Duke Kunshan University has teamed up with Duke-NUS Medical School to offer a new pathway for students, training them to become the next generation of doctors, policymakers and researchers.
The Duke Kunshan–Duke-NUS Medicine Pathway launched this year to allow students to join DKU’s research-inflected, liberal arts undergraduate program in China before embarking on medical training at Duke-NUS, the first and only U.S.-style graduate medical school in Singapore.
“We are very pleased to partner with Duke-NUS to offer this pathway,” said Dr. Scott MacEachern, Duke Kunshan’s vice chancellor for academic affairs.
“This will provide our students opportunities to intentionally connect their undergraduate studies with their graduate medical education plans, and to familiarize themselves with the Duke-NUS community from the beginning of their time at DKU.”
Signed by senior leaders from the two institutions, the agreement pledges to establish the pathway “in the spirit of education and talent development”.
By offering early conditional Duke-NUS entry to students admitted to Duke Kunshan on certain tracks, the route enables successful applicants to draw on Duke-NUS expertise at the start of their undergraduate studies and sets them on course for careers in medicine. The ambition is to produce outstanding clinicians who are also capable of addressing some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
“The field of medicine has evolved tremendously and become increasingly complex with greater use of technology and data in practice,” said Dr. Ooi Peng Jin London Lucien, associate dean, admissions, recruitment and financial aid, at Duke-NUS.
“The DKU–Duke-NUS programme with its emphasis on data science and global health prepares students to be ‘Clinicians First, Clinicians Plus’ doctors who will be ready to shape the future of healthcare.”
DKU’s four-year bachelor’s degree nurtures creative and critical thinking, equipping students with the skills to manage complex problems and global issues in healthcare.
On graduating with degrees from both DKU and Duke University in the United States, pathway students who have met final admissions criteria, including achieving a strong MCAT score, will enter the four-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at Duke-NUS.
Duke-NUS is partnered with Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), one of the world’s leading hospital systems, and provides a wealth of opportunity for those looking to contribute to medicine as researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers or educators.
Duke-NUS graduates are awarded an MD degree jointly by the Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore.
Only DKU students committed to majoring in data science and/or global health (biology track) are eligible for the DKU–Duke-NUS pathway, which offers a new route for those seeking a U.S.-style medical school education.
The pathway agreement was signed this year by MacEachern; Dr. Thomas Coffman, dean of Duke-NUS; Dr. Katherine Robertson, director of faculty advancement at DKU; and Dr. Ian Curran, vice dean of Duke-NUS.
Robertson and Ooi were among the key figures developing the pathway, along with Zach Goh, assistant senior manager of the Duke-NUS Admissions Department; Dr. Bill Winner, professor of environmental science at Duke Kunshan; and Dr. Marcia France, DKU’s associate vice chancellor for undergraduate studies & the Language and Culture Center.
Established in 2005, Duke-NUS is a landmark collaboration between Duke University and the National University of Singapore. SingHealth, the largest medical cluster in the city, delivers multi-disciplinary care among 42 clinical specialties across a large network of hospitals, national specialty centers and polyclinics.
As a Sino-American partnership of Duke University, Wuhan University and Kunshan city in Jiangsu province, DKU is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences tradition and prepares students for professional, intellectual and societal leadership roles across the globe.
Learn more about the DKU–Duke-NUS pathway here. Further information about Duke Kunshan international admissions can be found via this FAQ page.
