New Dean for Imperial's joint medical school with NTU, Singapore

Professor Dermot Kelleher appointed Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine

Professor Dermot Kelleher, incoming Principal of the Faculty of Medicine, has been appointed Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore

Professor Dermot Kelleher, the incoming Principal of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London, has been appointed Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in Singapore, founded in 2010 as a partnership between Imperial and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). As Dean, Professor Kelleher will lead the next phase of the development of the School to train more doctors to meet Singapore’s future healthcare demands.

 Professor Kelleher, former Vice-Provost for Medical Affairs and Head of the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, has over 30 years’ experience in research, teaching and medical leadership. He will be appointed Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine on 1 August 2012, combining this role with his position as Principal of Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine. With Professor Kelleher’s appointment, Professor Stephen Smith, the Founding Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, will focus on his role as NTU’s Vice President of Research.

Sir Keith O’Nions, President & Rector of Imperial College London, said: “We are delighted that Professor Kelleher will direct the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine alongside Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine. His outstanding record of leadership in academic medicine will take both institutions from strength to strength. Both share the goal of achieving world-class excellence in medical education and research, and their close alignment will help to realise the opportunities offered by this exciting partnership between two world-class universities.”

Professor Bertil Andersson, President of NTU, said that having Professor Kelleher at the helm of Singapore’s newest medical school would be a boost to medical education, medical innovation and research in the country.

“Professor Kelleher is a world-leading expert in immunology and infectious diseases and he has valuable experience in translating medical research into new diagnostics and treatments for patients. These will complement NTU well as we have a strong track record in biomedical engineering.

"Together with Professor Stephen Smith, the Founding Dean who will now focus on driving research at NTU as Vice-President of Research, NTU will greatly influence the next generation of doctors and biomedical innovators here in Singapore. To have a great impact in healthcare breakthroughs, we will need to train patient-centric doctors and innovators with multi-disciplinary expertise who are at the forefront of medical technology.

“We look forward to having a more robust research relationship with Imperial College London’s medical school with Professor Kelleher as its Principal and I believe he will further strengthen the foundation of our joint medical school in Singapore already laid by Professor Smith as the Founding Dean. We are grateful to Professor Smith for his strong leadership and vision for the school over the past two years and look forward to more contributions from him as the Vice-President in charge of research at NTU.”

Professor Kelleher said, “The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine has ambitious goals to redefine both medical education and research. Hundreds of people at Imperial, NTU and in partner healthcare organisations have already contributed to its development, creating a curriculum and infrastructure that will offer students an exceptional medical education. It will be a privilege to work with this dedicated team to set the direction for the School’s research strategy and prepare to begin training a generation of outstanding doctors to serve Singapore.”

The Chairman of the Pro-Tem Governing Board of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, said, “We congratulate Professor Dermot Kelleher on his appointment as Principal of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College and welcome him as the concurrent Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. His illustrious career has been characterised by remarkable achievements in medical education and research and outstanding leadership. I'm confident his appointment will continue the stellar work of the School’s Founding Dean, Professor Stephen Smith, whom we thank for laying the strong foundations of the school.”

The Dean is supported in leading the School by Professor Martyn Partridge, Senior Vice Dean (Professor of Respiratory Medicine  and Deputy Director of Education in Imperial's Faculty of Medicine); Dr Lionel Lee, Chief Operating Officer; and Associate Professor Pang Weng Sun, Vice Dean (Clinical Affairs).