SINGAPORE, 9 September 2008
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) has appointed Dr. David Matchar as its Director of Health Services Research (HSR). HSR is one of five Signature Research Programs the school has embarked on, which are in areas of critical importance to Singapore. They are also aimed at growing Singapore’s biomedical sciences initiative.
Dr. Matchar, a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine (General Internal Medicine) at Duke University Medical Centre, joined Duke-NUS on August 1, 2008. An internationally renowned figure, Dr. Matchar will be building an outstanding research program in Health Research Services at Duke-NUS. He has extensive experience in this area, as he is also heading the Centre for Clinical Health Policy Research at Duke University Medical Center.
There are presently six members in the Health Services research team, with a target of over 40 members by year 2012. They are currently focusing on the assessment of the impact of new medical technologies in real world practice, strategies for promoting high quality, sustainable health services, and care of people with health problems of special concern such Alzheimer’s disease, emerging infectious diseases, cancer, vascular disease, and eye diseases. The plan is to use this research to inform public policy and clinical practice in Singapore, and to provide models for health care systems in other countries.
Part of Dr. Matchar’s role will be to oversee the Lien Centre for Palliative Care – a collaborative entity that is formed between Duke-NUS, Lien Foundation, National Cancer Centre Singapore and the SingHealth Group, to promote better practices in the care for the dying.
Dr. Matchar is a native of Baltimore. Dr. Matchar completed his undergraduate degree (AB) in Statistics at Princeton University, with stints at Harvard School of Public Health and at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dr Matchar obtained his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1980 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and completed a fellowship at Duke University Medical Center.
Dr. Matchar has an illustrious career in the medical sciences that spans three decades. He joined Duke University Medical Centre as an Instructor in 1983; and in the years following, moved quickly through the ranks. He was appointed Director of the Duke Centre for Clinical Health Policy Research in 1988. Dr. Matchar was made a Full Professor in 1999, in the Department of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.
Duke-NUS has appointed another renowned scientific figure in August. Dr. Shirish Shenolikar has joined the faculty as Associate Dean, Research. Prior to his appointment at Duke-NUS, Dr. Shenolikar was Senior Director for Cardiovascular Molecular Sciences at Pfizer Global Research & Development. He was a key member in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University from 1991 to 2004, and was Vice Chairman of the department from 2001-2004.
