From the Nominator

Society commonly holds the belief that medical education and the field of medicine is exclusive to the elite echelon and is not accessible to the majority. Through Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine’s flagship community engagement event, the Art and Science of Medicine Festival, the school set out to disprove this myth and sought to bring awareness to how the humanities are tied into the field of medicine. It also aimed to educate the public on the connection between medicine, health, and quality of life in an accessible manner, resonating with the theme for the festival in 2024, “Connecting Medicine, Health, and Life.” The festival saw more than 4,000 visitors and was organized in conjunction with the National Healthcare Group, leveraging on the Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress. The school brought its faculty, staff, researchers, and students to the heartlands of Singapore at Kampung Admiralty to let the general public experience medical education and medical research through a variety of hands-on activities, dialogues, and demonstrations. The festival was graced by Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung and featured a memorandum of understanding signing between the Agency for Integrated Care and LKCMedicine, as well as a book launch for “Lee Kong Chia: Educationalist Entrepreneur Philanthropist,” written by Kenneth Lyen. The festival offered some 18 booths of hands-on activities, games, research demonstrations, and a HeART in Medicine exhibition. Health screenings and wellness talks were also available, all designed to promote healthy living.

From the Judges

An ambitious, large-scale initiative that uniquely bridges public education, science literacy, and healthcare access. Highly replicable in mission-driven academic environments with diverse communities.