The SingHealth Duke-NUS Research Skills Workshop was organized by the Centre for Clinician Scientist Development (CCSD) on 10 and 11 March 2022. Started in 2016, the workshop is one of the key programmes of CCSD in its mission to support and nurture clinician scientists. The by-invitation-only workshop was tailored to best suit clinicians who are developing research capacity as part of their careers.
This year, the programme featured senior clinician scientists who shared their wisdom and expertise with 40 participants from across SingHealth institutions. Delivered via hybrid mode, the first day’s activities around the theme of Grantsmanship were conducted via zoom, while the second day on Clinician-Scientist Voices was held in person, giving the participants the opportunity to interact with senior clinician scientists for personal advice.
On the first day of the workshop, the participants learned best practices in the research project development process and essential steps to enhance their ability to write with accuracy and clarity. This was done through lectures on:
· The Art and Science of Grant Writing by Professor Ooi Eng Eong
· Study Design and Protocol Development by Professor Cheung Yin Bun
The hand-on activities involved participants critically discussing their peers’ research project ideas, and grant experts demonstrating critical reviews of 3 participants’ study aims write-ups.
On the second day of the workshop, successful SingHealth Duke-NUS and international clinician scientists came together to share their stories and journeys with the Workshop participants. Associate Professor Anthony Sung from Duke Department of Medicine started day 2 with a talk on “Transitioning to Faculty: Running Your Research Like a Startup”.
A panel comprising A/Profs Katy Leung, Darren Lim, Joanne Ngeow, Daniel Ting and our very own Sng Ban Leong shared their experiences in the Clinician-Scientist Journeys segment, moderated by Prof Roger Vaughan. The panel discussed the key issues of
1. Where do good research ideas come from?
2. Finding time for research – the myth of work-life balance
3. Managing your mentors, collaborators, research team and clinical bosses
4. Handling failure
5. Navigating the bureaucracy
Day 2 of the workshop continued with the breakout session Up Close and Personal with the Experts in the areas of Lab/Translation Research, Clinical Research, and Health Services and Innovation research.
The workshop continued with an informative session entitled CCS+D and Your Keys to Success by the Principal Lead Mentors of CCSD: A/Profs Darren Lim, Deidre De Silva and Derrick Chan. Finally, the workshop ended with closing remarks by A/Prof Chow Wan Cheng.
From our ACP, 4 participants were Drs Lie Sui An, Lydia Li, Paul Tan and Goh Qing Yuan.
For clinicians who are interested in getting to know more about research or the clinician scientist career path, you can get in touch with A/Prof Sng Ban Leong and Ms Ha of the ACP Admin team for a chat.
To find out more about CCSD’s programmes, visit their website at https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/ccsd.