28 June 2013

Singapore Health Ministry explores collaboration with Dundee

Photo opportunity: 9am on Monday, 1st July at Clinical Research Centre, James Arrot Drive, Ninewells Hospital. The delegation will be welcomed to Dundee.

The University of Dundee and NHS Tayside will welcome an official delegation from Singapore's Ministry of Health, led by its Director of Medical Services, Professor Kandiah Satku, on Monday 1st July.

Professor Satku wants to see, at first hand, Dundee's internationally acclaimed advances in clinical and laboratory-based research, chronic disease management - with a particular focus on diabetes - and healthcare quality improvement.

'We are delighted to be hosting this visit,' said Professor Andrew Morris, Dean of the School of Medicine at the University and Chief Scientist for Health in Scotland. 'As Director of Medical Services for Singapore, Professor Satku will be assessing the potential for collaboration with the University of Dundee and NHS Tayside partnership. We are delighted that such an influential health ministry in Asia is considering Dundee as a partner of choice.'

Professor Satku will also meet with Professor John Connell - Head of the College of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing and University Vice Principal for Research - to discuss the development of Academic Health Science Networks, which are collaborations between universities, health service providers and industry to deliver better healthcare delivery and improvement at a time when traditional healthcare systems are struggling to meet the demands posed by increasing burdens of chronic disease that affect populations.

Following a meeting that will focus on Dundee's special approach to managing diabetes through clinical networks that are informed by health informatics, Professor Satku will discuss quality healthcare delivery with Gerry Marr, Chief Executive of NHS Tayside.

Further discussions on international collaborations are scheduled with Professor Mike Ferguson, Research Dean at the College of Life Sciences , where Professor Satku will be shown the internationally renowned Drug Discovery Unit, a unique partnership between academia and pharma, which also has a major research focus on neglected tropical diseases affecting a huge part of the world's most vulnerable populations.

The University of Dundee is internationally recognised for its excellence in life sciences and medical research. The University has a top-rated medical school with research expanding from "the cell to the clinic to the community".

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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