Wee Joo Chng, Yong Loo Lin Professor in Medical Oncology and Vice-President of Biomedical Sciences Research at the National University of Singapore, shared a post by NUHS on LinkedIn, adding:
“When I started out to be a clinician scientist in 2004 after I finish my specialty training in Hematology, it was mainly driven by a passion and purpose to do more to help patients. Recognising the limitation of cancer treatment and knowledge about cancers at that time, I felt that the only way to make progress is through research, and in order for the research to have more relevance and impact on patients, it makes most sense for a physician who knows that clinical issues and gaps to by a driver of the research agenda.
There was no clear path, the whole career track of being a clinician-scientist in the Singapore ecosystem is very nascent, it is unclear if there will be longevity, will I have parity in clinical and career progression with my peers, will my pay be impacted. But all these pale into insignificance due to my interest and passion.
Today, 20+ years later, I am very thankful that I had made the brave decision back then. I could not be happier with my work (and life). All the challenges along the way just make all the success sweeter. The many students, collaborators, colleagues, patients that I have connected along the way, and the contribution we made to the research field (albeit not ground breaking but yet clinically relevant and impactful) greatly encourages me as I can see impact beyond the scope of being simply a doctor seeing patients in the clinic or wards. It truly is rewarding being an academic physician scientist.
But importantly, it is not just the individual, the ecosystem is critical in providing a nurturing environment. In this regards, I am very grateful to the generations of leadership in National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, National University Health System, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National University of Singapore, that has provided a fantastic environment, that help nurture not just me but generations of clinician scientists. And the ecosystem is constantly improving and seeing how we can better facilitate and help our clinician-scientists. NUHS now have a comprehensive program for interested clinician scientists from right after graduation from medical school, to getting them ready for national awards from the National Medical Research Council, through our Clinician Scientist Academy and the Clinician Scientist Development Unit.
The future for budding clinician scientists is bright. I hope with this write-up and video, I can help encourage more to join this very meaningful and exciting path. Even in hindsight, I would not have changed my choice.
Thanks to the communications team at NUHS for doing such a great job with the video and piece.
Quoting National University Health System(NUHS)’s post:
“Failure is part and parcel of research. Each setback is a learning opportunity.
For Wee Joo Chng, Group Chief Scientist and Senior Consultant at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, curiosity drives progress — from asking why cancers behave differently across patients to how research can change outcomes.
This spirit helps us nurture the next generation of clinician-scientists, empowering them to explore ideas and push boundaries in their own fields.
Read his story.”
Proceed to the video attached to the post.
More posts featuring Wee Joo Chng on OncoDaily.