Beyond the Clinic: How CCS+D is Shaping Future Clinician-Scientists

Published on 22 July 2026

Picture a well that never runs dry — one that you can return to multiple times, wherever you are in a journey. That's how Prof Darren Lim, Director of the Centre for Clinician-Scientist⁺ Development (CCS⁺D), describes the Centre he leads: a place that clinician-scientists can draw upon at every stage of their journey.

CCS⁺D, a Duke-NUS department under the Office of Academic Medicine, supports the research pillar of Academic Medicine within the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC), nurturing passionate and talented clinician-scientists through personalised career guidance and structured training. Read on as Prof Lim shares his own journey into research, the vision behind CCS⁺D, and why mentorship lies at the heart of developing future clinician-scientists.

The Journey to Becoming a Clinician-Scientist

What was your personal journey to becoming a clinician-scientist, including any defining moment that drew you to research, and how has it shaped the way you develop future clinician-scientists today?

Darren:

"For me, it wasn’t a single defining moment but a growing sense of unease. As I cared for patients, I kept running into the edges of what medicine could explain. We were treating diseases we didn’t fully understand, and I felt we owed it to our patients to do better."

What’s one thing people may not realise is exciting or enjoyable about being a clinician-scientist?

Darren:

"The ‘kick of discovery’, as the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman so vividly described it, is a spine-tingling joy that simply has to be experienced to be understood. I am convinced that every clinician-scientist has had at least one such moment: that sudden, electric feeling when something unknown becomes known, when the pieces fall into place. And once you have felt it, you will spend the rest of your career chasing it. It is, quite simply, addictive."

The Vision Behind CCS⁺D

CCS⁺D offers a range of initiatives — from career development planning and mentorship to grant coaching, workshops and masterclasses. How do these come together to form a structured development pathway for clinician-scientists?

Darren:

"Think of CCS⁺D as a well that clinician-scientists can draw from at every stage of their journey. Whether someone is just starting out or well into their mid-career, our initiatives are designed to meet them where they are: from career development planning and mentorship to grant coaching, workshops, and masterclasses. Each piece of the puzzle is intentional: together, they form a structured pathway that nurtures the whole clinician-scientist, not just their research outputs."

"For me, mentorship is really about paying it forward, and that’s more than just a guiding principle – it’s part of our culture. Over the years, we have mentored many individuals to clinician-scientist success. What makes us genuinely proud is seeing them step up willingly to mentor the next generation. In doing so, they pass on not just knowledge, but wisdom: the lessons learned from their own mentors, the pitfalls to avoid, the paths worth taking. It creates a virtuous cycle that grows stronger with every cohort."

Beyond research expertise, what other skills do you think are essential for clinician-scientists today?

Darren:

"Science is hard and clinician-scientists cannot rely on technical expertise alone. The ability to work with and influence stakeholders, whether internal or external, is critical. So too is learning to manage teams and budgets, and to navigate media (including social media) with credibility and confidence."

CCS⁺D's Research Skills Workshop, held every one to two years since 2016 (most recently in 2026), equips budding clinician-scientists with the skills to compete for national research grants and talent awards. Featuring speakers from Duke University alongside open dialogue with SingHealth leadership and senior clinician-scientists, past participants credit the workshop with sharpening their scientific writing, building negotiation skills for research collaborations, and gaining perspective on sustaining work-life balance.

Investing in Future Clinician-Scientists

How have CCS+D’s programmes or events made a meaningful impact on participants?

Darren:

"Two initiatives stand out. Our suite of workshops, including Research Skills Workshops, Research Development Seminars, Research Masterclass Webinars, which bring together faculty from Duke-NUS and Duke University, are always a highlight of our calendar. There is something genuinely energising about watching world-class educators from two great institutions come together to invest in our aspiring clinician-scientists; it is the kind of experience participants remember long after the workshop ends.

The second is the Clinician Researcher Advancement Funding Talent Scheme (CRAFTS) — and yes, the pun in the name is very much intentional. We created CRAFTS to help Academic Clinical Programmes advance and retain promising research talents within their ranks, strengthening research capacity where it matters most. As a new programme, we are monitoring its outcomes and outputs closely, but we are genuinely excited about the impact it will have."

Upcoming Event

• CCS⁺D Research Masterclass Webinar: Academic Career Development (7 August 2026) | Register here
  Save the date! This upcoming session will offer practical guidance for clinicians charting a path toward a research-active career.

Past Events

• Research Skills Workshop (5 - 6 February 2026) | Read more
  Held together with the Dean’s Celebration with NMRC, this hands-on workshop gave aspiring clinician-scientists rigorous, detailed preparation alongside a celebration of our AMC’s NMRC award winners.
  
• Research Masterclass Webinar: Patient Reported Outcomes (19 May 2026) | Read more
  Explored how patient-reported outcomes can be applied in clinical research.

Interested in learning more about CCS⁺D’s programmes, mentorship opportunities or upcoming events? Get in touch with the team at ccsd@duke-nus.edu.sg.