Pushing the medical frontiers Not contented with pursuing academic excellence alone, A*STAR scholar Louis Tee wants to develop a broader view of success By Philip Lee A*STAR scholarship holder Louis Tee Yun Shou, 24, says he is very glad, for reasons beyond academic ones, that he had the chance to study overseas. This cheerful and friendly Brown University graduate in biomedical engineering says his three years at the Ivy League university in Providence in the United States from 2003 broadened his horizons, reinforced in him the value of family ties and friendship and gave him a chance to enjoy liberal arts subjects, not just science-based ones. Mr Tee, who is on a research attachment at A*Star’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, elaborates: “For the first time in my life, after being doted upon by my mum, I had to fend for myself and perform chores such as cooking, doing my own laundry, washing the dishes and cleaning house. I also missed my family and relatives but that led me to make new friends and to become more self- reliant. On such friendships, he says: “You turn to them, they turn to you and we support one another.” Indeed, it was not long before this outgoing young man started making friends from a number of faculties since he was also studying subjects such as literature and political science. He later even gathered a team of campus pals to provide private tuition for poor children living in humble neighbourhoods near his university. He called his team, “Love in Action”. The team helped more than 20 children — from pre-elementary school to high school. “The kids’ parents happily told us about improved school grades and one Liberian mother even invited us home for an African dinner! It was great,” recalls Mr Tee, a former Catholic High and Raffles Junior College student. The second of four children, Mr Tee, whose parents run a small family business, says his research work is only a start in the long road towards understanding how to control runaway cancer cells which divide wildly and spread to other parts of the body. His research into this will continue when he goes to the US again to pursue his doctorate degree in biomedical engineering, also on an A*Star scholarship. “It starts in September this year but I have not decided whether I should go to the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Columbia or Johns Hopkins,” he says. Asked if there was a particular impression of life in the US that had struck him during his sojourn there, Mr Tee says: “There, many people pursue passion, not money. Those who have, say, a passion for the arts, embrace this and do not envy the money a doctor makes.” On the other hand, he thinks many Singaporeans have a limited view of what success is. “They tend to equate success with material success. That is why many parents want their children to be doctors, lawyers and engineers. What I value is excellence but this must be balanced by compassion.”