Our Directors' Message

The Health and Social Sciences Cluster at SIT has been at the forefront of allied health education and research, offering a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate allied health programmes. We have also launched a new Bachelor of Nursing-Master of Nursing programme, in addition to a post-registration nursing degree programme. Our cluster consists of full-time faculty with deep prior clinical experience, joint appointment faculty who are senior clinicians and adjunct and associate faculty, many of whom are leaders in their respective fields. Coupled with a passion to teach and a drive to advance our professions through applied research, we work closely with partners from the public, private and community sectors to form a dynamic ecosystem of education, research and clinical practice.

Our Health and Social Sciences Cluster drives applied research work through our strategic focus on Community Health Transformation. This is aligned with the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s ‘Three Beyonds’: beyond healthcare to health; beyond hospital to community; and beyond quality to value. This focus area serves to encompass and consolidate research efforts ranging from healthcare engineering and innovation, to digital health and community and social care research. Our faculty has fostered close connections with various healthcare institutions, community care partners and government agencies to collaborate on clinical and professional research studies that enhance health outcomes and professional practice. Research impact is targeted towards improving health outcomes, functioning, social participation and quality of life of individuals in the community.

A unique feature of the Health and Social Sciences Cluster is our strong belief in interprofessional education and interprofessional practice. Students participate in interprofessional classes from their first year of studies and engage in various learning activities across healthcare disciplines and even outside the cluster. A proportion of the honours thesis projects is also interprofessional in nature. This prepares students for patient-centred interprofessional work when they graduate and instils a mindset of continuous learning from the various disciplines. Faculty also collaborate closely across healthcare disciplines and often work with SIT colleagues from Engineering, Infocomm Technology, Food, Chemical and Biotechnology and Business, Communication and Design on applied learning and applied research.

We invite you to visit our website to find out more about our applied learning methods and applied research initiatives. There are also several feature stories of our students and faculty. We also warmly invite you to consider partnership with us, so as to jointly bring healthcare education and research to new heights!

SIT is the only university in Singapore that offers undergraduate allied health degree programmes. These programmes include Diagnostic Radiography, Dietetics and Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Radiation Therapy, and Speech and Language Therapy. Together with the University of Glasgow, we also offer an undergraduate programme in Nursing that builds on the foundation acquired from Nursing diploma studies. To meet the demands of the ageing population and industry needs, we have also recently launched our Nursing (Pre-registration and Specialty Training) programme and new postgraduate options in Clinical Research and Health Sciences. Accredited by the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) and the Singapore Nursing Board, our programmes aim to produce skilled healthcare professionals equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to practise as competent healthcare professionals in Singapore's evolving healthcare landscape.

At SIT, “learning by doing” is the foundation of our applied learning pedagogy. Right from the first year of study, students gain up-to-date industry knowledge and skills through opportunities such as service learning in the community, and practical sessions in simulated settings and therapy clinics. These are supplemented with clinical placements and honours thesis projects where students learn in an authentic environment across hospital and community care settings. Students work with peers, clinicians and other healthcare stakeholders to provide clinical care that is evidence-based and person-centred. They also acquire skills to reflect, think critically and solve problems in an agile manner. Through these opportunities, students learn to communicate and collaborate with different individuals in different settings, preparing them for real-world work and societal contribution.

Our curriculum is developed and delivered by driven and experienced academic staff, and incorporates a variety of strategies that encourage active and collaborative learning. Flipped classroom methods are used to emphasise prep work and learning prior to class, so that time is allocated in class to delve into deeper elements of a topic. Team-based learning and problem-based learning in groups are also used to encourage peer learning and teamwork/collaboration skills.

We believe in what we do, and hope to nurture and build the next generation of nurses and allied health professionals who will embody the SITizen-DNA, and look forward to them taking care of us and the country.