TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) has been around for thousands of years, and has gained the worldwide recognition of therapeutic benefits in the field of complementary medicine. In Singapore, TCM is the most common and highly regulated alternative medicine. While this ancient practice has more than 2000 years of history, it is based primarily on "empirical knowledge as well as traditional theories and concepts", and still lacks the demonstration of robust evidence in efficacy.
“The TCM environment is more traditional and conservative as compared to the western medical environment where research, data analytics and technology are more advanced,” said Jessica Tan, a part-time TCM physician with the Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution, who hopes to contribute to the modernisation of TCM.
Passionate about the applications of data analytics in the field of TCM research, Jessica represents a very different generation of TCM practitioners. She believes that data analytics, coupled with the TCM professional knowledge training and upgrading, can further promote higher standards and improve credibility of TCM treatments.
Till date, Jessica has completed a total of 17 courses at NUS-ISS.
From one to 17
The very first course that Jessica enrolled for was the NICF-Statistics Bootcamp. “I had already signed up for the course, when I find out about NUS-ISS Stackable Programmes – I was delighted,” she enthused.
The Stackable Programmes allows executives to take the different courses at their own pace with possibility to stack up to a Masters of Technology. This enables them to attain a degree without having to take a extended period of time off their work schedule.
“The SkillsFuture Mid-Career Subsidy was another factor that encouraged me to upgrade my skills.” As a self-funded individual, the monetary support provided by the government provided a great opportunity of learning for Jessica. She also found that the registration and payment processes for NUS-ISS courses was very straightforward and fuss-free.
“Without realising it, I was signing up numerous courses and completing them in a blink of an eye,” she said with a laugh.
While there were many online courses available, Jessica shared that she preferred learning in the traditional classroom settings. “It enables me to have “live” interactions with lecturers and classmates. For me, that is what makes learning fun.”
In addition to helpful lecturers who were always willing to selflessly share their rich experiences and knowledge in class, Jessica also enjoyed meeting new people from all walks of life. “Discussions with my classmates from different industries were very insightful, as I got to understand how the knowledge and skillset learnt can be applied in different fields. This helps to widen my perspectives,” she explained.
The unlikely mix of data and herbs
Speaking excitedly about her favourite topics – data analytics and machine learning –Jessica hopes to one day apply them in the field of TCM research. In particular, she believes it could be used to identify more effective cures using traditional Chinese herbs.
“My top three favourite courses that I have taken at NUS-ISS were NICF – Data Storytelling, NICF – Data Analytics Process and Best Practice and NICF – Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning Systems,” she said.
In addition to problem-solving skills, the courses had helped her gain a deeper understanding of data architecture. She is also now able to better pinpoint and communicate meaningful relationships between data. This was especially helpful in her current field of research, in which she is looking to apply data analytics to identify and understand the patterns of prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome.
“On the lighter side of things, learning the basics of machine learning also enabled me to give Kaggle competitions a shot. That was really fun!”
No end point to learning
As the world moves towards a digital future, skills development becomes increasingly important.
“I believe there is greater need to upgrade one’s skills on a periodic basis, but it shouldn’t be limited only to your current industry,” said Jessica. Explaining that it is important to transcend disciplines and absorb new ideas that could help enhance one’s work, she added, “That is the reason why I have chosen to invest heavily in learning digital skills and apply them to TCM – one of the oldest form of traditional alternative medicine.”
Jessica’s lifelong learning philosophy is that the journey of learning doesn’t have an end point. “While in the process of learning, I realised and discovered that there are even more new things to be learnt. And that is what kept me coming back to NUS-ISS – there is always something for me to learn,” she shared.
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