Interview with ANAES graduates from the NUS Master of Clinical Investigation (MCI)

Ever wondered what the MCI program is about and if it is helpful? We spoke to ANAES clinicians who completed or is doing the program to find out more.

The NUS Master of Clinical Investigation (MCI) program was developed by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in consultation with the Ministry of Health, senior clinician scientists from various hospitals and funding agencies. Since the first intake in 2008, the program has been designed to equip clinicians with the basic methodologic and practical skills to design and conduct clinical investigations that are relevant to patient care. The program comprises coursework and research components. All students are expected to complete the nine coursework modules in the first year, in two blocks of six weeks full-time study each. The research component spans a minimum of eight months in which students apply their knowledge and skills to plan a project, integrate and sustain research within clinical practice.

In ANAES ACP, we are privileged to have two MCI graduates, A/Prof Sng Ban Leong and Dr Diana Chan while Dr Lydia Li is currently doing the research component of the program. We caught up with them for a chat about their experience with the program.

A/Prof Sng Ban Leong (SBL)

ACP: Prof Sng, when did you do your MCI and what was the reason for your decision to take up the MCI?

SBL: I was in the 3rd batch 2010 intake of the MCI course (oh wow, more than 10 years ago!). My department supported me in developing research skills and to consider a more research focused path. I had some small scale research projects, thought that it would be a learning experience to know more and took the plunge.

ACP: How was your MCI experience like?

SBL: It was truly an eye opener. My program director was Professor Koh Woon Puay who is a very dynamic and supportive mentor. The class was very energetic with many buddy clinician researchers and I enjoyed the interaction with my course mates and tutors. In particular, I enjoyed the sharing of research ideas fortnightly conducted by Professor John Rush (then Vice Dean of DukeNUS Medical School). The feedback given was very direct and all in the name of good science. Oftentimes I received honest critical feedback on my proposals, but remained resilient and always strived to improve.

ACP: Looking back at the skills and knowledge you acquired from the program, what do you think are the most useful skills that you are still using until today in your research?

SBL: Being critical, focused and learning the skills of scientific writing has certainly helped me over the years to attain grants and mentoring juniors. The MCI course covered a wide range of research topics which helped me to gain competency in core research skills.

Dr Diana Chan (DC)

ACP: How did your decision to embark on the MCI program come about?

DC: There is still a huge knowledge gap in medical science and as a clinician I still have many questions that I cannot answer. While basic stats is taught in our anaesthesia exam syllabus I did not feel well equipped to conduct good quality research and analysis. Under the encouragement of seniors who have had past experience, I decided to enroll myself into the MCI program to train the scientific thinking skills and also to see if I really do like research work. I’ve had a bit of experience in research prior to MCI – it started from junior college days when we had a stint in the Science Research Program and I also spent 6 months in an A-star institute working on cancer cell apoptosis, so the experience helped me with understanding some of the basic science exposure I had during MCI.

ACP: What advice do you have for clinicians who are considering doing MCI?

DC: If you feel you might want to try out a research stint, I would encourage you to go for it. Go with an open and keen mind, with aims to discover if research is for you, to make new friends and to try out new things. Speak with your mentor/ supervisor/ HOD to garner their support, and make plans to juggle between clinical work, learning and the MCI coursework. I feel it doesn’t matter whether you decide to continue to do research in the end, but at least this course exposes you to different research methods and gives you in depth knowledge of what clinical research is like.

Dr Lydia Li (LL)

ACP: Dr Lydia, how did you get interested in research and what made you decide to do MCI?

LL: Like Diana, I was also part of the A-Star Youth Research Program in my junior college days. That experience made me realise that I did not want to pursue a career in bench-work as I wanted to do work that was more clinically relevant and where I could see its impact on a patient’s actual day-to-day life. However, it did spark an ongoing interest in the process of scientific inquiry and I continued to dabble in small-scale research projects through medical school and residency. I believe that research is an integral part of patient care as it validates current practices and explores new ideas with the ultimate aim of improving patient outcomes and lives. As clinicians, we are in a unique position to provide a needed and valuable perspective in pursuing clinical research that is worthwhile and has a direct, practical impact on the patients that we serve daily. However, in residency, my focus was on clinical work and any research work done was more in the form of opportunistic small projects on an ad-hoc basis. In my 2nd year as AC, after encouragement from seniors and inspiration from Prof Sng, I decided to enroll in the MCI program for a more structured and rigorous foundation in basic clinical research skills.

ACP: How has your MCI experience been?

LL: My MCI experience has been an eye-opener. We cover a wide range of topics on core basic clinical research including statistics and I enjoy learning new skills. My classmates come from various specialties and institutions with the common purpose of furthering ourselves in basic research skills. Discussions are dynamic and I find myself constantly learning not just from my tutors but also from my classmates. Because of the pandemic situation, we meet up regularly on zoom for evaluation on our progress. Feedback is critical and useful to refine our research ideas and methodology. I am fortunate to have seniors like Prof Sng who are very approachable and willing to provide mentorship and advice.

ACP: Any last words for clinicians who are considering doing MCI?

LL: To anyone reading this and considering doing MCI, I encourage you to take the plunge as it is the start of a truly rewarding learning journey.