Touching The Future
Indeed, teachers with passion do wonders in inspiring generations of students.
Here at NUHS, I take pride in knowing that we too have passionate teachers who are great mentors and inspiration to our younger colleagues.
One such teacher who has made a difference to his students is Associate Professor Goh Lee Gan from our Family Medicine division. A/Prof Goh has been widely recognised for having single-handedly brought formal recognition and prestige to Family Medicine practice in Singapore and as one who has groomed many outstanding Family Medicine Specialists. Reading the comments from some of A/Prof Goh’s past students (who have benefitted from his teachings and are themselves educators today), I am always touched by the deep bond between them, and the profound influence that A/Prof Goh has on his students.
“A/Prof Goh was one of the primary reasons I did Family Medicine. In fact, I was inspired to do so when I heard him lecture on the future of Family Medicine when I was in Year 3. I recalled that even back in 1990, he was already painting the future of Family Medicine and the many possibilities the generalist could contribute to in our healthcare system especially in this complex medical world… (he) has inspired generations to aspire to be the model Family Physician...”
A/Prof Tan Boon Yeow (Residency Program Director for Family Medicine, and Medical Director of St Luke's Hospital)
“A/Prof Goh would walk into the class and without fail, inspire us with his wisdom, humility, generosity and passion for Family Medicine. He led us on home visits…..the compassion and genuine care for his patients… many of us are educators today because of his passion, influence and leadership…”
A/Prof Raymond Goy (Residency Program Director for Anaesthesia, and Consultant with Department of Anaesthesia)
In A/Prof Goh’s own words, he was able to ‘touch the future’ of his students through teaching. I cannot agree more. For the teachers among us, as we go about showing our younger colleagues the ropes, let us always remember that it is a privilege and responsibility to be able to teach and mentor someone, and that what we do will ‘touch’ someone’s future.
In NUHS, we are fortunate to have many such great teachers, past and present, and not just for medical but nursing, allied health and other education. I am optimistic that with this collective wisdom, passion and focus of our teachers on this campus, we will be able to contribute to building the next generation of healthcare professionals who are competent and compassionate to help achieve the vision of shaping medicine for the future.
[Extracted from CEO Updates dated 20 February 2012]
