Third Spacing

In this episode, we talk to Prof Angie Chew, founder of Brahm Centre and Singaporean of the year 2019. She created a mark in the mental health landscape in Singapore. Here, she breaks down the term mindfulness and uncovers the benefits of meditation.

In this episode, writer Linda Collins continues sharing about how we should care for the grieving, the importance of our mental health systems in Singapore, as well as in New Zealand, and why suicide prevention involves every single person - even the ones suffering. CONTENT WARNING: Today’s episode deals heavily with the topics of suicide and grief.

In this two-part episode, we talk to Linda Collins, copy editor at the Straits Times, and writer of works such as Loss Adjustment, and Sign Language and the Death of Reason, which details the passing of her daughter, Victoria McLeod, by suicide in 2014. In this part, we have a frank conversation on her motivations and ruminations from writing Loss Adjustment, how she deals with the passing of a loved one, and how to navigate the tumultuous realm of grief. CONTENT WARNING: Today’s episode deals heavily with the topics of suicide and grief.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jeremy Lim, Associate Professor and Director of the Global Health Institute at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, on how the Singapore healthcare system works. Dr. Lim argues that a better understanding of health economics and the underlying political philosophies is the key to making fundamental changes to the healthcare system.

In this episode, we talk to Associate Professor Khoo Hoon Eng is the Associate Dean of Faculty for academic affairs at the Yale-NUS college, and the former vice dean of education in Yong Loo Lin school of Medicine. She shares her personal journey across disciplines, and across places, her own personal education background in liberal arts, and her professional experience starting and building liberal arts institutions.

In this episode, we speak to Dr Joanne Yoong, senior economist and director at the Centre for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California. We discuss the concept of integrated care and its incorporation into Singapore’s healthcare system, define economic terms in healthcare, and highlight why an understanding of healthcare financing is advantageous to medical students.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Angela Tan, who is a palliative care physician, life coach, and intimacy coach. We discuss what her work entails, the limitations of mainstream medicine when tackling sexual health, and how we can all work towards improving the sexual health environment.

In this episode, we talk to Professor Paul Tambyah, President of the International Society of infectious Disease and Senior Consultant of Infectious Disease at National University Hospital, as he shares his take on the role doctors play as advocates, how medical students can begin to advocate for their patients, and his personal journey in activism starting from his youth.

In this episode, we talk to June Chua, founder of The T Project, the first and only social service for the transgender community in Singapore providing counselling, shelter, and a community centre. She shares the challenges and barriers the transgender community face when seeking gender affirming care, and how we can create a more inclusive healthcare environment for all.

In this episode, Prof Wong Mee Lian, Associate Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of public health, shares her experience working to decrease the incidence of sexually transmitted infections among sex workers. Emphasising the importance of empathy when communicating with her target community, Prof Wong demonstrates how to effectively gather qualitative and quantitative information to help improve health among these communities. Finally, Prof Wong touches on the tangible benefits public health can bring to communities, citing interesting personal experiences from her work.