Pandemics in Singapore, 1819–2022: Lessons for the Age of COVID-19
Join us for a webinar featuring authors Professor HSU Li Yang & Dr LOH Kah Seng, along with Professor Ben Marais, director of the Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute.
Examine Singapore's pandemic history with our upcoming webinar featuring the book 'Pandemics in Singapore, 1819-2022: Lessons for the Age of COVID-19'. Authored by scholars Professor Hsu Li Yang and Dr Loh Kah Seng, this insightful work delves into Singapore's response to pandemics across centuries.
Discover the valuable lessons and perspectives gleaned from Singapore's past, offering practical insights for navigating the challenges posed by COVID-19. Along with both authors, also contributing will be Professor Ben Marais, director of the Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute to offer his expert commentary. Join us for an enriching discussion and engage with experts in the field. Register today to gain a deeper understanding of pandemics' impact on societies.
When: Thursday 2nd May, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (Sydney), 9:30 am - 10:30 am (Singapore)
Online only: register here.
"Singapore has faced many pandemics over the centuries, from plague, smallpox and cholera to influenza and novel coronaviruses. By examining how different governments responded, this book considers what we can learn from their experiences. Public health strategies in the city-state were often affected by issues of ethnicity and class, as well as failure to take heed of key learnings from previous outbreaks. Pandemics are a recurrent and normal feature of the human experience. Alongside medical innovation and evidence-based policymaking, the study of history is also crucial in preparing for future pandemics." - From publisher.
Speakers:
Dr Loh Kah Seng
Dr Loh Kah Seng is a historian and director of Chronicles Research and Education, a research consultancy. He is interested in all things that happened in the history of Singapore, the lives of its people and its connections with the world. His books include Squatters into Citizens: The 1961 Bukit Ho Swee Fire and the Making of Modern Singapore (NUS Press 2013); Tuberculosis – The Singapore Experience, 1867-2018: Disease, Society and the State (Routledge 2020); Theatres of Memory: Industrial Heritage of 20th Century Singapore (Pagesetters 2021); and Pandemics in Singapore, 1819-2022: Lessons for the Age of COVID-19 (Routledge 2024).
Professor Hsu Li Yang
Professor Hsu Li Yang is an infectious diseases physician who is currently the Vice-Dean of Global Health and Programme Leader of Infectious Diseases at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), National University of Singapore (NUS). His research interests are in the area of antimicrobial resistance and global health. Dr Hsu is interested in the history of infectious diseases in Singapore, having published two books with academic historian Dr Loh Kah Seng on the history of tuberculosis in Singapore (2019) as well as the history of major outbreaks and pandemics in Singapore (2023). He is also keen on public education on infectious diseases, having written numerous commentaries on various infectious diseases in Singapore’s newspapers in addition to lectures and other teaching.
Professor Ben Marais
Professor Ben Marais is Director of the Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID) at the University of Sydney (www.sydney.edu.au/infectious-diseases-institute) and co-leads the WHO Collaborating Centre in Tuberculosis and the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Tuberculosis (www.tbcre.org.au). He works in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at the Westmead Children’s Hospital and his research focuses primarily on how children are affected by the global tuberculosis epidemic and the spread of drug resistant TB. He is deputy-Chair of the WHO/STOP-TB Partnership Child and Adolescent TB working group.