning, clinical experience, and clinical and translational sciences research. Key distinguishing features:

  • Students cover basic sciences in their first year
  • They care for patients one year earlier than their peers in Singapore and at other American medical schools
  • Students devote one year to independent scholarship and research

Doctor of Medicine (MD) Programme
The Duke-NUS MD program is a 4-year graduate program. Students are awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD) jointly by Duke University and NUS.

PhD Programme in Integrated Biology and Medicine (IBM)
This degree takes on average four to five years to complete and culminates with the development of a written thesis and a successful oral dissertation defense.

PhD in Integrated Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (IBB)
This programme distinguishes itself from others by focusing on issues in modern biomedical research and preparing researchers to take their skills to advance medicine.

MD-PhD Programme
All students admitted into this programme will be offered a full scholarship for the PhD component as well as scholarships to cover tuition fees for their first two years in the MD programme and their final year of MD training (funding amount will depend on bursaries and other scholarships already awarded to assist with MD tuition fees).

Admission Requirements

Successful student applicants typically have entrance Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores of over 30 and GPAs over 3.5.

The Admissions Committee reviews all application material, reference letters, and interviewer comments carefully to better understand each applicant. We seek to identify those with the traits and skills that will help them succeed as clinicians or clinician-scientists. These attributes include competent communication and interpersonal skills, integrity, teamwork, altruism, resilience, and critical thinking. In order to produce future clinician-leaders who can improve the practice of medicine, the Admissions Committee seeks applicants who are academically capable team players and who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the practice of medicine.

There is no restriction on re-application.

Pre-requisites

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

  • Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
  • Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) results.
  • 3–5 recommendation letters, typically from professors, mentors and/or employers.
  • Research experience is looked upon favourably.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Integrated Biology and Medicine

  • Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test results.
  • 3–5 recommendation letters, typically from professors, mentors and/or employers.
  • Research experience is looked upon favourably.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Integrated Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

  • Biostatistics: a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in a quantitative discipline (Stat/Biostat/Math/Computer Science/Epidemiology)
  • Bioinformatics: a bachelor’s degree in biological, computational, or quantitative discipline
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test results.
  • 3–5 recommendation letters, typically from professors, mentors and/or employers.

MD-PhD Track

  • Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
  • Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) results.
  • 3–5 recommendation letters, typically from professors, mentors and/or employers.
  • Research experience is looked upon favourably.

Find out more!

Information Sessions

Duke-NUS Medical School organises various information sessions for those interested in our programmes (e.g. mini open houses, talks, fairs, meet & greet sessions and Q&A webinars).

Click here for the details.

DukeNUS
Duke-NUS Medical School
8 College Road Singapore 169857
Tel: +65 6516 7666
Email: [email protected] (MD & MD/PhD) / [email protected] (PhD)
Website: www.duke-nus.edu.sg
Facebook: DukeNUSMedicalSchool
Twitter: @dukenus
YouTube: InsideDukeNUS

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