Dear Colleagues, Alumni and Friends,

I would like to extend my warmest greetings to you all in my new role as Head of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences here in NUS. As a pharmaceutical scientist by training and registered Pharmacist from Italy, I have been in this Department for more than 18 years. As a matter of fact, NUS was my first and only job application, so I like the idea that working here in Singapore was already <<written in my stars>>! Not only the Department has welcomed me amicably and accepted my imperfect English without reservation, it has also provided tremendous opportunities in terms of research support, graduate students’ supervision and even leadership roles at the Faculty of Science and now in the Department itself.

The Department of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences is the sole institution of its kind offering a professional degree in Pharmacy to respond to the Nation’s needs. Indeed, our Department, as part of the Faculty of Science at the National University of Singapore, is the only one that trains Pharmacists in the country, and has managed to distinguish itself in Education, Research, and Practice: it is currently recognized among the top 20 institutes in the world according to the World University ranking by subject  (Pharmacy and Pharmacology) and it is considered the number one in Asia.

Since 1905, with the establishment of the Department of Pharmaceutics at the King Edward VII College of Medicine, we have been committed in imparting outstanding pharmacy education and in shaping leaders in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Our strength lies in offering vibrant and relevant educational programs, as shown by the newly launched Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science programme (PHS, in 2018) and the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme (BPharm, in 2020), which display strong integration across various disciplines and have become our true signature. I am also very excited that we have implemented our postgraduate programs by establishing a Master of Clinical Pharmacy (MCP, launched last August 2023), which includes stackable courses that could be used to pursue a final Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.

I am a great believer in “teamwork” as key to both achieving success and overcoming challenges. Our community includes passionate educators, outstanding research scientists, dedicated adjunct staff from hospitals and clinics, preceptors, ambitious students and supportive alumni, who are all advocates for our core professional values of Honesty and Integrity, Responsibility, Accountability, Respect for others and Empathy. Hence, I am truly excited to introduce our new leadership team: Professor Eric Chan, Deputy Head for Research (DyR); A/P Christine Teng, Deputy Head for Practice (DyP); A/P Wai Ping Yau, Deputy Head for Undergraduate Education (DyE); A/P Gigi Chiu, Assistant Head for Postgraduate Education and A/P Eng Hui Chew, Assistant Head for Special Duties & Space. I am sure they are all familiar faces to you, as they have already excelled in their disciplines and practices over their time spent in the Department.

As Head of this Department, I am thrilled to lead our community with the highest mission of training the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists through integrated educational programs, advanced technological innovations, cutting-edge research platforms and trustworthy partnerships at the national and international level.  We are enthusiastically looking forward to starting this new journey together and shall keep you updated along the way. We aim to bring the Department to newer heights through innovative ideas, exciting initiatives and fruitful engagements with you!

Thank you in advance for your continuous support!

Giorgia Pastorin