The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) has hosted a tree planting ceremony to mark the contributions of two leaders who helped found it.

On 13 August Sir Keith O’Nions, President of Imperial College London and Professor Bertil Andersson, President of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), planted a young sea almond tree  ̶  known for its medicinal properties  ̶  signifying the close and binding collaboration between NTU and Imperial in further developing LKCMedicine.

Hosted at the Novena Campus by the new Dean of LKCMedicine, Professor James Best, the ceremony was a tribute to two of the most instrumental figures behind the establishment of the medical school, which opened its doors to its first cohort of 54 students last August.

“A tree is a great symbol for LKCMedicine, requiring a sound root system and careful nourishment to get it established,” said Professor Best. “In this case it is also a gesture of deep appreciation for all of Prof Andersson’s and Sir Keith’s contributions, hard work and tireless support in the School’s establishment and development.”

Professor Andersson added: “This tree-planting ceremony bears our shared hopes that the young tree we plant now will one day grow into a strong mature tree, flourishing alongside our own efforts to nurture and train the next generation of doctors to meet Singapore’s evolving healthcare needs. We want to see top quality doctors, medical leaders and world-class researchers emerge from this School in the near future.”

Sir Keith, who will be stepping down as Imperial’s President at the end of August, commented: “The most successful thing about this medical school is the ability of like-minded people to work together constructively. There’s been no precedent for me to see something move so quickly and successfully.”

The ceremony came a day after LKCMedicine welcomed its second cohort of 78 students. In front of their parents, friends and senior leadership from NTU, the Class of 2019 accepted their white coats from Professor Best, officially initiating them into the medical course at the School.

First choice

This year more than 800 students applied for one of the 78 places on offer. From there, 330 applicants were shortlisted to attend the Multiple Mini Interviews. The final 78 students admitted comprise 48 male and 30 female students.

NTU President, Professor Bertil Andersson said it was heartening to see so many bright Singapore students making LKCMedicine their first choice.

“The medical school has continued to attract the very best students from Singapore, who wish to commit their lives to medicine and be among the pioneers to go through our world-class medical education developed jointly with Imperial College London,” he said.

“We will train them not just in cutting-edge medical knowledge, but also in interdisciplinary modules such as those from business, bioengineering and humanities to develop them into a well-rounded healthcare professional.

LKCMedicine Dean Professor James Best added: “I am delighted to mark the start of the medical journey for the Class of 2019, our second cohort. All of them have met the astonishingly high standards to gain admission and we thank them for entrusting their training to us.

“In return, we will provide them with opportunities to learn from the most outstanding professors using the most innovative tools. Throughout their time with us, we will reinforce the clinical importance of what they learn, and cultivate in our students a patient-centred approach to the practice of medicine. The conferment of the white coat, which will be used throughout the medical course, symbolises their acceptance as junior members of the medical profession and their first step on the journey towards becoming a first-rate doctor.”

Professor Jenny Higham, Senior Vice Dean for LKCMedicine, also addressed the students

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