Prof. Curran is the Vice Dean of Education at Duke-NUS Medical School, which was established in Singapore as a collaboration between Duke University in the USA and National University in Singapore in 2005. He has a long record in developing professional standards in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training, and IGHPE was pleased to have him bringing this experience to discussion on the topic of “Framing the challenge: Preparing the future healthcare workforce” at our 2018 meeting in Kuala Lumpur. In this podcast, Prof. Curran discusses the value of focusing on outcomes rather than process in regulatory standards, and the work he has been doing at Duke-NUS Medical School to develop a curriculum that matches Singapore’s health care needs.
Prior to taking up his position at Duke-NUS Medical School, Prof. Curran was Assistant Director of Education and Professional Standards at the UK General Medical Council where he led education policy, regulatory and quality assurance work in post graduate medical education and training across the UK. His achievements at the GMC include the development of the innovative Generic Professional Capabilities Framework, re-visioning of the GMC Curriculum Standards and Assessment Systems (Excellence by Design), and development of the “Promoting Excellence” Education Standards for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education and Training for the UK.
Prof. Curran trained as an anesthetist with an interest in chronic pain management and was appointed Consultant at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 2003, where he was made Professor of Innovation and Excellence in Healthcare Education in 2014. He is also a Visiting Professor at King’s College London. Prof. Curran developed and led London’s multi-award winning Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning Initiative. This initiative was awarded the BMJ Award for Excellence in Healthcare Education in 2011 and HSJ Award for Patient Safety in 2009.