Singapore oncologist picked for prestigious US programme

A DOCTOR from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) has been selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to participate in its one-year Leadership Development Programme.

This makes Dr Rebecca Alexandra Dent, a senior consultant medical oncologist, the first Singapore representative to participate in the prestigious programme, which opens to only 12 participants each year and only one spot per year outside the United States.

She will begin the programme in May.

The ASCO Leadership Development Programme (LDP), launched in 2009, is a professional development training programme.

Open to mid-career oncologists working in any country who completed their final sub-specialty training between 2005 and 2010, it is designed to train future leaders in medicine by providing practising oncologists with leadership skills training, networking opportunities, and mentorship from ASCO leaders.

Participants have the opportunity to gain exposure to US government research agencies, enhance leadership skills through interactive sessions, and receive first-hand advocacy experience on Capitol Hill.

Dr Dent is also an associate professor at Duke-NUS Singapore and head of Breast Cancer Research at SingHealth Duke-NUS, as well as the Breast Medical Oncology Team at NCCS.

The ASCO programme has had 60 participants to date since 2010. This will be the LDP's sixth intake of participants.