Speakers

Prof. Kua Ee Heok  Psychiatrist 
Professor Kua Ee Heok is the Tan Geok Yin Professor in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at National University of Singapore (NUS), Emeritus Consultant at National University Hospital and Consultant Psychiatrist at Mind Care Clinic, Farrer Park Medical Centre.

Trained as a doctor at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, he received psychiatry training at Oxford and geriatric psychiatry at Harvard.

He is the former Head of Psychological Medicine at NUS, and former CEO and Medical Director at the Institute of Mental Health.

A member of the WHO team for the Global Study of Dementia, he is the first Singapore doctor invited by the United Nations in New York to speak in a world forum on ‘Depression – the Hidden Illness’.

He has published 308 research papers and 27 books on psychiatry, addiction and ageing. His novel ‘Listening to Letter from America’, is used in a module on anthropology at Harvard University. He is Editor-in-Chief (with Norman Sartorius) of the 7-volume series ‘Mental Health and Illness Worldwide’.

Professor Kua Ee Heok's specialty interest is psychological disorders in old age.

Dr. Vina Doshi  Getriatric Specialist 

Dr. Vina Doshi is a consultant physician and specialist with a rich experience in caring for the elderly. She obtained her MBBS from the University of Leeds in 1995.

Dr. Doshi then spent a further year in Leeds completing her Internship and returned in late 1996 to continue with her medical career in Singapore.

Dr. Doshi attained the MRCP (UK) qualification in 2001 and obtained her Specialist qualification in Geriatric Medicine in 2004.

She was previously Consultant Geriatrician and Director of the Geriatric Day Hospital and Geriatric Centre in Changi General Hospital where she dedicated 9 years of service. She was also a member of the Patient Safety Committee and was the primary leading physician running the Falls Clinic in the hospital.

She was interviewed in the “Caring” magazine in 2006 and has been quoted in several Straits Time articles in 2010 regarding her expertise in falls management. She has written several papers on complications of stroke, reasons for long stay in hospital and several poster presentations on the issue of falls and the care of the elderly patient with hip fractures. Dr Doshi has also written a chapter in the book “Behind the stethoscope”, which is a compilation of doctors’ personal reflections in medicine.

Dr. Doshi is a strong proponent of community-based care for the elderly. She formed AgeWell ARTSZ Medical Group Pte Ltd in 2010 to set up several community based services for the elderly. Her interests are in the geriatric syndromes (acute confusion, dementia, falls, incontinence) as well as in geriatric rehabilitation and day rehabilitation services and heart failure in the elderly. One of her passions now in community based elderly care is in management of dementia (especially the behavioural aspects), nutrition in the elderly and most importantly, support and education for the caregivers.

Dr. Vina's specialty interests are acute confusion, day rehabilitation services, dementia, falls geriatric rehabilitation, geriatric syndromes and heart failure.

Dr. Loh Poh Yen Gastroenterologist 

Dr. Loh Poh Yen graduated from University of Malaya in 1999. He had his basic medical training in Malaysia and subsequently obtained his membership of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP) and Master of Medicine from National University of Singapore in 2006.

Dr. Loh pursued his specialist training in Singapore in both gastroenterology and advanced internal medicine. He has become one of the few doctors in Singapore who is accredited by Ministry of Health and registered as specialist in two specialties. With his background in gastroenterology and advanced internal medicine, he is experienced in managing complex gastroenterology and general medical problems, which are often interrelated and need holistic approach in the management.

Dr. Loh has interest in the treatment of advanced liver diseases. This led him to be later trained under Professor Chen Chao Long, who is pioneer in living donor liver transplantation, in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The hospital is the leading hospital in Asia performing living donor liver transplantation.

Dr. Loh Poh Yen worked as a consultant in Changi General Hospital after his return from his training. He continued to provide medical care for patients with both gastroenterological and general medical problems. He provided his expertise in the coordination of care for patients with advanced liver diseases with transplant centres in Singapore and was also instrumental in the setting up of the liver clinic in Changi General hospital, which treated the most number of viral hepatitis C patients in Singapore.

Dr. Loh is easily approachable and well versed in several languages (English, Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese). For this, he is well liked by his patients and was previously accorded several awards by the institutions for his service excellence. He was also actively involved in the training of the young doctors and was a clinical senior lecturer to medical students from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and also a core faculty for Singhealth senior residency program to train young gastroenterologists.

Dr. Loh's specialty interest is treatment of advanced liver diseases.

Dr. Lynne Lim ENT Surgeon 

Dr. Lynne Lim is senior ear, nose and throat (ENT) consultant with 20 years of specialty experience. She manages adult and pediatric cases of general ENT like ear, hearing, tinnitus, giddiness, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, snoring, adenoid and tonsils, throat, voice, head and neck lump problems. The clinic provides a one-stop service for scopes of the nose and throat, hearing tests for newborns to adults, hearing aids and implants fitting, ear balance testing, allergy testing and home sleep studies.

Dr. Lim graduated from National University of Singapore in 1992 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 1996, and Academy of Medicine Singapore in 2001. She obtained a Masters of Public Health (Harvard) in 2005. She has additional sub-specializations from USA and Japan to manage Pediatric ENT and for complex ear cases like central auditory processing disorder, microtia, atresia, middle ear tumor and ear bone reconstruction surgery, cochlear implants, middle ear implants and bone anchored hearing aids; and for Airway Reconstruction.

Dr. Lim's specialty interests are adult and pediatric cases of general ENT, ear, hearing, tinnitus, giddiness, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, snoring, adenoid and tonsils, throat, voice, head and neck lump problems. 

Dr. William Kristanto  Cardiologist 
Dr. William Kristanto graduated from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2010. He completed his Internal Residency Program at National University Hospital (NUH) for which he was Chief Resident, followed by his Cardiology Senior Resident program there. He pursued his training in interventional cardiology under the tutelage of Dr. Sidney Lo at Liverpool, New South Wales with the prestigious Ministry of Health Health Manpower Development Plan award.

His areas of interest include performing diagnostic coronary angiogram, complex coronary angioplasty, incorporating the latest in intracoronary imaging using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), as well as coronary physiology assessment using fractional flow reserve (FFR), index of microvascular resistance (IMR), coronary flow reserve (CFR), and resting full-cycle ration (RFR).

At Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), he was Cardiac Rehabilitation Lead. His secondary appointment was Deputy Chief Medical Informatics Officer for which he was actively involved in the implementation of the Next Generation Electronic Medical Records system.

Throughout his years of training and work, he won numerous awards, notably Best Young Clinician at NTFGH (2016) and Service Ambassador (2017).

Dr. Kristanto is currently a visiting consultant cardiologist at the National University Heart Centre. He is also part of the Western ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Network of interventional cardiologists, performing out-of-office hours primary angioplasties for the western region of Singapore.

Dr. Kristanto is also heavily involved in clinical teaching and research. He is currently part of the Clinical Faculty Scheme at NUS and has mentored numerous Cardiology Fellows in training. He is also involved as an investigator in numerous ongoing clinical trials.

He is a member of the Singapore Cardiac Society as well as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore.

Dr. Chan Po Fun  Cardiologist 

Dr. Chan Po Fun, a cardiologist subspecialising in echocardiography and heart failure, is a visiting consultant with the National University Health System. Previously, she was Director of Cardiac Diagnostic Laboratory and Clinical Lead of Heart Failure Services at the National University Heart Centre (Jurong Health Campus).

Having received her testamur from the National Board of Echocardiography (America) in 2023, Dr. Chan is trained in transthoracic, transesophageal, pharmacological and exercise stress echocardiography. She is adept at the use of strain-imaging for detection of subclinical cardiac conditions, and competent in 3D techniques for accurate assessment of structural heart problems.

Dr. Chan has extensive experience in heart failure management. She is well-versed in haemodynamics-tailored therapy, iron depletion, and the long-term care of heart failure patients.

She also has specialty interests in lipids, cardio-oncology, and female-centric heart conditions.

Dr. Kan Yuk Man  General Surgeon 
Dr. Kan Yuk Man is a Senior Consultant Surgeon specializing in surgical oncology (stomach, esophageal, hepatobiliary: liver, pancreas and colon). His primary practice lies in the field of general surgery with a focus on minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopy and keyhole surgery. Dr. Kan is also experienced in treating other conditions such as skin lumps, hemorrhoids and piles, simple and complex hernia for adult and children, gall stones and sweaty palms. He also provides cancer screening with endoscopy (gastroscopy and colonoscopy).

Prior to private practice, Dr. Kan was the lead surgeon for Upper GI Surgery at Alexandra Hospital and Visiting Consultant to the National University Hospital. In 2015, he went into private practice and established KYM Surgery.

Dr. Kan graduated from The University of Manchester Medical in Manchester, U.K. in 1993 and later obtained his Fellowship from The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, U.K. in 1998. He then embarked on his postgraduate surgical training at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, U.K. and successfully completed the training in 2007. Dr. Kan later took on numerous prestigious fellowships and training that specialize in cancer surgery for the stomach, esophagus, liver and pancreas at international medical centers such as Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, National Cancer Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan and Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia.

Apart from clinical work, Dr. Kan is a passionate educator who has been regularly invited as a trainer on regional surgical workshops and global medical conferences. He has also been elected to numerous committee roles such as Secretariat of the Singapore chapter of Endoscopic & Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia (ELSA) and Auditor of the Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society of Singapore (OMSSS). Dr. Kan currently serves on the Medical Board at Farrer Park Hospital. He is also an instructor for the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course and an appointed reviewer for the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery, British Journal of Surgery and the Singapore Medical Journal.

Dr. Kan's specialty interests are bariatric surgery, general surgery (liver, pancreas, biliary), general surgery (oesophagus, stomach), hepatobiliary and upper GI surgery.

Dr. Felicia Tan General Surgeon
Dr. Felicia Tan is Director and Chief Surgeon of FeM Surgery – one of the leading surgical group practices in Singapore. She graduated with a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery from the National University of Singapore. She received her postgraduate training as a general surgeon at the National Cancer Centre Singapore and Singapore General Hospital and chose to subspecialise in breast surgery. She served as an associate consultant in Kerdang Kerbau Womens’ and Childrens’ Hospital and as a consultant surgeon in Raffles Hospital prior to starting her own practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and received her specialist accreditation in General Surgery in Singapore.

In 2015, she was awarded Prestige Singapore’s Top 40 under 40 achiever for her contribution to the field of medicine and breast cancer. Her clinical interest lies in treatment of breast cancer and the use of various surgical techniques to achieve the best oncologic and cosmetic outcome for her patients. This includes breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) for cancers as well as nipple and skin-sparing mastectomies with immediate breast reconstruction. She is also adept with the whole range of breast surgical procedures including vacuum-assisted biopsies for breast lesions. She is the pioneer of the procedure radioisotope occult lesion localisation (ROLL) in Singapore – which is used for locating non-palpable breast lesions and microcalcifications for surgical excision.

Her current research interests lies in breast oncology, especially in understanding breast cancer in young women. Her research background is in translational medicine, utilising molecular and genetic profiling of tumor sub-types to identify biomarkers, which will assist in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancer. She received the prestigious Singapore Millennium Foundation Scholarship in 2007 to pursue her research interests. Dr. Felicia is actively involved in promoting breast cancer awareness. She has also been invited to give lectures and public talks on breast cancer related issues both locally and internationally. She spearheads regular trips to Bali, Cambodia, Maldives, India, UAE and Vietnam to carry out free breast cancer screening camps.

Dr. Tan's specialty interest is breast surgery.

Dr. Andrew Tan Nuclear Medicine Consultant

​Dr. Andrew Tan Eik Hock received his MBBS from the National University of Singapore School of Medicine in 2001. He was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists in the United Kingdom in 2008 and the Academy of Medicine of Singapore in 2009, and was awarded a Diplomate in Nuclear Cardiology from the Certification Council in Nuclear Cardiology in the United States in 2011. ​Dr. Tan is currently a Nuclear Medicine consultant at Farrer Park Hospital. 

His main clinical interests are in theranostics and neurodegenerative disorders, and he has been on training attachments to Zentralklinic Bad Berka in Germany, European Institute of Oncololgy in Italy and Austin Health in Melbourne Australia. He currently serves at the president of the Singapore Radiological Society, and is a member of the World Association of Radiopharmaceutical and Molecular Therapy. 

Dr. Tan's specialty interests are neurogenerative diseases and theranostics.

Dr. S.S. Sathappan  Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. S.S. Sathappan is Medical Director of Bone and Joint Specialist Clinic. He is trained in orthopedic surgery. He has special interests in adult reconstructive surgery (joint replacement, primary and revision), sports surgery and management of complex pelvic and acetabular trauma and was the first surgeon to perform customized joint replacement. Other procedures he performs include live-fibula graft surgery in avascular necrosis (AVN) of the hip and hip resurfacing procedures, key-hole meniscal and ligament reconstruction procedures. He also performs bi-compartmental and uni-compartmental robotic hip and knee procedures (MAKOplasty^®). His interest in optimizing high-flexion in patients had led to his involvement in design options through international multi-centre clinical research groups.

Apart from clinical practice, Dr. Sathappan was also Clinical tutor in NUS, Specialty Board Member for the Chapter of Orthopedic Surgeons (Singapore), Clinical Research Co-ordinator; ATLS Course Instructor; and BCLS Course Instructor. He has written numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in several orthopaedic textbooks. Annually, he is involved in numerous international hip and knee orthopaedic meetings as invited faculty where he often lectures in various subspecialties.

Dr. Sathappan has won numerous awards during his training years and as a consultant in a restructured hospital. His most recent achievement was the EXSA Superstar Award (2009) for which he was the recipient for four consecutive years for the Gold Award since 2005. Other awards included Yahya Cohen Surgical award (2008), NUS teaching excellence award (2007/08), NHG Quality Pillar Award (2007/08); Best Clinical Practice Improvement Program award (2007); Young Orthopaedic Investigator award (2007); Hip & Knee Arthritis and Reconstruction Scholarship (Hip & Knee Society, USA, 2005); Suple best student in medicine award (1995).

Dr. Sathappan's specialty interests are adult reconstructive surgery (joint replacement, primary and revision), and management of complex pelvic and acetabular trauma and sports surgery.

Dr. Matthew Tan Endocrinologist

Dr. Matthew Tan Zhen-Wei is currently an endocrinologist in private practice.

Prior to private practice, Dr. Tan was a former consultant at Singapore General Hospital in which he has received multiple awards for professional excellence.

Dr Tan's specialty interests are area of calcium and metabolic bone disorders and osteoporosis, general endocrinology and thyroid. 

He remains active as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in both NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, where he continues to teach both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Dr. Tan is also an active member of several societies, which include:  

• Treasurer, Endocrine and Metabolic Society of Singapore (2017 – present)
• Committee Member, Endocrine and Metabolic Society of Singapore (2015 – 2017)
• Member, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2015 – present)

Dr. Tan’s clinical interests include Diabetes Mellitus, Thyroid, General Endocrinology and subspecialty interests in the area of Calcium and Metabolic Bone Disorders and Osteoporosis​.

Dr. Mohammad Mashfiqul Arafin Siddiqui (Dr. Mash) Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Mohd Mashfiqul Arafin Siddiqui (or as patients call him, Dr. Mash) is a Senior Orthopedic and Spine Surgeon at The Orthopaedic Centre. Dr. Mash has an extensive experience in both general orthopedics and spine surgery. He is also a spine surgeon in Singapore experienced in dealing with the resection of massive sacral tumors and subsequent reconstruction of the spine to the pelvis.

Dr. Mash's areas of interest include neck and lower back pain, spine degeneration (cervical and lumbar spondylosis), prolapsed intervertebral disc (slipped disc or HNP), injuries to the neck or back, spinal fractures, spinal cord injury, spinal deformity (such as scoliosis or spondylolisthesis), spinal infections and spinal tumors.

Prior to private practice, Dr. Mash had spent 15 years in public healthcare. He was Clinical Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS)’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and a core faculty member for SingHealth’s Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme. He is currently Visiting Consultant to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Singapore General Hospital. He is also on the international faculty for the teaching of spinal surgery and a reviewer for the prestigious The Spine Journal.

Dr. Mash obtained his basic medical degree from NUS. He subsequently pursued his postgraduate training in Orthopedic Surgery and obtained his fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He later underwent further training in Spinal Surgery at Royal Alexandra Hospital, University of Alberta Hospital and the Stollery Children's Hospital, under renowned spinal surgeons with orthopedic and neurosurgical background.

Surgical procedures performed by Dr. Mash include keyhole slipped disc surgery (microdiscectomy), keyhole laminectomy (decompression of nerves in the spine), spinal fusions, minimally invasive fracture fixation, vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty (cement injection for spine fractures), scoliosis surgery, cervical disc replacement (replacing the discs in the neck), cervical laminoplasty (non-fusion alternative for the neck) and revision of spinal surgery.

Dr. Mash is also well versed in the usage of two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) computer aided navigation systems. He uses them for spinal surgery when required, to improve surgical safety and outcome.

Besides his clinical involvement, Dr. Mash has also presented at numerous international meetings organized by the International Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT), American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), North American Spine Society (NASS), European Society of Sports, Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA), Asia Pacific Orthopedic Surgeons (APOA) as well as the Global Spine Congress and the International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST). He also regularly contributes scientific content to the Singapore Orthopedic Association’s annual meeting and is still active publishing in international spine journals. Dr. Mash has also travelled extensively to multiple countries to lecture and impart his surgical techniques to aspiring spine surgeons. He is involved in voluntary work in the community and is an avid sportsman.

Dr. Mash's specialty interests are minimally invasive spinal surgery,  microdiscectomy, artificial disc replacement, spinal fusion and scoliosis surgery, computer navigated and revision spinal surgery, vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty, surgery for spinal fractures and tumors, and general orthopedics.