Keynote Address

A/Prof Chen Zhi Xiong is Assistant Dean (Education) of Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), and Associate of the School’s Centre for Medical Education. He is Chairperson of the Asia-Pacific Biomedical Science Educators Association and Board Member of the International Association of Medical Science Educators. He is Principal Investigator of the Neurodevelopment and Cancer Laboratory under the NUS Center for Cancer Research, Joint Scientist at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Affiliate Member of the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore. In addition, he is Resident Fellow of King Edward VII Hall where he lives among students including those from health professions and life sciences.

In education, A/Prof Chen Zhi Xiong is exploring ways to broaden health professions education and enhance interdisciplinary learning as well as expand the role of medical sciences in health professions education. He also has keen interest in medical education technology, faculty development and student affairs. He serves in several key areas such as the Admissions Committee, Faculty Teaching Excellence Committee, Health and Humanity Pathway Committee and Medical Education Technology Enterprise Committee. He chairs the Inquiry and Thinking Pathway Committee, Electives Committee, Global Health and Leadership Programme Advisory Committee and co-leads the Endocrinology System-based Workgroup. Outside of NUS, he is a teaching faculty for the Maastricht University-Academy of Medicine Singapore Masters in Health Professions Education programme. He won several teaching and academic development awards from NUS, National University Health System, and the medical and dental schools. He co-authored a book on curriculum organisation and developed an online platform for the teaching, learning and evaluation of medical sciences-driven clinical reasoning.

In neuroblastoma research, he won several awards, notably, the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group McElwain Prize from the United Kingdom and the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation Fellowship from Sweden. He is a member of the VIVA-KKH Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Programme. He is currently investigating a new drug for neuroblastoma treatment and developing a new approach for neuroblastoma monitoring.

Keynote address

What a difference a year makes! With all that is going around, my synopsis for PeRL Symposium 2020 needs to be changed. The world has been greatly disrupted by COVID-19. Yet, such disruption is not new. Greater connectivity helps to spread and fight the virus at the same time. Which innovations will improve today’s lives but create tomorrow’s problems? How can we tell? What guides our decisions to develop and deploy technology? How should we think about innovation? Is innovation only about going forward and adding new things? Like my synopsis, education will need to change with educators at the driving seat. Like healthcare, education is a relational practice. As technology is further thrusted into the fore by COVID-19, I would like to engage you in a conversation on the opportunities and challenges that technology brings to education through the health professions’ lens. In particular, I would like to emphasise the role of the educator in the teaching and learning of values and thinking skills in a digital landscape as well as share pedagogical ideas on how to do so using examples from health professions setting. I hope to initiate a dialogue and learn with you on issues confronting our identity and purpose as humans, educators and members of a digital society.