SINGAPORE - A new medical education and digital innovation centre was officially opened here on Wednesday by global medical technology company Smith+Nephew.
By 2025, up to 3,500 healthcare providers are expected to benefit from taking in-person courses at the academy, while another 5,000 will be trained through live-streamed ones.
The courses will be taught by invited surgeons from around the Asia-Pacific region.
The Smith+Nephew Academy Singapore spans 18,000 square feet and occupies one floor at Alice @ Mediapolis at one-north.
Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. Founded in Britain, it has over 18,000 employees and operates in more than 100 countries.
The academy’s facilities include an augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) studio equipped with VR headsets and gaming monitors to support gamified learning and practice, such as the simulation of surgeries.
It also has an advanced bio-skills lab to support cadaveric trainings and research and development testing, equipped with cameras and microphones to broadcast live surgeries from the lab to the auditorium and lounge.
The lab is also fully equipped with surgical super-stations for hands-on procedural training across Smith+Nephew’s portfolio of orthopaedic reconstruction, trauma, robotics, sports medicine, ear, nose and throat, and advanced wound management.
Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong officiated at the opening ceremony of the academy on Wednesday.
Ms Myra Eskes, president of Asia-Pacific and global service for Smith+Nephew, said: “We chose Singapore for the medical academy as it is a very strategic location within the Asia-Pacific region with great connectivity, as we have healthcare professionals that come from across the region.
“The Singapore Government is very focused on an ecosystem for medical technology, which is important for us, as we work together with industry partners and start-ups.”
Smith+Nephew Academy Singapore plans to collaborate with start-ups, early-stage investors and industry partners to support the development of new innovations, and work with medical institutions to use the latest training infrastructure.
One of the challenges for the medical technology sector is the need to train practitioners, and having an academy like this will help to upgrade surgeons’ skills, said Mr Saurabh Sharma, senior director for medical education and societies for Smith+Nephew Asia Pacific.
Courses at the academy started on Nov 4, with a course on sports medicine. A course on orthopaedic reconstruction and robotics will start on Thursday. The two will provide peer-to-peer education to 200 healthcare professionals from Asia-Pacific.
