From Prescriptions to Paintbrushes: Meet Two Pharmacists Painting Their Journeys in their Own Unique Ways
If Van Gogh had a pharmacy, would his Starry Night cure insomnia? Art in Pharmacy? Sounds strange, but our alumni Ms Lauw Xiu Ting (Class of ’09) and Ms Anne Neo (Class of ’18) have made it possible!
In this article, we feature two PharmARTists that have seamlessly woven together pharmacy and art, beautifully blending two seemingly distinct disciplines. Throughout their different roles and experiences in pharmacy, art has remained a constant companion in shaping their journeys. Art has brought Xiu Ting to the unconventional role of a face painter and has guided Anne in her work as the founder of The Giving Collective volunteer group.
Since graduating from NUS Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, both Xiu Ting and Anne have forged ahead on their own unique paths — Xiu Ting, in taking the exciting leap to different fields and Anne, in her outstanding passion for giving back to the community.
In the same spirit of infusing art into what we do, we present thoughts from both PharmARTists in our own creative pieces below:
When you have a passion, go for it and chase it like the last NUS D2 bus in the night!
In pursuing one’s passion, one adds a few bright splashes to the canvas of one’s life, embellishing it in a way that is uniquely his/hers. As readers, let’s strive to create a better version of ourselves with each passing day – with each experience, we add another spot of colour to our own masterpieces 😊
Here are our PharmARTists’ last golden words for us:
We would like to thank Xiu Ting and Anne for their precious time in sharing their inspiring stories and valuable lessons with us! They have convinced us that Pharmacy and Art are not so different after all!
Join us at the 120th Pharmily Homecoming Carnival on 13 December 2025 to paint your own coaster, designed by Anne! For more information, please visit: https://pharmacy.nus.edu.sg/120th-anniversary/.
Article by Ainsley Tan Nuan Leng, Tan Kai Jing Ethan, Tng Pei Pei and Yaw Jie Yi (Class of ’28)
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