Medical Humanities Education Unit (MHEU)

The Medical Humanities’ Education Unit serves to transform cancer and supportive care through the integration of the arts and humanities within existing curricula. The arts allow creative expression, while the humanities provide insight into lived experiences. Together, they allow healthcare workers to make meaning of their roles as they deliver care and support to optimise the experience and health outcomes of patients.

• Arts and Humanities Festival 

In March 2025, we hosted the very first NCCS Arts and Humanities Festival, which explored the intersection of medicine, art, and the human experience of dying.

A dramatised reading of “A Good Death”, written by Faith Ng, directed by Chen Yingxuan and performed by Karen Ng, was staged. The play followed Dr Leong, a palliative care doctor as she journeys with her patients through their final days.

NCCS also hosted Prof Rajeev S. Patke from Yale-NUS College, who delivered a thought-provoking lecture on how the humanities complement medical care by offering cultural, artistic and literary perspectives on mortality.

Through storytelling and the humanities, the festival highlighted the power of the arts in shaping compassionate, holistic approaches to healthcare.

• Poetry Pharmacy 

Across May and June 2025, the Medical Humanities Education Unit ran 8 poetry pharmacy workshops with trained facilitators from NCCS and SGH. These poetry circles explored the use of poetry as a tool for wellness. Participants could also create their own “poetry prescription” with poetry scrolls in capsules to create a lasting reminder for wellness.