On 24 Nov 2023, alumni and staff gathered for an evening of wine, cheese, dinner and camaraderie followed by a thought-provoking Last Lecture on “What’s our Why” delivered by Mr How Ti Hwei (Class of ’95), Vice President, International Oncology, AstraZeneca.

Ti Hwei started the night by defining who is a pharmacist before moving on to share his views on the many areas we can pursue amidst the changing landscapes of diseases and therapeutics, evolving healthcare ecosystem in Singapore and uncertain geopolitics of the world. Emerging therapeutics such as gene and cell therapy, big data and AI, medication disposal and improving healthcare sector’s carbon footprints – these were just a few areas amongst the many which Ti Hwei sees opportunities for pharmacists to champion.   

“The Last Lecture” was made popular by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor from Carnegie Mellon in 2007. A “Last Lecture” is a hypothetical “final talk” that academics are asked to think deeply about what matters most to them. Since 2019, our Department has organized five Last Lectures which were very well-received with positive response and interest from our alumni, staff and students. The 6^th Last Lecture by Ti Hwei was no different as seen from the feedback received from some of our alumni here: