No hats too many for superwoman Teresa
50 years of service in
NUS Pharmacy
Teresa first joined the School of Pharmacy (not a department then) in 1971 as a laboratory technician in training, and was promoted to a laboratory technologist after five years of training.
Back to school at 39 years old –
for 11 years long!
As the eldest daughter, Teresa started working after receiving her Cambridge School Certificate Grade 1 (equivalent to GCE O-Level) to support her family. In addition to her full-time job in the department, she also gave tuition at night to provide for her younger siblings. However, she always had the desire to be better qualified – not for the sake of chasing qualifications, but to satisfy her desire for self-actualization. At 39, after some discussion with her mother, she enrolled in the Biotechnology Course at Singapore Polytechnic. As a part-time student, it took Teresa five years to obtain her diploma. There were more than 30 students enrolled in the course, but only slightly more than 20 students graduated. The high attrition rate did not discourage Teresa, who graduated top of her cohort and beat 116 other students to the Genelabs Diagnostics gold medal.
Having gained the momentum to study part-time, Teresa went on to receive her Bachelor of Science (Medical Science) with distinction from the Curtin University of Technology. During her final year, she flew to Perth for a two-week attachment, spending a week in a government hospital laboratory and a private laboratory, respectively, to fulfil the requirements for her final year module.
As the School of Medicine at the Curtin University of Technology was adjacent to the School of Pharmacy, Teresa found out by chance that the School of Pharmacy offered a two-year master’s course by research, which can be extended to four years for part-time students. Upon her return to Singapore, she proposed the idea of pursuing a part-time master’s degree to A/Prof. Paul Heng, who agreed to be her co-supervisor. For four years, she conducted her research in GEA-NUS Pharmaceutical Processing Research Laboratory from 6 to 10 pm on weekdays. Back in the days, the laboratory technologists had to work half-day on alternate Saturdays. After 1 pm, she continued her research into the night; on her Saturdays off, she spent the whole day in the research laboratory. Teresa ultimately received her Master’s degree at 50 years old!
On juggling multiple roles:
Teresa the superwoman
Teresa’s eleven-year journey to obtain a diploma, bachelor’s degree and master’s degree was not a smooth-sailing one. On top of her full-time job, she was juggling the roles of a wife, mother to two young children, daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law with paranoia and heart problem, and daughter to a cancer-ridden mother. She attributed her success to her supportive husband, children and mother. She was fortunate enough to be able to hire a maid, who saw to the basic household chores and assist as caregiver of her mother-in-law. As Teresa was working full-time, her mother helped with childcare until she was too ill to do so. Her mother emphasized communication, which meant that her sons grew up knowing how to share about their daily lives. Even though working late in the laboratory meant sacrificing many shared meals with her family, Teresa made sure to spend some time talking to her sons before bed. Good time management was essential – when she was pursuing her diploma, she brought packed food with her so that her meals can be taken care of within 5-10 minutes and she can spend the rest of her time on schoolwork. While the journey was tiring, it was pure grit and determination that kept her going. Giving up was never an option, as she wanted to be a good role model for her children.
Two women role models in Teresa’s life
Naturally, one of Teresa’s role models in life is her late mother. Teresa speaks highly of her late mother, who inculcated good moral values and important philosophies. Her late mother was an excellent role model when it came to human relationships. Her most important advice was “to do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
Teresa’s second role model, whom she jokingly (and fondly) referred to as her “workplace mother”, is the late Prof. Lucy Wan. Teresa met Prof. Wan when she first joined the department. She describes Prof. Wan as a very ambitious person who encouraged everyone to excel in everything they do, even if it means having to go beyond their comfort zones. Teresa recalled having to give an impromptu presentation at a congress because the intended speaker was unable to be present. While it was an unnerving experience, Teresa subsequently attended a public speaking course with a few of her colleagues and prepared herself better by attending toastmasters.
Scholar, presenter, singer – the sky is the limit!
During her 50 years of service as a laboratory technologist in NUS, Teresa published a first author paper and participated in several poster and oral presentations. She delivered an oral presentation at the 1st Annual Pharmacy Congress in 1987. She also presented posters at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting held in Utah, United States of America in 2003 and the inaugural Asian Association of Schools of Pharmacy Conference held in Beijing, China in June 2004. In addition, Teresa participated in National Competitions with department and university staff, such as the Sing Singapore Public Sector Competition.
Most impactful career achievement:
Winning the CICHE Training Award
In 1985, Teresa received the Committee for International Cooperation in Higher Education (CICHE) Training Award, established by the British Council for laboratory technologists in NUS. As part of the application requirements, a project proposal must be submitted with a host organisation in the United Kingdom. As the department just acquired a Coulter counter for particle sizing for microencapsulation research, Prof. Lucy Wan suggested that Teresa visit the laboratory of Prof. Joseph R Nixon, a pioneer and expert in microencapsulation research to learn how to use the Coulter counter for particle sizing of microparticles. Back then, Singapore only had two Coulter particle sizers, with the other located at the Singapore General Hospital. After acing the interview, Teresa spent three months at the University of London’s Chelsea School of Pharmacy to learn about the Coulter counter and its application in microencapsulation research, as well as the good practices of the laboratory technologists. When she returned to Singapore, she helped Prof. Wan supervise three students who worked on microencapsulation for their honours year projects.
Fond memories in the department
With 50 years of service in the department, Teresa has definitely played a critical role in grooming the pharmacists of Singapore. Many of us will remember Teresa as the supporting laboratory technologist during our dosage form design practical sessions. When asked about her fondest memories in the department, she recalls the good times spent with many students, colleagues and fellow laboratory technologists. When she first joined the department, there were only eight honours year students and 20 students across the various cohorts which meant that everyone was part of a very close-knitted community. She was a frequent visitor at the girls’ dormitory and was invited to many graduation dinners. Over the years, some of the students went on to become her colleagues in the department. Teresa also spoke highly of the other laboratory technologists and scientific officers in the department, who were always excellent and supportive team players.
In GEA-NUS Laboratory, Teresa is fondly known as “Mother Teresa” to us for many reasons – she cares very much for all the graduate students, research staff and post-doctoral fellows. While serving as the supporting laboratory technologist to GEA-NUS Laboratory, she was our go-to person for items, be it equipment, consumables or advice, partly because she was the longest-serving and hence the most knowledgeable, and because she had an impeccable memory – she knew where everything was located and could point us to the precise location to retrieve them. Those who’ve been to Teresa’s office would certainly remember her plethora of plush toys, mostly gifts and souvenirs from birthday celebrations and overseas conference trips – a testament to the friendships formed throughout the years. Now that Teresa is retired, I am sure that she will be sorely missed by all members of the Pharmily. We are sincerely grateful to Teresa for her dedication to the Department and wish her good health and fulfillment in the journey ahead!
Article by Dr Hiew Tze Ning (BSc (Pharm) Class of ’12, PhD Class of ’18)
Share this article:
Stay connected with NUS Pharmacy!
Receive PharmConnect Newsletter & announcements by NUS Pharmacy.