Duke-NUS graduates biggest class yet, with new doctors drawn from business, engineering and the humanities

At his first graduation as Dean, Patrick Tan presides over a record class of 135 graduates, with Guest of Honour Mdm Rahayu Mahzam and keynote speaker Dr Robert Califf

SINGAPORE, May 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From engineers and business graduates to literature and communications majors, Duke-NUS Medical School's largest graduating class to date reflects the widening range of backgrounds now flowing into medicine in Singapore. A total of 135 graduates crossed the stage on Saturday, including 78 new doctors from the MD programme.

The commencement ceremony, the first to be led by Dean Professor Patrick Tan, was attended by Guest of Honour Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Health, and featured keynote remarks by Dr Robert Califf, who spoke about the extraordinary opportunities and upheavals now reshaping medicine, healthcare and biomedical science.

The Class of 2026 comprised 72 graduates from the MD programme, 6 MD-PhD graduates, 38 PhD graduates from Duke-NUS' Integrated Biology and Medicine, Quantitative Biology and Medicine, and Clinical and Translational Sciences programmes, and 19 graduates from the Master's in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality. Among the MD graduands, there was an even split of 39 men and 39 women.

Another hallmark of Duke-NUS' graduate-entry model is the breadth of experience its students bring into medicine. In the Class of 2026, that range includes graduates from engineering, product development, computer science, multimedia, business, accountancy, linguistics, psychology, history, communications, literature and the sciences.

A defining feature of Duke-NUS' graduate-entry model is its emphasis on research. MD students devote their entire third year to research, and the Class of 2026 leaves behind a substantial body of published work across topics such as artificial intelligence in healthcare, predictive clinical tools, biological discovery, diagnostic innovation and population health. Together, the class produced 71 papers, including in journals such as Cell, The Lancet Microbe, Nature Communications, and npj Digital Medicine.

One of the standout papers, by MD-PhD graduate Charles Kevin Dee Tiu, described a rapid test that identified infection-blocking antibodies within hours to support Singapore's COVID-19 response. Published in Nature Biotechnology, the paper has been cited 1,392 times.  

Dean Professor Patrick Tan said, "When the School was established, the aim was not simply to add another medical school to Singapore. It was to create something different by design: a graduate-entry medical school that brings together the strengths of Duke and NUS and is deeply embedded in Singapore's healthcare system through SingHealth. That vision is reflected in this class. Our graduates bring intellectual range, a strong sense of service and the ability to think across disciplines at a time when medicine is being reshaped by science, technology and wider societal change."

Community service also stood out strongly in the Class of 2026. Across their years at Duke-NUS, students took part in at least 14 community projects in Singapore and overseas.

These included school-readiness programmes for families, overseas medical missions to Nepal and Sri Lanka, Healthy-To-Thrive, a project which offers public health screening for chronic diseases for migrant workers, and community initiatives such as the Paediatric Solid Brain Tumour Awareness Day and Camp SIMBA, an annual camp for children whose loved ones are living with cancer.

Dr Jiang Qianfeng, graduating speaker of the MD Class of 2026 and recipient of both the Ngee Ann Kongsi Distinguished Scholars Programme and the Mount Elizabeth-Gleneagles Graduate Scholarship, said, "Our Class of 2026 demonstrated a deep commitment to service across diverse communities, from rural outreach programmes in Nepal and Sri Lanka, to local initiatives supporting children with brain tumours, migrant workers, community health and women's health. These experiences reminded us that medicine doesn't start and end within hospital walls and they strengthened our commitment to serve wherever the need is greatest."

Among the initiatives shaped during the class's time at Duke-NUS was Project WISE (Women's Integrated Screening & Education), a programme that provides women with blood pressure and body mass index screenings, alongside education on mental health and breast cancer awareness. It is organised by the Women in Medicine student interest group, founded by MD graduand Dr Chan Kai Lin, and supported by the Association of Women Doctors (Singapore).

As Patrick Tan's first graduating class as Dean, the Class of 2026 signals where Duke-NUS is headed: educating doctors and scientists who not only have their strengths in clinical practice, but are also able to work across research, innovation, technology and broader challenges shaping health today.

About Duke-NUS Medical School

Duke-NUS is Singapore's flagship graduate-entry medical school, established in 2005 with a strategic, government-led partnership between two world-class institutions: Duke University and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Through an innovative curriculum, students at Duke-NUS are nurtured to become multi-faceted 'Clinicians Plus' poised to steer the healthcare and biomedical ecosystem in Singapore and beyond. A leader in ground-breaking research and translational innovation, Duke-NUS has gained international renown through its five Signature Research Programmes and ten Centres. The enduring impact of its discoveries is amplified by its successful Academic Medicine partnership with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Singapore's largest healthcare group. This strategic alliance has led to the creation of 15 Academic Clinical Programmes, which harness multi-disciplinary research and education to transform medicine and improve lives.   

For more information, please visit www.duke-nus.edu.sg 

source: Duke-NUS Medical School