Track D3: Tick the Box? No, Thanks! Real Tools, Real Readiness
Sunday, 28 September | 10:30–12:00 | Waterfront Ballroom (Level 2)
Singapore’s pharmacy workforce development has transformed over the past 15 years, shifting from checklist-style training to real-world, practice-ready development. This panel brings together local educators, practice leaders, and policymakers – alongside a speaker with expanded Commonwealth and UK experience – who have shaped this evolution to support real, observable practice readiness and develop confident pharmacists across every stage of their professional journey.
Presentations
From Idea to Impact: A 15-Year Journey in Building Drug Information Skills by Dr Aiwen WANG
In this short presentation, Dr Aiwen Wang shares her 15-year journey in developing drug information competencies among junior pharmacists. Drawing from a rich tapestry of experience, she will highlight key strategies and impart pearls of wisdom in educational pedagogies, e.g., how to boost effectiveness and potential from lectures, simulations, e-learning, gamification, team-based learning, spaced repetition, entrusted professional activities, and more. Participants will gain practical insights into translating educational ideas to lasting impact, learn how to design effective education programmes, and explore tips for coaching and cultivating critical thinking in today’s fast-paced environment.
Reimagining Pre-Registration Training: Evaluating a National Programme Through Action Research by Ms Li Wen LOO
Built on a professional-activities framework, the revised national pre-registration programme was piloted in 2023–2024. Through a structured action-research study, this session shares key insights on what worked, what changed, and how the findings informed programme improvements, driving practice-based learning aligned to real professional expectations.
The Values and Pains of Using Portfolios and Competency Frameworks for Professional Development by Ms Sei Keng KOH
This presentation informs on the adoption of entrustable professional activities (EPA) and the development framework for pharmacists (DFP), the interconnectivity between EPA and DFP, and how pharmacists can use these tools to support their professional development.
Local Lessons, Global Leadership in Workforce Development by A/Prof Victoria RUTTER
A/Prof Rutter presents research findings on pharmacy workforce development and how these have supported the evolution of competency frameworks in Singapore, particularly at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Reflecting on her earlier leadership roles in SGH and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital over a decade ago, she connects those experiences with her current work across Commonwealth countries. The presentation will share insights into the varied stages of maturity in pharmacist development, success stories, and common challenges, highlighting how frameworks can be globally adaptable but must be tailored to local context for sustainable impact.
Q&A Session moderated by Ms Nisa MASYITAH
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Speakers
Dr Aiwen WANG
Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist
Pharmacy
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore
Dr Aiwen Wang graduated with a Pharmacy degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2007 and completed her PharmD from the University of Chicago at Illinois, USA, in 2015. As a board-certified drug information pharmacist at Singapore General Hospital, Dr Wang promotes evidence-based medicine practices through consultations and drug formulary evidence reviews. As a passionate and committed educator, she is also an active lecturer at NUS and was recently appointed as Vice Chair of the Undergraduate & Pre-Registration Clinical Programmes under the SingHealth College of Clinical Pharmacy. A recipient of the Singapore Pharmacy Council’s Excellent Preceptor Award in 2016, the AM.EI Golden Apple Award (Young Educator) in 2020, and the National Day Award – Efficiency Medal in 2020, Dr Wang actively contributes to safe and effective medication practices through her various workgroup commitments at the hospital, health care cluster, and initiatives at the Ministry of Health.
Ms Li Wen LOO
Principal Clinical Pharmacist
Chief Pharmacist Office
Ministry of Health
Singapore
Ms Li Wen Loo is a Principal Clinical Pharmacist at the Singapore General Hospital. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy with Honours degree from the National University of Singapore. She furthered her expertise with a Master of Science in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her passion for qualitative research in education has led to her concurrent role as a Project Administrator in the Chief Pharmacist’s Office, Ministry of Health, Singapore. She is the principal investigator for her project on “Using action research to evaluate a professional activity-based national pre-registration pharmacist training programme in Singapore”.
Ms Sei Keng KOH
Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist
Pharmacy
Singapore General Hospital
Ms Sei Keng Koh is Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist in the Pharmacy Department at Singapore General Hospital, where she also serves as Education Co-Lead (Pharmacists) and Associate Program Director for the Residency Year One programme.
As a pharmacy administrator with the Chief Pharmacist’s Office, Ms Koh is dedicated to advancing post-graduate education and workforce development. Her key projects include the Advanced Practice Framework for Pharmacists, National Collaborative Prescribing and Training Framework for collaborative prescribers, the Development Framework for Pharmacists, the revised National Pre-Registration Training and Assessment Framework, including the national preceptor training programmes and career development pathways for pharmacists.
Through her roles in the College of Allied Health and College of Clinical Pharmacy, Ms Koh contributes to cluster initiatives. She is an ESTHER coach and champion with ESTHER Network, a network committed to person-centric care delivery, enabling Esthers (patients) to live confidently and independently in their communities.
Speaker
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A/Prof Victoria RUTTER
CEO
Head Office
Commonwealth Pharmacists Association
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
A/Prof Victoria Rutter is CEO of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) and Chair of the Commonwealth Health Professions and Partners Alliance. A UK-trained pharmacist with over 20 years of international experience, A/Prof Rutter began her career as a specialist intensive care and cardiology pharmacist before moving to Singapore to lead clinical services and postgraduate training.
Since 2016, Victoria has led the CPA in strengthening pharmacy systems across the Commonwealth, advancing workforce development, digital health, and antimicrobial resistance. She directs initiatives like the UK-aid–funded Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship programme and plays a key role in engaging Ministers of Health and policy makers on access to medicines and pharmacy workforce capacity building.
A Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, A/Prof Rutter is a passionate advocate for pharmacy’s role in achieving universal health coverage and resilient health systems. Her leadership continues to shape pharmacy’s global impact through innovation, partnerships, and evidence-based policy.
Ms Nisa MASYITAH
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