IAEA/RCA REGIONAL TRAINING COURSE FOR DELIVERY OF CURRICULUM TO TISSUE BANK OPERATORS, First Batch

3 - 15 November 1997 (Phase I),12-16 October 1998 (Phase II)
National University Hospital Training Centre
Jointly organized by :- National University of Singapore and International Atomic Energy Agency

Started in 1988 and previously known as the NUH Bone Bank, the newly refurbished NUH Tissue Bank has the honour of being appointed as the IAEA/NUS Regional Training Centre for the Asia-Pacific Region and as the IAEA/NUS Inter-national Training Centre for Latin America, Africa and part of Europe to train tissue bank operator to procure and process bones and soft tissues.

Opening Ceremony of RCA Training Course, 3 - 15 November 1997

At 2 000 sq. ft, the newly purpose-built NUH Tissue Bank is one of the biggest in the region, fully equipped with the latest facilities for hands-on training. At the opening ceremony of the IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course for Delivery of Curriculum to Tissue Bank Operators, from 3-15 November 1997, Professor Chong Chi Tat, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, NUS, officially inaugurated the NUH Tissue Bank as the IAEA/NUS Regional an Inter-regional Training Centre and also launched the first NUS Diploma Course on Tissue Banking on 3 November 1997. This Two week training course was conducted for 20 tissue bank operators from 14 countries in the region. It is part of an Open-Distance Learning Diploma Course with a one-year self-study programme for participants. The centre will monitor their progress by three periodic assignments followed by an examination at the end of the year. This is the first Diploma Course on Tissue Banking conducted in the world.

Said A/Professor Aziz Nather, Director of the Tissue Bank and of the Regional/Inter-regional Training Centre, the reason for IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) starting the centre in Singapore is to raise the standards of tissue banking in the region and beyond to the high standards achieved by the NUH Tissue Bank which is equal to the standard of the best banks in USA and Europe.

"It is our hope that this Diploma Course will not only achieve harmonization of high standards among tissue banks to ensure that good quality grafts are produced for safe transplantation in recipients but will also allow the tissue banks to network with one another so as to facilitate the safe exchange of grafts with each other. The centre is producing the IAEA Developed Curriculum on Tissue Banking in Multi-Media to be distributed to RCA Member States (Asia-Pacific Region) in the "Train and Trainers Workshop" to be held in the centre from 27 April to 1 May 1998.

The NUH Tissue Bank is grateful to Professor Glyn O Philips, Technical Advisor to the Deputy Director-General of IAEA for choosing Singapore as the Regional/Inter-regional Centre for the running of such a Diploma Course.