Singapore launches world’s first advanced degrees in sustainable healthcare for low-carbon healthcare future

Singapore / Baku, Azerbaijan, 18 November 2024 — Climate change poses a direct and urgent threat to the health of patients and the viability of health systems in Asia, and across the world. Singapore is tackling this challenge head on, with the Centre for Sustainable Medicine (CoSM) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), announcing the launch of the world’s first Master of Science in Sustainable Healthcare, and an accompanying Executive Fellowship, at the Singapore Pavilion of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The COP29 is held at Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024.

Record high temperatures have seen a rise in the severity of floods and storms across the world. Left un-mitigated, South-East Asia will see an estimated 12.7% increase in excess mortality from extreme heat, leading to issues such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and dehydration. Compounding issues for health systems, the climate suitability for the transmission of dengue fever has risen by over 28% over the last 50 years.[i]

The new postgraduate programmes will fill gaps in the healthcare sector that were identified in a recent study by the Centre. More than eight in 10 (82%) of clinicians surveyed said they support action to tackle climate change in Singapore’s healthcare system, while nine in 10 want Singapore to be a champion of net zero healthcare. With 85 out of 120 of the world’s top publicly listed companies in biotech, health, and pharma sectors having climate pledges or strategies in place, healthcare sustainable jobs are expected to be on the rise.[ii]

Professor Nick Watts, Director of CoSM at NUS Medicine, said, “The future of healthcare and medicine lies in the fine balance between two critical factors. First, we have to ensure patients are protected from the devastating impacts of climate change. At the same time, health systems need to be transformed to deliver care in a more sustainable way, from the surgeon’s reprocessed scalpel to the general practitioner’s online clinic. With the healthcare sector responsible for over 10% of the international economy, changes made at home have far-reaching impacts that scale to make a global difference. Our education programmes will nurture a generation of sustainability leaders in healthcare who are equipped and ready to pioneer this transition into a low-carbon future.”

Students will be taught by world-leading faculty at CoSM, as well as experts and partners from the World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontières, and The Lancet. In addition, students will participate in a first-of-its-kind knowledge exchange programme between Singapore, the United Kingdom (represented by the National Health Service), and the United States, where a network of clinical fellows will share best practices from around the world. Graduates of the programmes will also have the opportunity to collaborate with or be mentored by an international network of healthcare sustainability champions and draw on real-world experiences to guide their decarbonisation efforts within existing organisations and future vocations.

Dr Jessamy Bagenal, Senior Executive Editor at The Lancet, and an affiliate faculty member at CoSM said, “We are at a pivotal moment, facing intertwined health and climate crises, and the need for transformation in healthcare is urgent. Equipping professionals with the right tools at every level can lead to a reimagined, resilient healthcare system that meets these challenges head-on.”

The world’s first Master of Science in Sustainable Healthcare

Designed for early-career professionals and graduates with relevant exposure to the healthcare or sustainability space, the one-year full-time Master of Science in Sustainable Healthcare delivers comprehensive training in climate-smart healthcare. Core modules cover practical skills such as conducting life cycle assessments, strategies to manage the low-carbon transition in healthcare and the application of ISO14040 standards.

Students will be offered the flexibility to customise their own learning pathways, with a list of electives covering evidence-informed practice and policies in healthcare; programme evaluation in health; climate and environmental science; advanced quantitative and qualitative research methods; and health system operations and management. Conducted in-person at NUS Medicine, from August 2025, the programme will include capstone projects designed for students to apply the knowledge they have gained in real-world situations, aligning with their career goals.

An Executive Fellowship for emerging leaders in sustainable healthcare

The Executive Fellowship in Sustainable Healthcare, on the other hand, is designed to empower experienced professionals to drive meaningful change within their organisations. The year-long part-time hybrid graduate certificate offers flexibility to learn at their convenience (online or in person), making it ideal for emerging clinical leaders, national policymakers, and seasoned professionals and executives from healthcare and sustainability.  

The programme acts as a platform to establish important networks to rapidly advance their healthcare sustainability knowledge and professional careers. The course provides advanced technical training in three key areas—namely, the skills needed to conduct a comprehensive carbon footprint on every healthcare-related tool, from an intravenous therapy (IV) bag to a new pharmaceutical innovation; hands-on teaching on how to implement change at the individual, hospital, and national health system levels; and bespoke leadership mentoring and training to accelerate the careers and ambitions of students. The programme is set to begin from August 2025.

Dr Amanda Zain, Deputy Director of CoSM at NUS Medicine emphasised, “To truly accelerate the shift to sustainable healthcare, professionals need to be fluent in designing new workflows in their spheres of influence, with data-backed strategies. Our vision is for the programmes to act as a springboard in their careers, preparing and positioning them as catalysts to drive measurable change.”

Prof Yeoh Khay Guan, Chief Executive of the National University Health System (NUHS) added, “Our work in healthcare generates significant greenhouse gas emissions, and we bear the responsibility to address the large environmental footprint of our healthcare operations. The new Master’s and Executive Fellowship programmes offered by the Centre for Sustainable Medicine at NUS Medicine will build the capability we urgently need in healthcare, to engender a culture of sustainability in the way we care for our patients. In this way, we can fulfil our responsibilities to both our patients and the planet.”

Applications for the programmes open today at https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/cosm/education.

[i] Gasparrini, A., Guo, Y., Sera, F., Vicedo-Cabrera, A. M., Huber, V., Tong, S., de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, M., Nascimento Saldiva, P. H., Lavigne, E., Matus Correa, P., Valdes Ortega, N., Kan, H., Osorio, S., Kyselý, J., Urban, A., Jaakkola, J. J. K., Ryti, N. R. I., Pascal, M., Goodman, P. G., Zeka, A., … Armstrong, B. (2017). Projections of temperature-related excess mortality under climate change scenarios. The Lancet. Planetary health,1(9), e360–e367. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30156-0

[ii] Net Zero Tracker, Data Explorer