FASS & Tsao Foundation Launch Ageing Research Initiative

4 September 2009

From left to right: Prof Tan Tai Yong, Dean of Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, President of NUS Prof Tan Chorh Chuan and Dr. Mary Ann Tsao.

As Singapore grapples with a rapidly ageing population, there is an urgent need to understand the impact and implications of changes in the population age structure on the broader economic and social contexts in Singapore.

To address this change, NUS has received a gift of S$750,000 from the Tsao Foundation to advance research on ageing issues that are relevant and critical to Singapore and the region. The funds will be used to establish the Tsao Foundation Ageing Research Initiative, a joint collaboration between the Foundation and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The Tsao Foundation Ageing Research Initiative will support high impact research projects under four core themes: health and well-being, care giving, long-term care financing and programme evaluation. These areas have been identified as priority issues and the results will be used for evidence-based policy decision making. The initiative will promote communication and collaboration between researchers, policy makers and care providers by organising conferences and workshops in collaboration with the newly set-up NUS Virtual Institute for the Study of Ageing (VISA).

NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan announced, “We are delighted that the Tsao Foundation has chosen NUS to be its partner for research on ageing. With NUS’ broad multidisciplinary strengths and the Tsao Foundation's deep expertise in this sector, this collaboration should produce findings that will contribute towards improvements in the quality of life of the elderly in Singapore and beyond.”

Panelists on ageing policies (L-R): Dr. Christopher Lien, Consultant, Changi General Hospital, Dr. Robyn Stone, Executive Director, Institute on the Future of Ageing Services, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community, Youth and Sports, Prof David Matchar, Director of Health Services Research, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. The panel was facilitated by Dr. Mary Ann Tsao, President, Tsao Foundation and Assoc Prof Angelique Chan, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The initiative was launched on 1 September at the University Hall and was attended by the Minister for Community, Youth and Sports, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, in the presence of more than 100 guests comprising policy-makers, representatives from Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and the research community.