Papers by Andrew Koh
International journal of STD & AIDS, Jun 18, 2016
An inner Sydney sexual health service introduced the option to gay and bisexual men of receiving ... more An inner Sydney sexual health service introduced the option to gay and bisexual men of receiving a negative HIV result by SMS to mobile phone one business day after venipuncture (rapid SMS). Men could also choose one of the other options: a point-of-care-test (POCT), by phone, or in-person (clinicians could also require in-person). We followed-up patients choosing the rapid SMS method to ascertain their satisfaction. During 12 months, 473 men had 591 HIV tests. Of these tests, 5.4% were POCTs, 9.1% were in-person, 24% were by phone, and 62% were rapid SMS. HIV POCTs declined from being 22% of result methods in the pre-study period to 5.4% during the rapid SMS intervention period (odds ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.13-0.32, P < 0.0001). Phone/in-person results declined from 78% to 33% (odds ratio 0.14, 95% CI 0.10-0.20, P < 0.0001). SMS was sent by the next business day in 95% of cases; 96% of men were satisfied; and 95% would choose this method for their next test. Of 77 men who previo...
Nursing Standard, 1999
We study the magnetic coupling between different ferromagnetic metals (FMs) across a graphene (G)... more We study the magnetic coupling between different ferromagnetic metals (FMs) across a graphene (G) layer, and the role of graphene as a thin covalent spacer. Starting with G grown on a FM substrate (Ni or Co), we deposit on top at room temperature different FM metals (Fe, Ni, Co). By measuring the dichroic effect of 3p photoemission lines we detect the magnetization of the substrate and the sign of the exchange coupling in FM overlayer at room temperature. We show that the G layer magnetically decouples the FM metals.
Nursing Standard, 2000
The Code Analysis Repository & Modelling for E-Neuroscience (CARMEN) project aims to enable broad... more The Code Analysis Repository & Modelling for E-Neuroscience (CARMEN) project aims to enable broad sharing of resources, through the provision of a secure, online environment for storage and curation of data, analysis code and experimental protocols, together with the ability to execute data analysis. While the CARMEN system is initially focused on electrophysiology data, it is equally applicable to many domains outside neuroscience. Metadata are essential for a system such as CARMEN that has the potential to store thousands of data collections and analysis codes; without metadata, resource discovery, interpretation, evaluation and re-use would be severely impeded. Therefore, when any resource (data, service or workflow) is added to the system, users must provide adequate descriptions. These descriptions form a metadata repository that is searchable to allow users to find any kind of resource held in the system, assuming that the user has appropriate access rights. This paper discusses and explores the project's approach to implementing such a metadata repository that meets both system requirements and user expectations. Initial approaches were refined after user evaluations, and a more practical approach was followed that better aligned with the aims of the users and the project as a whole.
The modern history of medicine in China is disposed to position Traditional Chinese Medicine as a... more The modern history of medicine in China is disposed to position Traditional Chinese Medicine as a feudal tradition if not an afterthought. If the republicans of modern China had their way, Traditional Chinese Medicine would have been relegated to the various curios in museums (Hsu 2008, Lei 2014, Unschuld 2018). That tendency is reflective of the early struggles by the disparate practitioners of Chinese Medicine to have the medical practice hold its own in modern China, and to offer itself not as a mere historical artefact but as a living albeit evolving and effective alternative and complement to modern medicine. However, its modern history remains highly contested (Lei 2014, 18). In the process of attempting to legitimise its practice, the practitioners of CM began to re-read some of the medical classics such as the Huangdi neijing (HDNJ)《黃帝內經》, variously translated as 'Huang Di's Inner Classic' (Unschuld, Tessenow, and Zheng 2011a) or 'Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine' (Li and Liu 2005), in terms of modern medicine. One of the longstanding ideas from the HDNJ is 'shen 神', which a number of anglophone textbooks on TCM equate with mental health. The aims of this research are to: i. examine the significance and nuances of the standalone term, 'shen 神', in the HDNJ; ii. compare and contrast 'shen 神' with contemporary TCM interpretations, by authors of TCM textbooks and manuals in English, as well as practitioners; iii. investigate the understanding of 'shen 神' by some contemporary CM practitioners, and compare it with some of the ideas about 'shen 神' in the HDNJ; and building on these, to iv. explore the enactment and/or embodiment of 'shen 神' in the clinical practice of said practitioners. The contribution of this research bridges the divide between a philosophical understanding of Chinese Medicine, in particular, of shen 神 in the HDNJ, and the practice of healers yi 醫 to better incorporate such philosophical inquiry in their work.
Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
Foreword by the Federal Environment Minister In this report we would like to present some of the ... more Foreword by the Federal Environment Minister In this report we would like to present some of the projects we have launched since 2008. The IKI draws on a wide array of strategies. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to support several impor tant countries in crucial ways. These included restoring old ponds in the Himalayas, protecting the last cloud forests in Ethiopia, supporting a solar power plant in Morocco, delivering advisory services for climate change policy in Mexico and promoting energy efficiency measures in Kyrgyzstan. So please read on, and see for yourself the many facets of our International Climate Initiative.
Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
I read an article about the competing needs of different carers and care receivers ( Shyu2000 ). ... more I read an article about the competing needs of different carers and care receivers ( Shyu2000 ). &#39;Professional care-giving recommendations compete with a care-giver&#39;sideas of how that care-giving should be,&#39; the article stated. Although it focused on family care-givers in the home, many of the issues raised were applicable to a situation I came across as a student nurse.
Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
Students are told that good communication with patients is vital. But equally important to patien... more Students are told that good communication with patients is vital. But equally important to patients&#39; wellbeing is good communication with other members of the care team. An episode during a placement highlighted that point for me.
Philosophy East and West, 2020
Concerns over the environment, while not new, have taken on an urgency due to exacerbated climate... more Concerns over the environment, while not new, have taken on an urgency due to exacerbated climate change in the past few decades. Pope Francis’ issue of his encyclical, Laudato Si, has added weight to the debate by positioning the Roman Catholic Church as a defender of the earth’s integrity. Significantly, Francis draws intimate connections on climate change to other issues such as economic equality, political cultures, and globalization, a view that is very much based on a theology of creation that is rooted in familial terms. I suggest in this paper, that a reading of the ancient Chinese medical text, the Huangdi neijing 黃帝內經, reveals a philosophical perspective that is not dissimilar to that espoused and promoted by Francis. The fact that the current pope is a Jesuit gives poignancy to the comparison as the Jesuits have a long involvement in China. I examine these two viewpoints and draw out some implications, especially for the philosophy of Chinese Medicine, namely, that the idea of body is more than material, extending as well to the social, political, cultural, and environmental.
Elisabeth Rochat is the author (and co-author with the late Jesuit, Claude Larre) of sevearal boo... more Elisabeth Rochat is the author (and co-author with the late Jesuit, Claude Larre) of sevearal books on the classics of Chinese medicine. She has conducted seminars in Australia on Chinese medicine over the years. In mid-2016, she gave weekend talks on shen 神, the five aspects of the spirit in Chinese medicine. I took the opportunity to have a conversation with Elisabeth and the result is as follows. The footnotes are a way of contextualising the conversation which began well before the formal recording.
Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
In this article, Andrew Koh argues that non-judgemental care is a professional obligation with cl... more In this article, Andrew Koh argues that non-judgemental care is a professional obligation with clear ethical and legal implications for nurses.
The contributions of the various authors of the Neijing are reflected in the books’ rich philosop... more The contributions of the various authors of the Neijing are reflected in the books’ rich philosophy, theory and application of medical concepts and acupuncture, and have laid the foundation for the practice of medicine in Chinese civilisation through to the present day. The concept of resonance ying 應encourages an exploration of the various pairings of the channels jingluo 經絡. The mapping out of the pairings reveals which ones have stronger resonating relationships and are therefore given priority in the selection of channels to treat. Flexibility and versatility are thereby afforded to the clinician precisely because the acupuncture channel structure perceived by the authors of the Neijing is organic, complex and dynamic.
An inner Sydney sexual health service introduced the option to gay and bisexual men of receiving ... more An inner Sydney sexual health service introduced the option to gay and bisexual men of receiving a negative HIV result by SMS to mobile phone one business day after venipuncture (rapid SMS). Men could also choose one of the other options: a point-of-care-test (POCT), by phone, or in-person (clinicians could also require in-person). We followed-up patients choosing the rapid SMS method to ascertain their satisfaction. During 12 months, 473 men had 591 HIV tests. Of these tests, 5.4% were POCTs, 9.1% were in-person, 24% were by phone, and 62% were rapid SMS. HIV POCTs declined from being 22% of result methods in the pre-study period to 5.4% during the rapid SMS intervention period (odds ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.13–0.32, P < 0.0001). Phone/in-person results declined from 78% to 33% (odds ratio 0.14, 95% CI 0.10–0.20, P < 0.0001). SMS was sent by the next business day in 95% of cases; 96% of men were satisfied; and 95% would choose this method for their next test. Of 77 men who previously had an HIV POCT, 56 (73%) elected a rapid SMS result rather than having another POCT. The higher accuracy of conventional serology was commonly expressed as the reason for choosing rapid SMS for results.
We see, we hear, we move, we touch. Bodies are the points of contact with the external world. Ch... more We see, we hear, we move, we touch. Bodies are the points of contact with the external world. Chinese medicine views the body. The human body exists and expresses itself not just in time and space but unfolds its past, manifests its present and projects into the future. What does it mean for a Chinese medicine physician to be experienced in his art and treat his patients efficaciously? What does it mean for him to experience the body? How does he understand his patient’s body if not in a mechanical manner? A key ancient text, the Huangdi Neijing Suwen 黃帝內經素問is proffered as the source of traditional Chinese medical practice today. It is from this text that an exposition of the body in Chinese medicine is carried out.
Taking as its object of study Johann S. Lee's Peculiar Chris (1992) and Andrew Koh's Glass Cathed... more Taking as its object of study Johann S. Lee's Peculiar Chris (1992) and Andrew Koh's Glass Cathedral (1995), this essay considers the ways in which the relationship between queer identities and (trans)nationalism is construed in two Singapore "coming out" novels. How does their status as writing emerging from a particular postcolonial urban site inflect the significance of their literary-stylistic choices? What kinds of affiliations are affirmed, what ties are disavowed? While the thematization of homosexuality in the Singapore context does not automatically make such texts "subversive", gay writing brings sharply into focus the problematics arising from a confluence of nationalist and global discourses -in this case, globalized notions of a transnational gay identity originating largely from the West. Drawing on and explicitly announcing their participation in a larger body of gay protest literature, these texts offer a valuable opportunity for reflecting on how transnationalism might enable queer subjects to challenge and revise nationally endorsed models of masculinity; at the same time, the extent to which their efforts to articulate a queer identity might compromise their "Singaporeanness" is considered.
Conference Presentations by Andrew Koh
In July 2009, UNESCO designated Dongui Bogam as part of its Memory of th eWorld Programme. Dongui... more In July 2009, UNESCO designated Dongui Bogam as part of its Memory of th eWorld Programme. Dongui Bogam was written by the royal physician Heo Jun (1539-1615) and his team. The original 23 volumes were published in 1613. The 400th anniversary of its publication is being celebrated this year along with the first complete translation in English. The impact of Dongui Bogam is such that it spawns a school of thought and practice in Korea since its publication. It has been recognised that Dongui Bogam deals not just with the clinical aspects of medicine but broadens the very meaning of medicine through discussing the person and morality in relation to health. This paper reflects on two dimensions of Dongui Bogam that are particularly relevant to modern concerns, namely the important part that man plays within heaven and earth, and the ethics of the physician. The reflection rests on the way Heo Jun frames both the book and the text. As an embodiment of qi endowed from the universe, man possesses many resemblance to heaven and earth. On the same note, the actions of man exerts pivotal influence on the dynamics of heaven and earth, be it the climatic changes, the destruction of war, or the economic crisis. Playing such a crucial role, it cannot be overemphasised that man's actions needs to be ruled by his ethics and humanity. A physician who has great impact on his patients' health must be guided by his virtues. It is with this altrustic intention that Dongui Bogam was compiled, and this message of morality is especially applicable to those who may read and practise out of the book in modern times. 400 years in the long history of Eastern Medicine is a relatively short time. However, the world has changed at a much quicker speed than at any period in human history. The pace of technological breakthroughs and development in just the last two hundred years or so feels like a compression of a thousand years. Humans have landed on a different planet and have looked beyond our solar system into other galaxies. Humans have looked within the physical body, stripping it down to the letters of our DNA. Humans have discovered we share the same sub particles with all things, animate and inanimate. Within this big modern, sophisticated picture, Dongui Bogum continues to address concerns that are as contemporary to us as they were in Heo Jun's time: our stewardship of the earth and the ethics by which we live and exercise power. In this paper, I do not propose to cover the technical aspects of Dongui Bogam, that is, the various herbal formulae and acupuncture points. Rather, I wish to reflect on Heo Jun's (許浚 1537?/1539–1615) opening passages to the entire encyclopaedia. There is a saying by Sun Zhenren [孫真人, 581-682],
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Papers by Andrew Koh
Conference Presentations by Andrew Koh