Through Project Dove, Duke-NUS students are learning that the practice of medicine begins not in clinics, but in communities, with humility, empathy and the will to serve.

Each year, a group of Duke-NUS medical students steps beyond the classroom and into communities far from home. Places where access to basic healthcare is limited, and a single screening or educational session can make a lasting difference.

Now in its 15th year, the Duke-NUS Overseas Volunteering Expedition, otherwise known as Project Dove, continues to deliver critical health services to underserved populations across Southeast Asia. From remote districts in Vietnam to rural villages in Sri Lanka, the student-led mission works hand in hand with local organisations to conduct health screenings, train educators and strengthen community-based care. Along the way, it cultivates in future doctors a deeper understanding of empathy, humility and service.

For Duke-NUS medical student Mr Teo Kai Qin, the student leader for Project Dove 2025, the mission offered both purpose and perspective. “I was inspired by the goal of providing sustainable healthcare to underserved communities beyond Singapore,” he said.

Over four months, Kai Qin and his team organised six fundraising events, from festive booths and coffee sales to a stair-climbing challenge that engaged the wider school community. Collectively, they raised approximately S$27,000, setting a new record in Project Dove’s history.

The Project Dove Sri Lanka team with partners from the University of Jaffna Faculty of Medicine and local community healthcare workers.

In February 2025, the team travelled to Sri Lanka to run health screenings and provide speech therapy training to local teachers working with children with special needs. The programme was designed to meet specific community needs and complement the work of local educators and healthcare workers.

“Despite facing significant resource limitations, the Sri Lankans we worked with displayed immense resilience and a deep sense of ownership over their health and well-being,” said Kai Qin. “Their strength and independence were humbling. It reminded me to approach my own medical training with greater empathy, humility and compassion.”

A Place of Purpose

Project Dove’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and partnership is reflected throughout its past missions. In 2019, a team supported more than 1,000 residents in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province, a region still recovering from the aftermath of war, even after 50 years. Alongside healthcare and education efforts, the students helped fund and build sanitation facilities for a local preschool, addressing urgent needs while laying the groundwork for better hygiene and long-term wellbeing.