Speakers

Dr. Tan Min Han  Medical Oncologist 
Dr. Tan Min-Han is the founding CEO and Medical Director of Lucence Health, a medical company that delivers liquid biopsies for earlier cancer detection in blood for patients. Lucence is the first and only Asian-headquartered healthcare company to receive United States Medicare national insurance approval for its services. Dr Tan is a medical oncologist and clinical cancer geneticist by training, who was principal investigator of the Singapore Breast Cancer Screening Programme (SBCSP), the only Asian prospective study of mammography for >169,000 women. He has received scientific awards for research from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO).

Dr. Lim Zi Yi  Medical Oncologist 
Dr. Lim Zi Yi is the Medical Director of CFCH and a Senior Consultant in Haematology.

He has more than 2 decades of experience as a haematologist having worked at top haematology centres in both London and Singapore.

He has a specialist interest in Haemato-oncology and Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. He is experienced in the treating of patients with haematological diseases including acute leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, lymphoma, myeloma and aplastic anaemia. In addition, he has wide experience in the management of general haematological conditions (such as clotting disorders, anaemia, bleeding disorders). 

He received his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh, UK and subsequently underwent specialist training in haemato-oncology at Kings College Hospital, London. He did research as a Clinical Lecturer in Haematology at King College London for 2 years on transplant immunology before returning to full time clinical work. During his tenure at King College Hospital, he helped to develop it into one of the largest allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant centres in Europe. During his time in London, he published more than 40 papers and presented more than 100 abstracts at international conferences. In 2007, he was awarded the prestigious Tito Bastianello Award for Best Young Investigator, at the 9th International Symposium on Myelodysplastic Syndromes, in Italy. He has also been the principal author on several key highly cited papers in the field of myelodysplastic syndromes and allogeneic haematopoeitic stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Lim returned to Singapore in 2011 where he has led the development of several haematological services in the public and private sector. He was awarded the NUHS Clinician Scientist Program Award in 2012. He is presently the Medical Director of the Centre for Clinical Haematology, as well as a Visiting Consultant at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore. Dr. Lim continues to be active in medical research and clinical trials and is passionate about the development of new treatment strategies for patients with complex haematological disorders. He is presently working on introducing new innovative therapies such as CAR-T cell therapies and other cellular therapies into Singapore.

Dr. Lim has been the President of the Singapore Bone Marrow Programme since 2013. The Charity runs the bone marrow registry for Singapore, and Dr Lim has been passionate about raising awareness of blood disorders and working to increase funding and support for patients and relatives affected by the disorder.

Dr. Lim also serves on several committees advising on blood cancers, including the MOH Bone Marrow/Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Working Committee, the  MOH COVID-19 Transplantation Services Advisory Committee as well as the MOH Drug Advisory Committee. He is also part of the Medical Advisory Board and Chair of the Blood Transfusion Services Committee for both Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Mount Alvernia Hospital.

Dr. Lim believes in approaching patient care in a holistic manner. He works closely with patients and their families to map out treatment options, and his CFCH team will work to support patients through all phases of their haematology journey. 

Dr. Gerard Leong  Cardiologist 
Dr. Gerard Leong is a Specialist in Cardiology, sub-specializing in echocardiography imaging, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, including cardio-oncology care and resistant hypertension care. He also has a specialty interest in ischemic heart disease, especially appropriate use of stenting or bypass surgery and strategies to reduce the risk of stroke and dementia.

Between 2017 to 2020, Dr. Leong was Medical Director at Thomson Cardiology Centre before setting up his practice. Before this, Dr. Leong was a senior consultant in the Department of Cardiology in Changi General Hospital (CGH) from 2012-2017 and the Director of the CGH's Heart Failure Program from 2006 to 2017. He also had established and led the hospital's Heart Failure Program from 2006 to 2017.

He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1994, obtained his Royal College of Physicians (UK) membership in 2001, and specialist accreditation in Cardiology in Singapore in 2005. Subsequently, Dr. Leong underwent advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology fellowship training in Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate hospital of Harvard Medical School, in Boston, the USA, from Jul 2007 to Jun 2008 on the Human Manpower Development Program (HMDP) scholarship from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore.

Dr. Leong obtained his Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) Fellowship in 2011 and further underwent clinical and hands-on training in renal sympathetic denervation in hypertension and heart failure at The Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia, in 2013 on a second HMDP scholarship from MOH, Singapore. Dr. Leong passed his Examination of Special Competence in Adult Echocardiography and obtained his Diplomate certification from the USA National Board of Echocardiography in June 2015.

Dr. Leong has published numerous papers and books on heart failure and renal denervation in resistant hypertension. His clinical aim is to achieve optimal outcomes for his patients by applying appropriate evidence-based care.

Dr. Leong's specialty interests are cardio-oncology, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, resistant hypertension care, cardio-obstetrics and echocardiography imaging in heart care. 

Dr. Timothy Lim  General Surgeon 
Dr. Timothy Lim Yong Kuei is a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology with a special interest in the management of gynecological cancers. He was instrumental in the development of minimally invasive gynecological oncology surgery as a standard of care in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) as well as starting the ICG-NIR sentinel lymph node biopsy services for endometrial cancers in 2016. He is also well-versed in fertility-sparing gynecological oncology surgery and has performed more than 12 abdominal radical trachelectomy procedures for early cervical cancer in KKH.

Dr. Lim was formerly the Head and Senior Consultant Gynecologist of the Department of Gynecological Oncology at KKH from 2014 to 2019 as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Division of the Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G) at KKH from October 2015 to November 2019. He was Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS)'s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School and Nanyang Technological University's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine from 2017 to 2019.

Dr. Lim graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1998 and obtained the Membership from the Royal College of United Kingdom, O&G, in 2003. He started his gynecological oncology fellowship training in the Department of Gynecological Oncology at KKH in 2006. He was awarded the Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) award from the Ministry of Health to train in minimally invasive gynecological oncology surgery in France from 2007 to 2008. He also obtained his Masters in Law in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh in 2016.

As a clinical researcher, Dr. Lim has authored and co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed papers. His main research interest is in cancers of the genital tract as well as complex pelvic surgery, including minimally invasive cancer surgery. He has also been invited to give numerous lectures at both local and regional scientific meetings. His passion in education has garnered him several teaching awards for both medical undergraduates and (O&G) residents. He was the course director of the colposcopy and management of pre-invasive diseases program in the Singhealth O&G ACP from 2016 to 2019.

Dr. Lim also dedicates his time to professional education by serving in the councils of the O&G Society of Singapore (OGSS) and Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology of Singapore (SCCPS) for the last 10 years. He served as the Honorary President of both societies from 2019 to 2020.

He has a strong passion in public health education especially in the prevention and treatment of gynecological cancers and has helped organize numerous public health talks and professional O&G conferences including the RCOG World Congress 2018 in the last decade. He has been a volunteer doctor with the Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) for many years and is the Chairman of the Women’s Gynecological Cancer Awareness Committee in SCS since 2014.

He is also a committee member of Cervical Screen Singapore, Health Promotion Board as well as the co-chair of its cervical screening implementation subcommittee 2017/2018.

Dr. Lim's specialty interest is gynecological oncology.

Dr. David Tan  Radiation Oncologist 
Dr. David Tan Boon Harn is Medical Director and Senior Radiation Oncologist at Asian Alliance Radiation & Oncology (AARO), a private Singapore Radiation and Oncology group focusing on the use of advanced technologies to treat cancer. He has more than 15 years of clinical experience and specializes in the treatment of Gynaecological Cancers (Cervix, Uterus & Ovarian), Lung cancers, Gastrointestinal cancers (Oesophagus, Stomach & Colorectal), and Hepatobiliary cancers (Liver, Pancreas & Gallbladder).

His clinical expertise is in the use of stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SRS/SBRT), a highly targeted and ablative radiation treatment to treat primary and metastatic tumours in only 1-5 sessions. He is also fellowship- trained in Brachytherapy for gynaecological cancers. Dr Tan is dual-trained in Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy, and well-versed with all modern radiation technologies including 3D conformal external beam radiotherapy (3D-CRT), Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT), Deep Inspiration Breath Hold Radiotherapy, Gynaecology (cervix and endometrium) image-guided brachytherapy.

Committed to providing comprehensive and personalized cancer treatment, Dr Tan takes time to understand the patient’s condition and personal needs. Armed with his technical expertise, and the latest scientific evidence, Dr Tan is able to offer customized treatment plans based on the individual patients’ condition to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Dr. Tan graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2005 and commenced training in Radiation Oncology at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) in 2007.

In 2011, Dr. Tan received the Health and Manpower Development (HMDP) Award for Advanced Training in Clinical Oncology in the UK. There, at the Mount Vernon Cancer Cancer in Middlesex, he obtained advanced training in general oncology and further subspecialized in the above tumor sites. He also trained under renowned experts in stereotactic radiosurgery and brachytherapy. He obtained his Fellowship in Clinical Oncology from the Royal College of Radiologists in the UK (FRCR) in 2013 and was admitted as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (FAMS) in Radiation Oncology in 2014.

Prior to joining AARO, Dr. Tan was a Consultant Radiation Oncologist at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). During his 10 years of service in the public sector, he was responsible for setting up the Liver and Pancreas SBRT programs, and oversaw their development from protocol development to patient enrolment and subsequently to treatment of increasingly complex cases such as multiple liver metastases and portal vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He is also currently co-investigator in an international IAEA-led trial comparing SBRT with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in unresectable HCC.

Dr. Tan is the Singapore National Project Coordinator for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regional Project 6085, which aims to Enhance Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Frequent Cancers in the Asia-Pacific Region. After establishing Singapore as one of the regional training hubs in Asia- Pacific, Dr. Tan conducted the first regional training course of the project in NCCS in 2016, which was attended by participants from 17 member states. He is also council member of the Federation of Asian Organizations for Radiation Oncology (FARO), which is a non-profit scientific organization comprising national radiation oncology societies in Asia to improve the level of radiotherapy in the region.

On the local front, Dr. Tan serves as Chair of the Radiation Oncology Sub-section of the Singapore Radiological Society (SRS), and is also a fellow in the Academy of Medicine. He has been part of the organizing committee for RadiologyAsia 2015 and 2017, which are regional radiology meetings held bi-annually in conjunction with the SRS Annual Scientific Meetings.

As chair of the SRS radiation oncology subsection, Dr. Tan organizes annual scientific dinner-symposiums for the local oncology community to update them on the latest advances in radiotherapy in common tumour sites such as liver, pancreas and prostate malignancies, and on latest technologies such as proton therapy. Dr. Tan also held position as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School where he hosted and supervised medical students for clinical attachments at NCCS, and was clinical lecturer at the Nanyang Polytechnic School of Radiation Therapy where he gave lectures to budding radiation therapists.

Dr. Tan is actively involved in clinical research and has published in major oncology journals on SBRT and brachytherapy, as well as gastrointestinal and gynaecological cancer subject matters. He was invited to be guest editor for a focused issue entitled “Advances in Stereotactic Radiosurgery” in the Chinese Clinical Oncology journal in 2017, where with his co-editors he formulated content and collaborated with international experts to publish the latest updates in stereotactic radiotherapy treatments. He frequently contributes as a reviewer in surgical, oncology and radiotherapy journals. Dr. Tan is a member of the following international oncology societies: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS).

Dr. Tan's specialty interests are brachytherapy, gynecological, gastrointestinal and lung cancers, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and sterotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

Dr. John Chia  Medical Oncologist 
Dr. John Chia graduated with double distinctions in Medicine and Surgery from the National University of Singapore in 1999 and obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh in 2002.

Very early on in his career, he was actively engaged with the then nascent field of immunotherapy for solid cancers and heavily involved with the leadership or development of 7 immunotherapy clinical trials in Singapore.  Following his Oncology Boards, he undertook his post graduate fellowship with Professor Malcom Brenner between 2008 and 2009 in the field of Immunotherapy for Solid Tumours.

In 2011 and 2012, he completed a second fellowship with Professor Stan Kaye at The Royal Marsden Hospital London for the Advanced Management of Gynaecological cancers.

Dr. Chia was the former Chief of the Gynaecology Oncology service in the Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre, and is a founding board member of the Gynecologic Cancer Group Singapore, and the chair of its scientific sub-committee.

He is a council member of the College of Clinician Scientists, Academy of Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor at DUKE-NUS.  Internationally, he sits on the Scientific Board of the International Aspirin Foundation; and he lectures widely, in Japan, Korea, HK, China, UK – including plenary symposia lectures in Germany, Australia and ESMO Asia.

He is also a consultant at several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies – advising the development of novel therapeutics and immunotherapy for cancer.

Dr. Chia is extremely active in clinical trial research and has developed numerous research protocols and trials for ovarian, cervical, colorectal, nasopharyngeal, and breast cancer in Singapore.

He has published widely in leading international journals, and holds numerous local and international research grants exceeding 10 million dollars – for clinical research exploring immune check-point inhibitors, cancer vaccines, T cell therapy, chemoprevention with Aspirin, and small molecule inhibitors for cancer.

In 2010, he was awarded “Best Poster” for a tumor-specific cancer vaccine trial at the European Society of Medical Oncology, Milan (amongst several thousand submissions), and more recently “Best Poster” at ESMO Asia in 2017, for his clinical trial in aggressive ovarian cancer.​

Dr. Chia's specialty interests are ovarian, cervical, colorectal, nasopharyngeal and breast cancer.

Dr. Robert Lim  Medical Oncologist 
Dr. Robert Lim is a medical oncologist and has over 20 years of experience in treating cancers. In particular, he has established his expertise in gastrointestinal, liver, biliary and pancreatic cancers. He has also co-authored various pivotal major studies in colon cancer and pancreatic cancer that have influenced clinical practice.

Dr. Lim has previously served as the Head of the Department of Haematology-Oncology and Associate Director of the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore. During his tenure, he led the department to the forefront of research focusing on developing new drug treatments and improving our understanding of the unique problem for Asians with cancer. 

Dr. Robert Lim is a graduate of both the University of St Andrews and University of Edinburgh. He completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine followed by Hematology and Medical Oncology at The New York Hospital - Cornell University Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

In addition to his American Board certifications in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology, he is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.

Dr. Lim's specialty interests are oesophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, biliary and pancreatic cancers.

Dr. Edgar Tay  Cardiologist
Dr. Edgar Tay is a cardiologist and interventional cardiologist. He was formerly Senior Consultant and Director of the Structural Heart Disease Programme at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS). He is also Assistant Professor at the Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. At NUHCS, he started the following programs: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), Mitraclip Mitral Valve Repair, Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Implantation, and Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension. He was awarded the National Medical Excellence Team Award in 2011.

Dr. Tay graduated with MBBS from the National University of Singapore and was admitted as Member of the Royal College of Physicians (United Kingdom). He completed Advanced Specialist Training (Cardiology) at NUHCS. Dr. Tay was then awarded the prestigious two-year Ministry of Health scholarship to pursue further structural heart disease training. He spent one year at the world-renowned Royal Brompton Hospital in London in adult congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. Following this, he underwent further training in interventional cardiology focusing on TAVI at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.

Dr. Tay actively teaches and was Associate Programme Director for the Cardiology Senior Residency Programme at NUHCS and Member of the Cardiology Resident Advisory Committee. He has mentored and trained several postdoctoral students and fellows and helped proctor several overseas physicians in their transcatheter heart valve programs. He was also invited to present on cardiac treatment techniques via satellite transmission to international sites in United States, Europe, and Asia.

During his time in public service, Dr. Tay was also Director of Clinical Services (Cardiology) at Alexandra Hospital which is part of the National University Health System. He served as Department Patient Safety Officer at National University Hospital and pioneered several safety initiatives. He also participated in humanitarian outreach programs to help patients overseas with heart valve disease and was conferred the Fung Foundation Fellowship.

Dr. Tay has also served in cardiology leadership including as a member of the executive council of the Singapore Cardiac Society, and the chapter of cardiology of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. He is Governor of the Singapore chapter of the American College of Cardiology.

His specialty interests are general cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, heart valve disease, pulmonary hypertension, adult congenital heart disease, mitral valve intervention, structural heart intervention, and TAVI.

Dr. Jason See  Cardiologist
Dr. See Jia Hao Jason is a consultant cardiologist and physician with a subspecialty interest in multi-modality cardiac imaging.

Dr. See believes in holistic patient care and has a keen interest in preventive cardiology and public health. He is an advocate for exercise and smoking cessation, having completed the Exercise Prescription Course for Primary Care Physicians and is also a Certified Cardiac Rehab Practitioner. He was Program Lead of the Smoking Cessation Program at Changi General Hospital (CGH) where he expanded the scope of the service and introduced teleconsultations. As Senior Clinical Fellow of the Centre of Performance Excellence at CGH, he was deeply involved in advancing value-based healthcare to optimize patient outcomes.

He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2005 and subsequently obtained his Royal College of Physicians (UK) membership in 2010. He continued to train in cardiology at CGH and National Heart Centre Singapore, and obtained his specialist accreditation in cardiology in 2014. Dr. See was awarded the Ministry of Health’s Human Manpower Development Program scholarship to pursue fellowship training in advanced cardiac imaging at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London from 2016 to 2017 where he was also exposed to less common imaging cases in congenital heart disease and cardiac sarcoidosis. He holds diplomate certifications in echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and cardiovascular computed tomography. He was instrumental in setting up the Nuclear Cardiology service at CGH and served as its inaugural director. On the academic front, Dr. See was Adjunct Assistant Professor at both the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Duke-NUS Medical School. He has published in multiple journals and presented at numerous conferences. He is an instructor in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and also continues to teach medical ethics as teaching faculty with the Singapore Medical Association Centre for Medical Ethics and Professionalism.

Dr. See's specialty interests are echocardiology, nuclear cardiology, CT coronary angiography, coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, heart failure and preventive cardiology.

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. Lim Chong Hee  Cardiologist
Dr. Lim Chong Hee is a Consultant Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeon with over 25 years of clinical experience. He has special interests in heart and lung failure,Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Aortic Aneurysm Surgery, Mediastinal Tumour Surgery, Esophagectomy for esophageal cancers and Pulmonary Embolectomy & Endarterectomy surgery. He has special interest in Heart/Lung Failure, and pioneers the Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and implantation of Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD) for heart failure patients

Prior to private practice, Dr. Lim had served at the National Heart Centre, Singapore, where he continues to serve as Visiting Consultant.

Dr. Lim graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the National University of Singapore in 1990. Thereafter, he earned his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 1994 and furthered his training in cardiothoracic surgery at the world-renown Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, USA from 1999-2001.

Other than his clinical work, Dr. Lim had contributed to the NUS Medical Faculty as Senior Lecturer and held the appointment of Adjunct Associate Professor with the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore, where he taught and tutored future doctors. Dr. Lim continues to contribute to medical education by giving lectures and conducting workshops at local, regional & international meetings, and through mentorship programmes.

Dr. Lim's specialty interests are esophagectomy, heart failure surgery (ECMO, LVAD), lobectomy and pneumonectomy, mediastinoscopy, minimally invasive lung and chest surgery, open heart surgery (bypass, valve, ASD/VSD, bentall), pulmonary embolectomy and endarterectomy and thymectomy. 

Dr. Michael Yam Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Michael Yam is a orthopedic surgeon in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and specialises in trauma and adult construction. He exited from NHG orthopaedic residency as the first clinician scientist track resident.

Innovation has been a large part of Dr. Yam’s life and is the current clinical lead and founder of the TTSH medical 3D printing center. He was also a recent fellow of the NHG Innovation fellowship 2022-2023.

Dr. Yam is also a teacher and mentor to his residency juniors, overseeing a program to ready them for their upcoming MMed exams. In recognition for his efforts, Dr. Yam was previously awarded the NHG Teaching Award for Junior doctors.

Dr. Yam is also passionate about research. He was successful in the procurement of several grants of above 1.2mil as principal investigator. He has also been published in local and overseas journals and has presented his research in conferences of a global stage.

Dr. Tan Ngian Chye  General Surgeon
Dr. Tan has more than 20 years of clinical experience in restructured hospitals managing challenging surgical cases. At National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), he was the Clinical Lead for head & neck oncologic reconstruction and skin malignancies. Dr. Tan is also Co-Chair of the NCCS Cancer Service Line Development (CSLD) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and a Member of the CSLD thyroid cancer and head & neck cancers.

In recognition of his exceptional clinical and service contributions, he was awarded the Singapore Health Quality Service Silver Award for 2016/2017 and the Gold Award for 2018/2019.

Also a winner of the SingHealth Publish Award for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015, Dr. Tan has co-authored over 50 research papers published in top peer-reviewed journals such as Oral Oncology, Head & Neck, Surgery, Microsurgery, Cancer, and Oncotarget.

Dr. Tan graduated from the National University of Singapore and completed his general surgical training in 2006 before pursuing subspecialty training in head & neck ablative surgery through a head & neck surgical oncology fellowship. In addition, Dr. Tan completed another fellowship in reconstructive microsurgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, under Professor Wei Fu-Chan and Professor Jeng Seng-Feng. Through his clinical experience and completion of these fellowships, Dr. Tan is well-skilled in both head & neck resection and head & neck oncologic reconstruction.

Dr. Tan's specialty interests are head and neck tumors, reconstructive surgery for head and neck ,salivary glands, skin lumps and malignances, and thyroid and parathyroids.

Dr. Desmond Wai  Gastroenterologist
Dr. Desmond Wai is a gastroenterologist whose specialty interests include liver diseases, cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, endoscopy, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Helicobacter pylori infection.

Prior to private practice, Dr. Wai was Consultant Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist at the National University Hospital from 2003.

Dr. Wai obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1994. He also became a Member of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP) and received his Master of Medicine (MMed) in 1998. He became a qualified gastroenterologist in 2002.

Dr. Wai did a year of research and clinical fellowship in hepatology at the University of Michigan in U.S., under the mentorship of Professor Anna Lok, a world renowned hepatologist and past president of the American Association of Study of Liver.

Conducting scientific research is Dr. Wai’s greatest hobby. To date, he has published more than 90 full articles in peer reviewed journals including prestigious journals such as Hepatology, Liver Transplantation, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Gut, Liver International, American Journal of Medicine, Aliment Pharmacology and Therapeutics, GI Endoscopy. Clinics in Liver Diseases, J of Viral Hepatitis, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

His interests in liver diseases has also allowed him to conduct various research and studies focused on liver transplantation, viral hepatitis B and C, and endoscopy. More than 80 medical articles were also published in peer reviewed medical journals such as Hepatology, American Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Alimentary Pharmaceutics and Therapeutics. Additionally, Dr. Wai has also published three book chapters on liver and digestive diseases.

Apart from clinical work, Dr. Wai also enjoys causal writing. He has been actively contributing articles to the Singapore Medical Association’s newsletter as well as local English and Chinese dailies. His contributions also extends to the Straits Times Forum, TODAY commentary, and other medical magazines. He also blogs at his Facebook page.

Dr. Wai’s clinical excellence is widely recognized. He has been awarded numerous awards, including the Singapore National Day Award for Overcoming SARS-Commendation Medal (2003), Young Clinician Award, Digestive Disease Week Thailand (1999), Health Manpower Development Program Fellowship (2002), National Healthcare Group’s Courage Award (2003), Young Investigator Award, Asia Pacific Digestive Week Award (2005), SMJ Reviewer Recognition Award (2005, 2009 and 2010), Poster with Distinction GESS ASM (2006), NUH Long Service Award (2006), SMJ Best Reviewer Award (2006). In 2011, Dr. Wai also received the Mother Theresa Award, an honour conferred by the National Public Library of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Wai's specialty interests are cirrhosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, helicobacter pylori infection, irritable bowel syndrome, liver diseases, liver cancer and viral hepatitis.

Dr. Harold Heah  ENT Surgeon
Dr. Harold Heah is an experienced fellowship-trained otolaryngology (Ear Nose Throat) - head & neck surgeon. He graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and went on to qualify as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He completed his otolaryngology specialty training in Singapore and was awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan scholarship to further sub-specialize in Head and Neck Surgery.

Prior to private practice, Dr. Heah was with Singapore General Hospital where he served as Director of Clinical Services at the Singhealth Duke-NUS Head & Neck Centre. He was also visiting consultant to National Cancer Centre Singapore, KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Dr. Heah completed his clinical fellowship in Advanced Head & Neck Oncologic Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he had trained with world-renowned experts in the care and management of head and neck cancer patients.

Clinical work aside, Dr. Heah has also been actively involved in medical education, serving as a core faculty member of Singhealth’s Otolaryngology Residency Program. For his role in education, he was awarded the Singhealth Outstanding Faculty Award. He was concurrently adjunct assistant professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School and clinical lecturer at the NUS’ Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

Apart from the management of ENT conditions, Dr. Heah is also adept in the care of patients with head and neck tumors, including thyroid, salivary gland, oral cavity and sinus tumors. He is well-versed in various surgical approaches such as endoscopic and transoral robotic surgery. He is also experienced in the use of the da Vinci surgical system and was the first surgeon in Asia to utilize Medrobotics’ Flex® Robotic System.

Dr. Heah's specialty interest is head and neck surgery.

Dr. Soon Sue Rene  ENT Surgeon
Dr. Soon Sue Rene is a senior Ear Nose Throat (ENT) specialist and is one of the very few in Singapore who holds certified fellowship training in both children and adult ENT. With her training and vast experience in children and adult ENT, she is well versed in managing ENT conditions such as rhinitis/sinus, adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy, thyroid and laryngeal conditions which are the contributing factors to OSA in the different age groups.

Dr. Soon was an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the Department of ENT – Head and Neck Surgery at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Visiting Consultant to the Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital Singapore, prior to her appointment as the Head of Division of Otorhinolaryngology at Asian Healthcare Specialists. She set up the NTFGH Sleep Surgery Service and was the surgical lead, instrumental in integrating surgical care as part of the NTFGH Sleep Multidisciplinary Team. She is well known for her Minimally Invasive Snoring, OSA surgical techniques, and is a regular international and local teaching faculty to fellow surgeons.

Dr. Soon obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and completed her Masters of Medicine in Otolaryngology from the National University of Singapore. She subsequently underwent further clinical training in Pediatric Otolaryngology at the prestigious Stollery Children’s Hospital in Canada, where she gained valuable experience in managing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), airways and sinus problems in children. She was thereafter awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan scholarship at the renowned G.B. Morgagni, L Pierantoni Hospital in Italy, where she completed her second subspecialty clinical training in Adult Snoring, Sleep Disordered Breathing Surgery, Transoral Robotic Surgery and Advanced Surgical Head and Neck Oncology.

Dr. Soon is also active in education and research. She was the Undergraduate ENT Director and was a regular examiner at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore. In research, she has given award-winning presentations in both international and local conferences, published in numerous peer-reviewed medical journals and has co-authored chapters in ENT textbooks. She was also a previous NUS medical society award winner for her contribution to volunteer associations.

Dr. Soon's specialty interests are pediatric ear nose throat (ENT), sinus, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

Dr. Chou Ning  Neurosurgeon
Dr. Chou Ning is a Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon and Director at CHOU Neuroscience Clinic, Farrer Park Hospital. Dr. Chou’s wide clinical expertise spans across all forms of tumor surgery, vascular neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery and complex spine surgery.

Over the years, he has focused on the retro sigmoid approach for tumor resection with emphasis on facial nerve preservation. He has also performed excision of cerebro-pontine tumors and clipping of anterior circulation aneurysms. In his clinical practice, he has pioneered the rebirth of ECIC vascular bypass surgery for critical cerebral ischemia. Dr. Chou specializes in stereotactic radiotherapy for deep seated tumors, brain metastasis and AVMs. He also has special interests in cervical and lumbar degenerative disease.

Prior to private practice, Dr. Chou had served the public sector for over two decades. He was Clinical Associate Professor at the National University Hospital’s Division of Neurosurgery and Senior Consultant at National University Cancer Institute. He was also a Visiting Senior Consultant at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Dr. Chou had trained at the Royal London Hospital under Dr. Tom King, who pioneered the translabyrinthine approach for acoustic neuroma. Having been awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan, Dr. Chou underwent Neurosurgery training in London, U.K. for three years from 1994 to 1997.

Apart from clinical work, Dr. Chou has published over 45 research papers. Dr. Chou also holds professional memberships and appointments at the Clinical NeuroScience Society, Singapore Medical Association and the Headache Society of Singapore. He was also a committee member of the New Surgical and Interventional Committee, Residency Accreditation committee for Neurosurgery and the Specialist Accreditation Committee for NeuroSurgery. He was also the Program Director for Neurosurgery Residency.

Dr. Chou's specialty interests are aneurysm and stroke surgery, ECIC bypass, pediatric neurosurgery, transpenoidal surgery and tumor surgery.