Third Spacing

Dr Justin Ker is a neurosurgeon and author of The Space Between the Raindrops. In the second part of our interview, Dr Ker reflects on his identity as doctor-writer, discuss his writing process, future writing projects, and advice for students considering writing seriously.

Dr Justin Ker, neurosurgeon and published author, shares about his unconventional start to medicine and how his practice inspires his writing. He also gives us a glimpse into his writing process and discusses what it means to be a Singapore writer.

Dr Chang Tou Liang – a full time general practitioner and a reviewer of classical music for the Straits Times for 23 years. In this episode, we discuss how his interest in music developed as a child, how he started writing for the straits times, and how it impacts his relationship with his patients. Along the way, Dr Chang tells us, how he knew his wife was the one (thanks to music, no less), and...

Dr Maleena Suppiah, the Deputy Director of Clinical Education, National University Health System, Singapore elucidates empathy a term which used often – but what does it actually mean? Can we, and how do we learn empathy?

In the second part of our interview with Dr Devanand, we also discuss how the medical humanities can grow further in Singapore. Along the way, Dr Devanand shares his insights into the value of Narrative Medicine and the implications of Defensive Medicine on how clinicians approach their work today. We end the interview by discussing what his favourite books are.

Third Spacing is the yet to be defined space between cells and vessels, where fluid moves from one space to another. In sociology, the Third Space is where people talk about things that matter to them towards connection. This podcast makes space to explore topics surrounding clinical medicine. We talk to doctors with unusual lifepaths and passions, professors who shaped our traditions or our futur...

In the first part of this two part series, we talk to Dr Devanand Anantham , Director of the SingHealth Medical Humanities Programme and Head of SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre, about the role of the Medical Humanities in the hospital. He shares the possibilities of infusing the humanities into the teaching of medicine and clinical practice and an upcoming programme aims to instil in healthcare pr...

In this episode, Dr Chong Yeh Woei, Chairman of the Singapore Medical Association Charity Fund (SMACF), discusses the importance of diversity in medicine and healthcare at large. The SMACF provides financial assistance to medical students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Recognising the various barriers needy medical students or potential medical school applicants deterred by the cost of a...

Associate Professor Tan Kong Bing from the Department of Pathology talks about his start in teaching pathology and gives us insider details on certain “war charting exercises” that our professors and lecturers at NUS Medicine have been involved in. Having recently stepped down as Phase II Director, he also reflects upon his proudest achievements, especially his efforts in student engagement and su...

In this episode, Assistant Dean of NUS Medicine, Prof Malcolm Mahadevan, shares about his ground involvement in the COVID-19 response in community isolation facilities and how his past volunteering stint with migrant workers better informs his handling of the situation. Reflecting upon his time in NUHS' emergency department, he talks about the similarly urgent and practical concerns that he needs...

Vice Dean of Education at NUS Medicine and Senior Consultant at NUH’s Division of Rheumatology, Prof Lau Tang Ching, shares 3 sagely advice on how students can achieve their ikigai in medicine – one of which is forging strong and long-lasting relationships with our peers. He also gives us an exciting glimpse into the upcoming changes to the medical school’s curriculum at both the undergraduate and...

Podcast host, Ann Hui, is the first NUS Medicine student to have taken a gap year with the Yale-Visiting International Students Program before returning for her clinical years. Two juniors, Caitlin and Ying Ying embark on the same journey a year later. Amongst the three of them, they took a diverse set of classes which include medical anthropology, documentary film-making, engineering, and archite...

Third Spacing, the podcast makes space to explore important topics on the fringes of clinical medicine in Singapore. We talk to doctors with unusual lifepaths and passions, professors who shaped our traditions or our futures, pioneers who took risks in arts, civil society, education, research to expand the possibilities of what medicine can look like in Singapore.