NUS president receives King’s College’s honorary degree

SINGAPORE: Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), has been awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine by King’s College London.

Prof Tan is the first Singaporean to receive this honour from King’s.

Prof Tan, a renal physician, is also Chairman of the Board of the National University Health System of Singapore and a member of the Board of Directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

He served as the Director of Medical Services of the Singapore Ministry of Health from 2000 to 2004. During this period, he was responsible for leading the successful public health response to the 2003 SARS epidemic.

Prof Tan started his medical career in 1983 and became a Senior Consultant in the Division of Nephrology of the National University Hospital (NUH) of Singapore in 1997 and a Professor of Medicine at NUS in 1999.

He headed the NUS Department of Medicine before becoming Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the NUH Medical Board.

He served as NUS Provost and Senior Deputy President before becoming President in 2008, and he played a key role in setting up the Duke—NUS Graduate Medical School.

Prof Tan said: "I am honoured and humbled to be the first Singaporean to receive this recognition by King’s College, alongside other outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in their respective fields. NUS values our longstanding relationship with King’s College."

He added: "Our fruitful partnership will provide an impetus for more collaborations between universities and institutions in Singapore and the United Kingdom. I am confident that our joint efforts would create transformative innovations in research and education that could benefit Asia, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world."

— CNA/xq