ARTS AND HEALTH SINGAPORE REPOSITORY
An Online Database Charting Arts and Health Development in Singapore.
Degree/University Programmes
National University of Singapore
School of Design and Environment (Division of Industrial Design)
The division of Industrial Design at the National University of Singapore currently has two design clusters supporting design for health and wellness explorations. The Digital Wellness (http://did.nus.edu.sg/digitalwellness.html) presents industrial design students challenges and opportunities to design for wellness, by exploring how smart digital objects, new interactions or responsive environments can be developed to support a happy healthy life. Design for Medicine (http://did.nus.edu.sg/designformedicine.html) engages students to contribute to the medical field through design thinking, focusing on a human-centred approach. The type of projects varies from surgical instruments, educational simulators, rehabilitation tools etc..
Nanyang Technological University
Arts, Ageing and Wellbeing Elective (MSc in Applied Gerontology programme)
This interdisciplinary postgraduate course is offered through the MSc in Applied Gerontology programme. It is currently the only course in Singapore that formally introduces the interdisciplinary field of arts and health and particularly explores the use of arts and creative approaches in the context of ageing and eldercare. Students have proceeded to implement participatory art programmes for seniors by partnering with the community or social care organisations such as Touch Ministry through practicums. The course has also collaborated with the Agency of Integrated Care to develop an art toolkit to support the implementation of art activities in community care services. The Arts, Ageing and Wellbeing toolkit is available at https://partners.aic.sg/productivity-quality/aic-wellness-programme/.
Art & Design for Health (AD4H) Lab, School of Art, Design and Media
The AD4H lab is a research initiative dedicated to promoting research in creative art and design for the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in various settings. The lab organises reading groups, supports undergraduates and postgraduates art and design projects with interest in health and wellbeing, collaborating with long term care providers and hospitals.
Medical Humanities
Through patient narratives, film, literature, art, music, sculpture and poetry, which focus on the lived experiences of doctors and patients, the medical humanities module at the NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine helps to enhance medical students’ ability to see medicine from other viewpoints; viewpoints traditionally shaped by humanities disciplines and cutting-edge critical theories, such as cultural and structural competencies. Taught over 12 lessons during the first two years is a unique aspect of the School’s curriculum that aims to enrich clinical practice teaching. More recently, the medical humanities cluster was established by the School of Humanities to address healthcare issues of urgent concerns in SouthEast Asia and to promote the contributions of the humanities to healthcare, medical practice locally and internationally.