Dr Halina Talib

Deputy Director (Medical Policy) Assurance, Care & Engagement (ACE) Group Ministry of Manpower

Dr Halina Talib is a Deputy Director, Medical Policy, in the Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) division of Ministry of Manpower. She leads the development and implementation of healthcare policies and systems for migrant workers and oversees the public health, surveillance, and outbreak response for dormitory-residing migrant workers. She also leads a Clinical Quality and Audit team and oversees an ACE Nursing Team to ensure migrant workers’ access to quality and affordable primary care that enables good health outcomes. Dr Halina graduated from NUS School of Medicine in 1995 and has had more than 2 decades of clinical experience working as a solo medical practitioner and at a well-established Voluntary Welfare Organization before fully pivoting to Occupational Health and policy work. In her past role, she has managed employee health for the Southeast Asia hub of Dow Chemicals, a Fortune 500 US-based multinational corporation, before coming over to join MOM’s fight against Covid-19 in 2020. She is a proud parent of 2 young adults and a teenager, and is a history enthusiast, especially in human civilisation and Islamic history. In her spare time, she can be found pottering in her garden, baking in her kitchen or flying out of the country in search of mountains, lakes, ruins and museums.

Caring for Migrant Workers - “Joining Hands, Building Bonds’

To address migrant worker health determinants and care gaps, healthcare provision for migrant workers underwent a radical transformation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed at improving the accessibility and affordability of primary and preventive health services, and strengthening public health surveillance. This presentation focuses on the policy considerations and implementation of an innovative primary care system and its financing model that is dedicated for migrant workers, using a ‘public-private-people’ partnership approach. An overview of the system’s performance, successes and challenges will further highlight the need for an effective and collaborative partnership amongst key stakeholders within the migrant worker ecosystem.

Mr Yeo Yong Kiat

Deputy Director (Policy, Strategy & Design) GovTech

Yeo Yong Kiat currently serves as Deputy Director (Policy, Strategy & Design) at GovTech, Singapore, and specialises in the development of AI-driven digital solutions for the Singapore public service. Together with a team of 15 engineers, he is working to transform and disrupt key work processes through strategic digital intervention. Aside from AI tools, he is also looking to democratise data exchange across socio-healthcare service providers and all residents, and welcomes partnership with healthcare professionals. He has previously held policy roles in the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, with a strong focus in healthcare finance and data analytics respectively.

Reimagining a Democratised Healthcare Sector

With an ever-increasing complexity of service models, healthcare data and patient needs, there is room for healthcare professionals and policy makers to explore new models of service delivery, policy planning and data analysis. In this short symposium, GovTech will present a suite of tools that has the potential to democratise healthcare data analytics and service delivery in Singapore. In partnership with the National Healthcare Group and the Ministry of Health, we will share how healthcare datasets can be more meaningfully and quickly harnessed for insights, and how centralised systems for care coordination may well be a thing of the past.

Dr Koh Choong Hou

Senior Consultant Cardiologist Nobel Heart Centre (Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital)

Dr Koh graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2003 and is a dual accredited specialist in Cardiology and Aviation Medicine. He sub-specializes in cardiac imaging (echocardiography) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. As a qualified Aviation Medicine practitioner in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in his early career, he contributed to efforts in the aeromedical training, selection and certification of aircrew for flying-related activities. He is also an appointed medical assessor of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s Medical Board and conducts regular medical board assessments for commercial aircrew and civilian air traffic controllers, as well as provide cardiovascular specialist advice to the CAMB for complex cases. In his last held position as Senior Consultant Cardiologist at National Heart Centre Singapore, he was the Director of the SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre, and was involved in the development of clinical protocols for cardiovascular screening and pre-participation assessment for the Singapore Armed Forces servicemen and pre-enlistees

Coronary Artery Disease in Aviators – New Concepts and Insights

The 1% rule had been applied for decades to determine the aeromedical risks for flight, mostly extrapolating from early studies of outcomes from ischaemic heart disease. Since then, there has been an extraordinary progression in the understanding of the pathophysiological processes underpinning acute coronary events, as well as advances in treatment of plaques. Newer data have also emerged incorporating multiparametric calculators to determine risk estimates. This talk aims to update the audience on the recent developments, and discusses the merits of various approaches as we seek to update the 1% rule to modern aviation.

Prof Koh Woon-Puay

Professor, Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Dr Koh is Professor in the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS. She received her MBBS (Honours) from NUS, her PhD in immunology from the University of Sydney in Australia, and postdoctoral training in epidemiology from the University of Southern California in USA. Being a population health scientist, Prof Koh’s research is in the epidemiology of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardio-metabolic, musculoskeletal and neurodegenerative diseases. Prof Koh is the Principal Investigator of the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a 63,000-strong cohort of middle-aged and older Chinese Singaporeans established for the long-term study of dietary and environmental factors of chronic diseases. She has co-authored about 480 scientific papers and is a recipient of the NMRC Clinician Scientist Senior Investigator Award. In her role as Assistant Dean and Director for the NUSMed Clinician-Scientist Development Unit, she mentors budding clinician-scientists in NUS.

Diet and Healthy Longevity – Examining the Fine Print in the Evidence

Maintaining a healthy diet is closely linked to longevity. While general advice includes increasing plant-based foods and limiting processed foods and sugars, questions remain if the high-quality dietary patterns, first developed in Western populations, can be applicable to our local cuisines. How about changes in diet after midlife - are they too late in improving health, and how much improvement is necessary? Further, while eating more vegetables and fruits is recommended in general, do fruits and vegetables have different effects with different ageing outcomes? How about specificities and varieties? Are certain fruits and vegetables better than others? Do we still need variety on top of quantity to have optimal effects? In this talk, I will present findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort over a twenty-year follow-up to examine the fine print in the evidence linking midlife diet to cognitive function, physical frailty and overall health in late life.

Dr Shawn Vasoo

Clinical Director, National Centre for Infectious Diseases Senior Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Head, Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, National Centre for Infectious Diseases

Dr Shawn Vasoo is the Clinical Director and a Senior Consultant at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Singapore. He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2001, and completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and his fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and following that, a Clinical Microbiology Fellowship and Orthopaedic ID fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As Clinical Director, he oversees clinical and outbreak preparedness activities at NCID, which is a ~330 bed facility in Singapore purpose-built for outbreaks. He has also been working in the migrant worker space since 2002. He is is a volunteer doctor in Karunya Community Clinic and coordinates the clinic and its medical volunteers, and also serves on the NGO HealthServe’s medical board.

Migrant Health in Singapore: Infectious and Non-Infectious Challenges Pre- and Post- COVID

Migrant health and delivery face peculiar challenges due to a variety of reasons, including health literacy, seeking –behaviour delivery and financing. This talk will provide a broad overview of health-seeking behaviour and delivery prior to COVID-19, and describe the experience with communicable and non-communicable diseases in this population up to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adj Asst Prof Selina Seah

Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Transformation), Changi General Hospital Development Lead, Eastern General Hospital Campus Director, Centre for Healthcare Assistive & Robotics Technology (CHART)

Assuming concurrent roles as Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Transformation), Changi General Hospital, and the Development Lead for Eastern General Hospital Campus, a new regional health campus to serve the growing needs in the eastern part of Singapore, Selina provides leadership and direction for care transformation, looking at developing enablers in infrastructure, technology and innovations. She is also the Director for the Centre for Healthcare Assistive Robotics and Technology (CHART), which performs R&D and drive the adoption of robotics and assistive technology and evaluate its impact. With an eye on Singapore’s future healthcare landscape, she is also working on strategic partnerships as Deputy Chair at the SingHealth-Duke NUS’s Academic Medicine Innovation Institute.

Transforming Healthcare Delivery Through Robotics & Automation

By 2030, around one in four citizens (24%), will be aged 65 and above. This is expected to drive up demand for healthcare services, which is provided via a spectrum of diverse processes in the hospital. However, this also means that our workforce is also aging, and it will not be sustainable to continue working in the current concept of operations if we want to improve productive longevity. By leveraging emerging technologies to transform the process of healthcare delivery, our healthcare professionals can focus on the skills they have been trained and the human touch. Greater synergies can be achieved when such transformations are integrated across systems.

Dr Stephanie Ko

Consultant, Advanced Internal Medicine, National University Hospital Lead, NUHS@Home

Stephanie is a Consultant in Advanced Internal Medicine at National University Hospital in Singapore. She completed her undergraduate medical training in the United Kingdom, and a Masters in Public Health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. She specialised in Advanced Internal Medicine to further her interest in improving the delivery of healthcare to the evolving population. In 2020, she led a multidisciplinary team to start the NUHS@Home program to delivery hospital-level care beyond the hospital walls. This care model was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the funding of a sandbox and subsequent mainstreaming of Mobile Inpatient Care at Home (MIC@Home) in Singapore in April 2024. Alongside the development of the clinical service, she also leads a collaborative research group to evaluate the implementation and scaling of such care models.

Hospital Care Beyond Hospital Walls

In this talk, we will explore the concept of "Hospital at Home" or “Mobile Inpatient Care” programs, which aim to deliver hospital-level care in the comfort and safety of the patient's own home. We will discuss the public health implications, including how these programs can alleviate hospital overcrowding, reduce healthcare costs, and potentially lead to better health outcomes by minimizing hospital-acquired infections. Join us to delve into case studies, technology integration, and policy frameworks that are shaping the future of at-home hospital care.

Ms Cheng Chin Yi

Partner, Cydel Pte Ltd Aviation & Organisational Psychologist

Chin Yi started her career with the Ministry of Defence before moving on to the Republic of Air Force where she stayed for 16 years. She moved to the private sector in 2018 and now serves various public and private organisations. Her experience is in a broad range of areas, covering safety and human factors, organisational diagnosis and development, selection and assessment as well as mental health and wellbeing. This has allowed her to consult drawing from diverse content domains, which results in the ability to analyse issues from various perspectives and develop incisive, relevant solutions. She continues to explore new subjects and delve more deeply to further grow her knowledge in her current areas of work.

Drivers of Safety Behaviours in Organisations and the Measurement of Organisational Drift

The safety climate of an organisation gives a snapshot of how an organisation is managing its safety goals and executing its safety programmes. This presentation covers the development of a safety climate tool which moves away from the traditional measurement of safety attitudes towards directly measuring safety behaviours at all levels of the organisation, which provides a more accurate picture of how an organisation is practising safety. This tool was designed based on current literature about safety culture measurement, incorporating both insights from academia and practitioners. It has a strong focus on practical implementation and actionable insights. When implemented in an organisation on a regular basis, it can serve as a lead indicator of important safety outcomes.

Cl. Asst. Prof Jimmy Chan Yu Lee

Clinical Director and Senior Consultant Ng Teng Fong General Hospital Emergency Department

Dr Jimmy enjoys taking quality care of people and helping them solve their problems. At present he is the Clinical Director at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital Emergency Department. He also has a keen interest in aviation and aerospace medicine as well as aeromedical transport. Dr Lee is particularly interested in emergency medicine supporting exploration class spaceflight and how non-space faring nations can contribute.

Space Medicine: A Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy

To be confirmed

Prof (Dr) Gerald Koh Choon Huat

Head & Clinical Director (Future Primary Care) MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation

Professor (Dr) Gerald Koh is Head and Clinical Director of the Future Primary Care programme in Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) Office of Healthcare Transformation (MOHT) where his area of focus is primary care transformation using tele-health, novel technologies and new models of care. He works with stakeholders including public polyclinics and private general practitioners to ensure that solutions which empower patients and providers to improve quality of care can be rapidly prototyped, evaluated, scaled and mainstreamed (e.g. Primary Technology Enhanced Care and Healthier SG). He is also Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH) and Joint Professor, Dean's Office and Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS); and Honorary Senior Consultant, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital. A family physician, he obtained his Masters in Medicine (Family Medicine) (NUS) in 2000, Fellowship in Family Medicine (College of Family Physicians Singapore) in 2003, Masters in Gerontology from University of Malta under a United Nations International Institute of Ageing (UN INIA) Fellowship in 2008, and PhD in Family Medicine from Western University (Canada) under both a Schulich Graduate Scholarship and a National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Research Fellowship in 2012. Prior to joining MOHT in 2018, he was Head of the Health Systems and Behavioural Sciences Domain in SSHSPH and received the NUS Outstanding Educator Award in 2016. His research interests include tele-health, primary care, post-stroke rehabilitation, community geriatrics, health services research and medical education through service. In 2021, he was recognised as among the Top 2% of Scientists Worldwide based on a study by Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS) University. He is currently Principal Investigator of the NMRC-funded National University Health System (NUHS) Research Centre Grant’s Telehealth Core.

The Future of Primary Care in Population Health (& Vice-Versa): Insights from a Personal Journey

Since medical school, I always thought Family Medicine and Primary Care were intimately bound with Public and Population Health. This was because both disciplines were within the same department then, and it was named Community, Occupational and Family Medicine (COFM). The two disciplines had many commonalities: they were both anchored in the community (as opposed to being hospital-based), generalist in nature (as opposed to specialist care) and bio-psycho-social in approach (as opposed to biomedicine). Unsurprisingly, both disciplines professionalised (i.e. family, occupational and preventive medicine formed their own clinical specializations) and public health grew to encompass epidemiology, biostatistics, modelling, health services research and health economics (with these sub-areas progressively led by non-clinicians). This evolution was worldwide and Singapore was no exception: the Family Medicine part of COFM joined the NUH Department of Medicine and COFM was renamed Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) in 2009, and EPH became the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH) in 2011. I witnessed these changes firsthand as a family physician who joined COFM in 2005 till now as a Professor in SSHSPH. Throughout these past almost 30 years, I have juggled being a family physician, community geriatrician (yes, I also went into community geriatrics and gerontology) and public health professional, in research, teaching and service. I “returned to my Family Medicine roots” in 2018 when I was seconded to MOH Office of Healthcare Transformation to be Clinical Director (and later Head as well) of the Future Primary Care (FPC) team there. I refreshed my relationships with my polyclinic and GP colleagues, built telemedicine in primary care and implemented Healthier SG which seeks to shift the centre of gravity of Singapore’s healthcare towards primary and preventive care. In this lecture, I will share how, despite the divergence of primary care from public health, I never ceased to see these two disciplines as intimately bound, and why and how I foresee these two disciplines will remain intimately bound in the future.

Prof Benjamin Seet

Group Chairman Medical Board (Research) National Healthcare Group

Ben Seet oversees research, innovation and academic partnership at the National Healthcare Group. He is Adjunct Professor with the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and currently chairs or serves as a member of the governing board or steering committee of a number of research institutes and organisations in the public and private sectors. He was formerly Executive Director of the Biomedical Research Council at A*STAR, prior to which he held senior leadership appointments in the Singapore Armed Forces and United Nations. He holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and has a background in international health.

Medicine & Technology: A 21st Century Gordian Knot

The practice of medicine faces two disruptions today: (1) Advances in biotechnology that enable genes to be edited and immune cells to be harnessed to treat the untreatable and to bring advanced cancer and chronic disease into remission. (2) Digital technology and artificial intelligence usher in an age of precision, that leverage on genomic, molecular, clinical, environmental and lifestyle data to predict disease outcomes and guide treatment. All these take place on a background of ageing populations, high prevalence of non-communicable diseases, increasing patient expectations, and escalating healthcare costs. While technology offers compelling propositions to the patient and clinician, it has the potential to fuel a vortex of spiralling complexity and costs. In seeking sustainable healthcare, we need to define what really matters, ask hard questions as to what will make a real-world difference to the patient, and what makes sense for health systems. We need to return to the fundamental principle of doing no harm if we cannot do good, and to avoid the temptations of pushing the latest innovations into our hospitals and clinics. Case studies will be drawn from Singapore’s approach to technology adoption in public healthcare institutions. The need for a patient-centric view in making these decisions will also be discussed.

Prof Kenji Saito

Immediate Past President American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Professor Dr. Saito is immediate Past President of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Past-President of the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. As assistant clinical professor at Dartmouth College, University of New England and Adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and Instructor at Harvard University, Kenji enjoys training the next generation of leaders in Occupational Health, Safety, Well-being, Leadership and Organizational Development, Digital health, Innovations, Data analytics, Entrepreneurship, Medico-legal consultation and Bioethics. Growing up as a sushi chef in a small family business kindled Kenji’s entrepreneurial spirit where he is currently involved with several startups in digital well-being, culinary and lifestyle medicine platforms in the Boston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles area and with environmental remediation technology in the Miami area. He is also a consultant, advisor for employee health and wellness to several national and global companies in the Consumer Products, Marketing, Transportation, Manufacturing, Nutraceutical/Pharmaceutical industries, and worked with various Government and Regulatory Agencies like State Licensing Board, OSHA, NIOSH, EPA, etc. As a physician, he continues to practice clinical occupational health, seeing pilots as a senior medical examiner for the FAA and as an attorney, he is barred in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During his spare time, he enjoys serving as one of the founding board members for Kids’ Chance of Maine, Maine Medical Association and House of Delegate to the American Medical Association. Dr. Saito is also the Global Medical Director of Owens Corning and previously Sr. Director of Global Wellness at P&G.

Global Occupational Health: challenges and opportunities of AI, Automation and Robotics

Come and explore the world of Global Occupational Health as Prof. Dr. Saito discusses and shares his experiences of travels around the world discussing our shared experiences of protecting workers, enhancing the future integrated built environment and how AI, robotics and automation will change the way we work and how occupational health professionals could support these new work paradigm. Learning objectives for the talk: Recognize the roles of Occupational Health in different regions of the world including, North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. Describe how AI, robotics and automation will impact workplace dynamics between Safety, HR and OEM. Assess how to provide a global perspective to evaluate new OEM technologies using ethical frameworks established by global organizations.

Dr Rajkumar s/o Dorajoo

Senior Research Scientist Laboratory of Metabolic Disease & Ageing Genomics Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Rajkumar s/o Dorajoo is a Senior Research Scientist at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and leads the Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases and Ageing Genomics. He is also the PI of the genetics sub-cohort of the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a collection of over 25,000 local Singaporean Chinese participants with rich genetic data and extensive longitudinal data on age-related traits and health outcomes that have been curated for over 25 years. His work has been tailored towards using a breath of genomic data to understand biological processes of accelerated ageing and understanding how genetic predispositions and lifestyle exposures, earlier in life, impacts upon age-related health outcomes, later in life.

Midlife Obesity and Mobility Dysfunction in Late Life

Human life expectancy has increased remarkably over the last two centuries. Although we live longer, this is often not matched by healthy life expectancy, indicating that an increasing proportion of old age may be lived in poor health. How exposures such as obesity levels, earlier in life, predisposes to subsequent adverse health outcomes is not well understood, especially in Asian populations. In this talk, I’ll present data that indicates on the pernicious effects of excess weight on mobility dysfunction. We evaluated genetic predispositions for body mass index (BMI) in 8,342 Singapore Chinese participants from the Singapore Chinese Health Study, who were followed up from measurement of BMI at midlife (average 53 years), to measurements of Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test (as a functional mobility measure) 20 years later. A robust 75.83% of genetically determined BMI effects on TUG was mediated through midlife BMI (P = 9.24×10-21). Utilizing Mendelian randomization, we demonstrated a causal effect between BMI and functional mobility (P = 0.001). Secondary gene enrichment evaluations highlighted down-regulation of genes at BMI risk loci that were correlated with poorer functional mobility in the substantia nigra and amygdala regions as compared to all other tissues. These genes also exhibit differential expression patterns during human brain development. In sum, our data highlights that midlife obesity impacts on mobility dysfunction later in life and suggests potential overlap of neuronal pathways that regulate predispositions to obesity and mobility dysfunction.

Prof David Chan

Lee Kong Chian Professor of Psychology Director, Behavioural Sciences Initiative Singapore Management University

David Chan is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioural Sciences Initiative at the Singapore Management University. His research in diverse areas of social-behavioural sciences, published in top psychology, management and methods journals, have been cited over 15,000 times in various disciplines. In 2020, a Stanford University study of researcher impact named him in the top one percent worldwide among all scientists across all disciplines. He is Elected Fellow of six international psychological associations. He has received numerous international scholarly awards such as the Distinguished Early Career Contributions Award, the Scientist-Practitioner Presidential Recognition Award and the Raymond Katzell Award in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In Singapore, he serves on numerous national councils, taskforces, scientific advisory panels and boards of directors, and he has received several national awards for his contributions. He writes by-invitation op-eds in The Straits Times and he is consultant to Channel NewsAsia on several documentary series.

Extending the Frontiers in Health through Evidence-based Contextualisation: Contributions from the Social and Behavioural Sciences

As we transform the healthcare ecosystem and shift to a more proactive illness prevention framework, it is critical to adopt an evidence-based contextual approach for different settings and population segments. This involves understanding the science underlying how people think, feel and behave in various situations, so that we can effectively apply principles to progress towards the twin goals of illness prevention and health promotion. Drawing on his wide-ranging expertise and experience in evidence-based applications of social and behavioural sciences, Professor David Chan will explain how various effective approaches are rooted in the core aspects of what constitute people-centricity. He will discuss how the science and practice of health and well-being, motivation, adaptability and resilience can help us better understand and apply people-centric approaches in ways that will enable individuals and organisations to not only survive but thrive as we live, learn, work and play amid rapidly changing challenges and demands.

Prof Andrea B. Maier

Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine, National University of Singapore Co-Founder, NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity, National University of Singapore

Andrea B. Maier (1978), a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), graduated in Medicine (MD) 2003 from the University of Lübeck (Germany), was registered 2009 in The Netherlands as Specialist in Internal Medicine-Geriatrics and was appointed Full Professor of Gerontology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2013. She was the head of Geriatrics at the Vrije Universiteit Medical Center from 2012 to 2016. From 2016 to early 2021 Professor Maier served as Divisional Director of Medicine and Community Care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and as Professor of Medicine and Aged Care at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She continued her career at the National University of Singapore as Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity. Professor Maier’s research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms of ageing and age-related diseases to bring diagnostics and interventions to optimize health into clinical practice. She is heading international longitudinal cohort studies and geroscience interventions. She has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles, achieving an H index of 72, spearheading the significant contributions of her highly acclaimed innovative, global, multidisciplinary @Age research group. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and book author to disseminate aging research. Furthermore, she is invited member and advisor of several international academic and health policy committees and funding agencies, including the World Health Organization evaluating the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing and Hevolution. In 2022, she co-founded the first evidence based Healthy Longevity Medicine Clinic in Singapore, Chi Longevity, and joined NU as Chief Medical Officer. She is the past President of The Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research, the Founding President of the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society and serves as selected Member of The Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, Fellow of the Atria Academy of Science and Medicine, and Academy for Health and Lifespan Research. In 2023, she co-founded the NUS Academy for Healthy Longevity to disseminate Geroscience and evidence based Healthy Longevity Medicine.

Closing the Gap between Healthspan and Lifespan: Healthy Longevity Medicine

Medical research has traditionally focused on disease mechanisms and therapies to restore health. This approach has been highly effective, but because of its effectiveness, demographics of countries are changing. Chronologic age is the largest risk factor for decline in organ function and for age-related diseases, which are now highly prevalent. Therewith, healthcare costs are steadily increasing and the gap between healthspan, the duration an individual maintains good health, and lifespan is escalating. The biological age of individuals can now be measured by use of biomarkers of ageing. Furthermore, geroprotective interventions are readily available to lower the biological age and therewith preventing age-related diseases and increasing healthspan. Geroprotectors include highly personalized lifestyle modifications, supplements and medication which are chosen based on the biological, clinical and digital fingerprint of individuals. The efficacy of the intervention is tested by remeasurement of the biological age and interventions adapted accordingly. Healthy Longevity Medicine using cutting edge evidence-based diagnostics and interventions is being implemented into healthcare internationally, to address the challenges of an ageing society - closing the gap between healthspan and lifespan.

Assoc Prof Lim Wee Shiong

Senior Consultant, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Director, Institute of Geriatrics and Active Aging, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

A/Prof Lim Wee Shiong is the Director at IGA, and Senior Consultant at the Department of Geriatric Medicine, TTSH. He is Associate Professor (Clinical Practice) at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU; Adjunct Associate Professor at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS; Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society; and Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe. A/Prof Lim’s comprehensive track record of scholarly work as a “Geriatrician-Educator-Researcher” included over 200 peer-reviewed publications; Associate Editor of Journal of Frailty and Aging; and research and teaching awards in Geriatric Medicine and Health Professions Education. He is actively involved in international, regional and national workgroups in sarcopenia and frailty, including the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), Asian Working Group for Cachexia (AWGC), and Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS). He is also the principal investigator of the seminal GERI-LABS and GERI-LABS2 longitudinal cohort studies in frailty and sarcopenia.

Moving from Frailty-readiness to Frailty-resilience: Can We Get There?

Ageing has been described as the biggest social transformation in Singapore for this generation. In Singapore, the journey to deliver quality healthcare amidst challenges posed by increasing prevalence of frailty with ageing populations is marked by three key epochal transitions: 1) Frailty-reality healthcare system; 2) Frailty-ready healthcare system; and 3) Frailty-resilient health system. The multifaceted physical, cognitive, functional and psychosocial needs of frail older persons have rendered the conventional modus operandi of reactive, fragmented, facility-centric, doctor-based, and illness-centered care delivery as clearly unsustainable. In response, Singapore underwent a transformational journey underpinned by the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s three beyonds: beyond healthcare to health, beyond hospital to community, and beyond quality to value. The aim was to forge a frailty-ready healthcare system across the frailty spectrum, ranging from the well healthy (“living well”), well unhealthy (“living with illness”), unwell unhealthy (“living with frailty”), and end-of-life (“dying well”). Recent developments include the 2023 Action Plan for Successful Aging Plan anchored on the 3Cs of care, contribution and connectedness; Healthier SG initiative involving primary care doctors and community care partners as key partners in the implementation efforts for healthy ageing; and the multi-ministry Age Well SG, a national preventative programme to help seniors age actively, stay socially connected, and be cared for within their own communities. As Singapore prepares for a super-aged society, it is incumbent upon policy makers, healthcare practitioners, community partners, academics and the lay public to unite their efforts to forge a frailty-resilient health system that enables older persons “to be and to do what they value for as long as possible.”

Adj Assoc Prof Matthias Paul Toh

Director & Senior Consultant, National Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases Adjunct Associate Professor, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore

Adjunct Associate Professor Matthias Toh is a Public Health Physician. He is a Past President of the College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians, Academy of Medicine Singapore. He has special interest in disease prevention and control, health promotion and primary care. He joined NCID in 2019 where he serves as Director and Senior Consultant of the National Public Health & Epidemiology Unit (NPHEU). He oversees the national HIV registry and coordinates operations for contact tracing. He leads the epidemiology team to provide insights on global and local situation for communicable diseases. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (NUHS) and Clinical Core Faculty Member for National Preventive Medicine Residency Program.

To be confirmed

To be confirmed

Dr Robin Low

Head, Occupational and Aviation Medicine Service Changi General Hospital

Dr Robin Low the Head of CGH’s newly set up Occupational and Aviation Medicine Service. A specialist in both Aviation Medicine and Occupational Medicine, Dr Low spent 20 years in the Republic of Singapore Air Force, before joining the private sector. He joined CGH in 2021 as the Director of Changi Aviation Medicine Centre. Dr Low has a broad range of experience in clinical as well as operational aviation medicine, which he also applies to his practice of Occupational Medicine. During his time in the RSAF, he developed a special interest in the field of human factors and human error reduction, and this also drives the hands-on approach to his practice of both specialties.

A Different Paradigm in Managing Health of Shift Workers

In the modern world, an estimated 15-20% of workers are working a shift schedule. The health hazards of shift work are well known to preventive medicine specialists and includes higher burden of coronary artery disease, stroke, type two diabetes and even accidents. As businesses becomes more global and connected, and society progresses towards a “always on” 24 hour mode, the health burden of shift work will increase accordingly. With the current swing in healthcare towards a focus on prevention, it is important to consider if it is possible to look for ways to prevent or reduce the health burden of shift work in such workers. In this talk, the speaker will review the health hazards of shift work, and explore new and (and some not so new) ways of managing workers on shift work, with the aim to reduce the health hazards and improve the health of shift workers.

Mr Loh Chin Hui

Director, Workplace Health and Outreach Division Health Promotion Board

Chin Hui oversees the Workplace Health and Outreach Division within HPB. The division works closely with key partners such as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and other trade / industry unions to deliver Workplace Health Programs in key areas such as Physical Wellness, Mental Health, Nutrition, Health Screening and Health Coaching, across a wide range of companies and workers. Our collective efforts have allowed us to reach over 1.3 million workers in Singapore so as to better support the health of employees in the workplaces.

Frontiers in Workplace Health Outreach

HPB will share on some of the key approaches and innovations that has been developed and implemented to enhance the reach and impact of workplace health programs to different archetypes of workplaces and workers. This will include curating the language, content and delivery modality for hawkers and heartland mall workers. Supporting SMEs in a manner that better meets their ground realities. Working with key Strategic Partners to design and develop workplace health programs so that it can be positioned as a part of their operating model. HPB will also share on some of the key challenges and success factors in our experience in delivering more holistic workplace health programs.

Dr Loh Yik Hin

CEO, St. Andrew's Community Hospital COO, St. Andrew's Mission Hospital Director (Healthcare Services), Singapore Anglican Community Services

A public health physician, Dr. Loh spent the first 13 years of his public health career at the Singapore Ministry of Health, in areas such as Health Service Development, Health Regulation, Quality and Safety, and Health Technology Assessment. He has devoted his last 16 years to community healthcare in the non-profit sector through his work at the St. Andrew's Mission Hospital and Singapore Anglican Community Services. He is also currently Chairman of the Agency for Integrated Care's Medifund Committee, Chairman of the Institute of Technical Education's Health Care Academic Advisory Committee, and member of the CareShield Life Council, National Organ Transplant Ethics Committee and Nanyang Polytechnic Health Sciences Advisory Committee.

Providing Holistic Primary Care through Singapore's First Medical Centre for Migrant Workers -- St Andrew's Migrant Worker Medical Centre

To be confirmed

Dr Haruki Matsumoto

Director, Healthcare Safety and Inspection Office Health Policy Bureau Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Government of Japan

Haruki (Harry) Matsumoto, MD, MPH, is a public health professional with extensive experience in healthcare policy and administration. After earning his MD from Chiba University School of Medicine in 2006 and completing his medical internships, he worked as a resident physician in emergency medicine until 2009. Joining the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Haruki has held several pivotal roles. As a Specialist for Health Technology Assessment, he introduced the first cost-effectiveness assessment system for drugs and medical devices within Japan’s public health insurance system. He furthered his expertise by obtaining an MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2016-2018), focusing on health policy. Since August 2023, he has served as the Director of the Healthcare Safety and Inspection Office at the Health Policy Bureau in Tokyo. Previously, as the Director-General of the Department of Health and Welfare at the Niigata Prefectural Government, he led significant health system reforms and achieved the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate among Japanese prefectures.

Homecare in Japan: Lessons for an Aging Asia

To be confirmed

Adj Asst Prof Ng Yih Yng

Director, Digital and Smart Health Office, Centre for Healthcare Innovation, National Healthcare Group Clinical Director, WHO Collaborating Centre, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Senior Consultant, Department of Preventive and Population Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

A/Prof. Ng Yih Yng is the Director of the Digital and Smart Health Office (DSHO) for the Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) and a faculty with the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKC-SOM), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Centre for AI Medicine, as well as the clinical director of the LKC-SOM, NTU World Health Organisation collaborating centre for Digital Health & Health Education. He co-directs Healthcare Empowered by AI launchpad (HEAL) as part of DSHO, to wayfind, prioritise, implement and scale AI across the NHG. He is a Senior Consultant, Department of Preventive & Population Medicine at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital involved in Population Health and Digital Health Transformation. Yih Yng was previously a military emergency physician in the SAF, the Chief Medical Officer of the SCDF and the HomeTeam of MHA. He has clinical interest in resuscitation, digital health, innovation, AI and public health systems.

Mind The Gap - Bridging the Digital Divide in Healthcare

To be confirmed

Prof Vernon Lee

Executive Director Interim Communicable Diseases Agency, Ministry of Health (Singapore)

Professor Vernon Lee is a preventive medicine physician with extensive global health experience in pandemic preparedness and response, infectious disease epidemiology and health policy and management. He played an instrumental role in developing and implementing Singapore’s COVID-19 pandemic response, and has also responded to the 2003 SARS outbreak, 2009 influenza pandemic, and the 2016 Zika outbreak in Singapore. Prof Lee previously served as Advisor to the Assistant Director General for Health, Security and Environment at the WHO headquarters in Geneva; Medical Epidemiologist in the WHO’s Country Office in Indonesia; and Head of the Biodefence Centre in the Singapore Armed Forces. Through his work, Prof Lee has been involved in major global health security collaborations, and in developing pandemic preparedness plans, risk assessment and disease management programmes. He continues to serve on expert committees at the international level. An avid supporter of evidence-based health policy, Prof Lee has published about 200 scientific papers, many in top journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and the Lancet journals. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Prof Lee graduated from medical school at the National University of Singapore. He also holds a PhD in epidemiology from the Australian National University, and the Master in Public Health and Master of Business Administration degrees from the Johns Hopkins University, USA.

The Communicable Disease Agency – Integration for Effective and Coodinated Management of Communicable Diseases

This presentation provides an overview of Singapore's trajectory in communicable disease control, and its future direction. It will examine the multifaceted challenges encountered, including the management of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 which pose complex problems; and the strategic imperatives that precipitated the establishment of the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) and the subsequent revision of the Infectious Diseases Act (IDA). The presentation will expound upon the augmented responsibilities and strategic directives of the CDA, which seeks to holistically address communicable disease management from policy formulation to operationalization, while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among sectors and stakeholders to fortify the health and resilience of Singapore and its population. Finally, it will provide new insight into the dynamic landscape of communicable disease management and the pivotal role of the CDA in shaping Singapore's public health agenda.

Dr Faraz Khalid

Research & Innovation Office, Special Program for Primary Healthcare World Health Organization Headquarters

Faraz Khalid is currently a Research and Innovation Officer at Special Program for Primary Health Care at WHO Headquarters, and before this role, he was responsible for coordination of Universal Health Coverage reforms at the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, where he supported fourteen countries across the region. He has taken on multiple roles in the low- and middle-income countries health systems in the last seventeen years. He started his career as a medical doctor, transitioned to a program manager of an award winning innovative mhealth enabled social health protection program in Pakistan, has worked as health systems and financing consultant with World Health Organization, UNICEF, Asian Development Bank, and USAID. Following his medical training, he completed his PhD in Global Health Policy and Management from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, USA and did Master’s in public health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Leveraging Evidence to Accelerate Primary Healthcare Transformations: Three Novel Global Products

To be confirmed

Dr Sharifah Badriyah Alhadad

Research Fellow, Heat Resilience & Performance Centre Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Dr Sharifah Badriyah Alhadad is a Research Fellow in the Heat Resilience & Performance Centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She earned her PhD in thermal and exercise physiology under the Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme at NUS, where she investigated the efficacy of ice slurry ingestion as a heat mitigation strategy in athletic, occupational, and educational settings. Her current research aims to deepen our understanding of how rising heat exposure can adversely impact human performance, health and safety in the face of global warming, and identify strategies to enhance heat resilience and tolerance of heat-exposed individuals.

Heat Resilience - Bridging Research and Policy

Global temperatures are rising at an alarming rate, presenting a formidable challenge worldwide. By 2050, it's estimated that two-thirds of urban populations will confront potentially lethal heat waves. With its persistent high temperatures and humidity, Singapore stands particularly vulnerable to these threats, magnifying the risks for its residents. In our presentation, we'll explore the multifaceted impacts of heat on human performance, health, and safety, encompassing both established and emerging issues. Furthermore, we'll explore proactive strategies for managing and mitigating these risks, emphasizing the essential role of evidence-based research in fortifying heat resilience across diverse sectors. By shedding light on the urgency and complexity of these challenges, we aim to underscore the importance of collective action to safeguard human health and well-being and enable humans to thrive amidst the mounting heat stress of our warming world.

Adj Assoc Prof Eugene Shum

Director, Community Partnership SingHealth Office of Regional Health SingHealth

Dr Eugene Shum is Director, Community Partnership at the SingHealth Office of Regional Health. He has extensive experience in community engagement and facilitates the integration of health and social care services in the community. Through partnerships with community organisations, he has developed pioneering health-social initiatives such as the Neighbours for Active Living programme and CareLine, a 24/7 nationwide telecare service which received the Ministry of Health National Clinical Excellence Team Award in 2022. Dr Shum was previously Director, Medical Affairs and Innovation at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He has held various portfolios at the Ministry of Health, Singapore. Dr Shum is a preventive medicine physician. He obtained his MBBS from the National University of Singapore and his Master of Public Health from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. He is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore.

Digital Innovation in Population Health

*Pending*

Dr Nicolas Van de Velde

Executive Director of Health Economics and Outcomes Research Moderna

Dr. Nicolas Van de Velde joined Moderna during the pandemic as the Executive Director of Health Economics and Outcomes Research for COVID-19. He has over 20 years of experience in vaccines, ranging from academic research to full-scale manufacturing in the industry. Dr. Van de Velde holds an MBA from Imperial College London, a PhD in Epidemiology from Université Laval (Canada), an MSc in Infectious Diseases from St Mary’s Hospital (London), and a Master of Engineering in Biochemistry from Ecole Polytechnique (Brussels). He has published over 100 articles, which have accrued nearly 2000 citations, in top journals within vaccinology, epidemiology, and public health. Dr. Van de Velde has contributed to the development and commercialization of vaccines against some of the most prevalent and deadly infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, HPV, rotavirus, meningitis, shingles, and COVID-19. He is also listed as an inventor on a patent for pneumococcal vaccines. Moving forward, his mission is to leverage Moderna’s mRNA technology to tackle global health challenges, ultimately creating healthier, more equitable and productive communities worldwide.

Frontiers in Vaccine Technology and Novel Vaccines

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted recent advances in vaccine technologies, particularly mRNA platforms. This innovative technology, honored with both the Tang and Nobel Prizes, marked a major breakthrough in vaccinology. mRNA vaccines provided a rapid response during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, significantly reducing global morbidity and mortality and offering substantial benefits by lowering healthcare costs and economic disruptions. mRNA technology delivers custom-designed mRNA molecules to cells, instructing them to build specific proteins. Decades of research have optimized mRNA sequences and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems. mRNA vaccines prompt the body to produce antigens, teaching the immune system to recognize and fight pathogens. This was exemplified by the rapid updates to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines made as the virus evolved and will be an important tool for addressing future pandemics. This adaptable technology targets various infectious diseases, including respiratory viruses (RSV, influenza) and latent viruses (cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus), promising improved global health outcomes and economic benefits.

Dr Wayne Han Lee

Associate Consultant, Family Physician, Queenstown Polyclinic, National University Polyclinics Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer, Academic Informatics Office, National University Health System

Dr. Wayne Han Lee a practicing family physician currently working as an associate consultant in Queenstown polyclinic and is also serving as the assistant group chief technology officer at NUHS. He is a graduate of University of Edinburgh and completed his family medicine residency in Singapore afterwhich he obtained a Masters of Technology in data analytics at NUS. He has interest in developing scalable AI solutions for management of chronic disease care in the community.

CHAMP – Automated Chronic Disease Management at Scale

*Pending*

Ms Durga Devi Arivan

Manager, Psychotherapy and Counselling, HealthServe

Passionate about guiding clients through healing and self-discovery, Durga brings over six years of experience in psychotherapy and counselling. She works with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and demographics, adopting a multidisciplinary and integrative framework to tailor each treatment to the client's needs and strengths. Durga emphasizes the importance of mental health, particularly in bringing positive change to the lives of vulnerable populations. Durga's clinical career began as a trained physiotherapist, and she holds a master's degree in advanced counselling and clinical supervision. She is trained in various advanced psychological therapies, including advanced CBT and Clinical Trauma, and is a registered counsellor and clinical member of the Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC). In her personal time, Durga enjoys reading non-fiction, watching Korean dramas, and volunteering as a docent at major museums in Singapore, integrating her love for learning and community service into her self-care routine

Bridging Gaps: Mental Health Care for Migrant Workers Facing Work-Related Injuries

Migrant workers with occupational related injuries and stressors in Singapore face numerous mental health challenges. HealthServe — a holistic healthcare charity dedicated to the health, wellbeing, and dignity of our low-wage migrant workers — has been providing counselling, crisis intervention and case management to address the unique needs of injured workers for over half a decade. Through case studies, we will share successful interventions and recovery stories, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating mental health care with physical injury recovery. Truly, it takes a whole village to care for the mental health needs of our injured migrant workers — involving policy makers, healthcare providers and community organisations working together to advance and strengthen current support systems, ensuring comprehensive care and respect for their recovery journey.

Assoc Prof Lim Poh Lian

Director, High Level Isolation Unit (HLIU), National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) Lead, Biorisk Management, Asia Centre for Health Security, NUS School of Public Health

Associate Professor Poh Lian Lim serves as the Director of the High-Level Isolation Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Head of the Travelers’ Health and Vaccination Clinic, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Group Head for Communicable Disease Programs at iCDA, Ministry of Health Singapore, and Lead for Biorisk Management at the newly launched Asia Centre for Health Centre at the National University of Singapore. Prof Lim was the founding Chair for WHO’s Technical Advisory Group for the Health Security Interface (HSI-TAG) from 2019-2022, advising WHO on preparedness and response for deliberate biological threats. She has also served on WHO expert groups for responsible use of life sciences, dual use research, emerging technology, and foresight functions, and the WHO SAGE working group for smallpox and mpox vaccines. Prof Lim served on the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) Steering Committee for a decade, and the UN Secretary General’s Global Health Crises Taskforce in 2016. Prof Lim grew up in Malaysia, studied biochemistry at Harvard University, medicine at Columbia University, and public health at Tulane University.

Preparing Singapore for Deliberate Biothreats

Given growing geopolitical tensions, we need to strengthen readiness for deliberate events involving biological agents. This includes enhancing our capabilities for rapid risk assessment, diagnostics, as well as capacity to scale up access to medical countermeasures including vaccines and therapeutics.

Dr Lim Chau Sian

Senior Consultant Department of Psychological Medicine Department of Sleep Medicine, Surgery and Science Changi General Hospital

Dr Lim Chau Sian is a senior consultant psychiatrist with a special interest in sleep medicine, working in both Departments of Psychological Medicine and Sleep Medicine, Surgery and Science in Changi General Hospital. He also serves as adjunct assistant professor with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and clinical assistant professor with Duke-NUS Medical School.

Tackling Shift Work Disorder in a 24-hour Economy

This talk provides a short overview of chronobiology and the control of our circadian rhythms, followed by a discussion on shift work disorder and its impact on health and safety.

Mr Lim Eyung

Director Digital Government Platform Government Technology Agency

Eyung is a Director for the Digital Design & Development team at the Government Digital Services (GDS) division in GovTech. One of his key roles is to understand the issues faced by other government agencies and propose how the various functional and cross-functional teams of GDS can come together to help. Within his team, he works with different team leads and oversees the delivery of products to the agencies. The team’s approach is guided by Agile and User Experience Design (UXD) principles, to ensure that product development is conducted in a manner that is user-centric and iterative, with continual improvements. Eyung and his team focus a lot on the reusability of tech stack and specific applications to support social sector use cases and vulnerable groups. One of the focus by his team this year is to leverage on cross-product strategies and interactions to generate even bigger impact to the users. Eyung enjoys the process of empathising with users and ideating with stakeholders to create digital services that impact and add value to society. Bringing together the expertise of various IT and engineering professionals to benefit the lives of citizens is what he finds most satisfying about his job.

Inclusive Service Delivery

*Pending*

Mr Lee Kwok Ming

Group Director (Ageing Planning Office) Ministry of Health

Mr. Lee Kwok Ming was appointed Group Director of the Ageing Planning Office in the Ministry of Health on 9 October 2023. He oversees the development and implementation of the national ageing agenda, to bring about the national vision of opportunities, communities and a city for all ages. This whole-of-government work spans a wide range of areas including Age Well SG, aged care services, senior housing, seniors health & wellness and ageing research & development. Kwok Ming’s public service career started in 2008 at the Income Security Policy Division in the Ministry of Manpower. He was responsible for formulating policies, including those related to the Central Provident Fund (CPF), to enhance the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans. Following that he served in a succession of portfolios, including Reserves and Investment at the Ministry of Finance, Land Transport at the Ministry of Transport. In 2019, he returned to the Ministry of Manpower as the Director (Retirement Systems) at the Income Security Policy Division where he was driving projects such as strengthening basic work protections for Platform Workers as well as the development of the Majulah Package. Kwok Ming graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B. Sci. Electrical & Computer Engineering with Additional Major in Economics. He also holds a M. Sci. in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from INSEAD. Kwok Ming is married with a son and a daughter.

Age Well SG

Age Well SG is a national programme led by the Singapore Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Transport to support seniors to age well in their homes and their communities. It aims to support our seniors to age actively, stay socially connected, and be cared for within their communities. Singapore is one of the fastest-ageing countries in the world. The United Nations defines a country as ‘ageing’ if the share of its population aged 65 and above crosses 7%. It is considered ‘aged’ if the share exceeds 14%. Once the share reaches 21%, it is ‘super aged’. Singapore is projected to attain ‘super aged’ status in 2026. By 2030, 1 in 4 Singapore citizens will be aged 65 and above. Age Well SG offers a comprehensive nationwide transformation across the areas of transport, housing, active ageing and care services to anchor ageing in the community. The programme aims to: a) Improve the physical living environment. b) Encourage active ageing. c) Strengthen support for seniors with care needs in the community. The Singapore Government will dedicate around $3.5b over the next decade to support these changes

Prof Hsu Li Yang

Director, Asia Centre for Health Security Vice Dean of Global Health, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health National University of Singapore

Prof HSU Li Yang is an infectious diseases physician who is currently an academic at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), National University of Singapore (NUS). His research interests are in the area of health security, antimicrobial resistance and global health. His current work involves capacity development for regional readiness for catastrophic biological risks, furthering the regional collaborations of SSHSPH, and tackling the issue of antimicrobial resistance. He is also keen on public education on infectious diseases, having written various commentaries on different infectious diseases in Singapore’s newspapers in addition to lectures and other teaching. He has worked with award-winning graphic novelist Mr Sonny Liew to develop easy-to-understand comics and books on the issues of antimicrobial resistance, vaccines and COVID-19. In his past life, Prof Hsu was an avid chess player. He is currently President of the Singapore Chess Federation.

Regional Health Security from an Academic Lens

In this presentation, we will review the concept of regional health security and the efforts of ASEAN countries and partners to enhance regional health security in Southeast Asia. We will examine the current health landscape, including infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and environmental health issues affecting the region. Key challenges such as resource constraints and diverse healthcare systems, alongside opportunities presented by technological advancements, will be discussed. Looking ahead, we will explore future directions for strengthening regional preparedness and developing sustainable healthcare systems. Finally, we will look at the possible roles of individuals and academic institutions in this effort, and I will take the opportunity to introduce the Asia Centre for Health Security, an academic think-tank newly established to promote health security in our region.

Dr Jeremy Lim

Public Health Specialist

Dr Jeremy Lim is a public health specialist in the private sector. His practice interest is in health financing and believes that a well-designed health system intentionally provides for incentives to ‘do the right thing’ across all stakeholders.

People Respond to Incentives. The Rest is Commentary

Dr Alvin Woo

Associate Consultant, Singapore Changi Aeromedical Centre Changi General Hospital

Dr Alvin Woo is an accredited Family Physician and an Aviation Medicine specialist at the Singapore Changi Aeromedical Centre, part of the Occupational and Aviation Medicine Service in Changi General Hospital. After graduating from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and completing Family Medicine residency, he obtained his Diploma in Aviation Medicine from Royal College of Physicians UK and MSc in Aerospace Medicine from King's College London, and became the first non-military trainee to complete Advanced Specialist Training in Aviation Medicine. He is also currently appointed as a Designated Medical Examiner by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to carry out licensing examinations for civilian pilots. He has a special interest in the field of physiological optimisation and believes in the importance of aviation medicine in ensuring the well-being of those in the aviation industry. He is also a private pilot license holder, with 80 hours of flying in a single propeller engine airplane.

Exploring Electromyography as an Alternative to Measuring Foot Pedal Force Exertion in Routine Centrifuge Training

This presentation explores the innovative application of surface electromyography (sEMG) as an alternative to traditional foot pedal force measurements in centrifuge training, crucial for Anti-G Straining Manoeuvre (AGSM) proficiency. AGSM is essential for pilots of high-performance aircraft to prevent G-induced Loss of Consciousness (G-LOC), ensuring their operational effectiveness. Focusing on aircrew trainees from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the study aims to enhance training protocols and measures in high-G environments. sEMG provides a more comprehensive analysis of muscle activity, offering potential improvements in routine aviation physiology training. Attendees will gain insights into the methodologies and benefits of integrating sEMG into AGSM training, contributing to better health and safety outcomes in military aviation training.

Adj AProf (Dr) Raymond Chua Swee Boon

Chief Executive Officer-Designate, Health Sciences Authority, Singapore Deputy Director-General of Health (Health Regulation Group), Ministry of Health, Singapore

Adjunct Associate Professor (Dr) Raymond Chua is the Chief Executive Officer-Designate of the Health Sciences Authority responsible for safeguarding and advancing public health through securing the national blood supply, administering national justice through its forensic medicine and scientific testing capabilities and regulating the health products. He is also the Deputy Director-General of Health (Health Regulation) at the Ministry of Health overseeing the regulations of healthcare services and information. With these 2 concurrent positions, he will better synergize regulatory policies, operations and enforcement across healthcare services, information and products in Singapore. He has extensive regulatory, management and operational experience in both the public healthcare and private pharmaceutical sectors in the past 25 years, contributing to the advancing developments of the healthcare landscape. Adj A/Prof (Dr) Raymond holds adjunct professorships at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and the Centre of Regulatory Excellence in Duke-NUS. He also holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, a Master of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nottingham.

Transforming Singapore’s Health Regulatory Ecosystem- Regulating the Future of Health

Advancements in health and digital technologies are expected to be the main drivers and enablers to transforming Singapore’s healthcare system. With a shift towards community and home-based care, there will be an increasing need to integrate a suite of health, data, social and wellness services for more holistic health services and disease prevention. AA/P Raymond Chua will be sharing on the corresponding transformation of Singapore’s health regulatory ecosystem, including streamlining the regulation of evolving care models and emerging healthcare technologies; increasing convergence of regulatory areas that cut across multiple domains; reaping synergies; and addressing new regulatory growth areas in a sustainable manner.

Prof Michelle A. Williams

Joan and Julius Jacobson Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Michelle A. Williams, SM ’88, ScD ’91, is a renowned epidemiologist, an award-winning educator, and a widely recognized academic leader. She recently stepped down as Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health after seven years, and is currently spending a sabbatical year as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. Following her sabbatical, she will return to the Harvard Chan School as the Joan and Julius Jacobson Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health. Prior to becoming Dean, she was Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School and Program Leader of the Population Health and Health Disparities Research Programs at Harvard’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Center. Dr. Williams previously had a distinguished career at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research places special emphasis in the areas of reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, and molecular epidemiology. Dr. Williams has published more than 520 scientific articles and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2016. In 2020, she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and recognized by PR Week as one of the top 50 health influencers of the year. Dr. Williams has an undergraduate degree in biology and genetics from Princeton University, a master’s in civil engineering from Tufts University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in epidemiology from the Harvard Chan School.

Protecting High-Risk, Underserved, and Vulnerable Populations: A Public Health Priority and Economic Strategy

High-risk, underserved, and vulnerable groups, such as the working poor, elderly, homeless, racial and ethnic minorities, gender minorities, and the uninsured, often face more chronic health conditions and greater difficulty accessing healthcare than the general population. Their health relies heavily on resources beyond the traditional healthcare system. These include services like transportation and language interpretation that help them access care, as well as environmental factors like access to healthy food, safe housing and workplaces, and safe places to exercise. Well-coordinated systems of primary healthcare and public health activities are crucial for improving the health of these vulnerable populations. This keynote will explore healthcare systems and public health policies, practices, and regulations that can create long-term improvements in the health of these groups.

Dr Chan Si Min

Senior Consultant of Paediatric Infectious Diseases National University Hospital

Dr Chan Si Min is a Senior Consultant of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at NUH. She implemented the Paediatric Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy service in the National University Hospital (NUH). She manages the Paediatric Antibiotic Stewardship Programme and provides input on Paediatric Infection Control matters in NUH. She is actively involved in the national outbreak response surveillance and management for children. She is also an active medical teacher in undergraduate and postgraduate training, and co-author of 20 infectious diseases publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Public Immunization Programme, the Real World Evidence (RWE) Case Study of RSV

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major contributor to acute respiratory infections, particularly among infants and young children on a global scale. Respiratory Syncytial Virus is responsible for 12.9 million episodes of LRTIs in infants below 12 months old globally and represents 2/3 of acute respiratory infections in infants. In Singapore, RSV accounts for 42% of respiratory viral infections leading to hospitalization and is estimated that 9,300 primary care visits to Paediatricians or GPs are due to RSV infections in infants below 29 months of age every year. Preventive strategy against RSV has been limited so far to high risk infants, but new interventions are now available in the US, Europe and other countries. It is the opportunity to see how the burden of RSV in healthcare systems has been reduced by implementation of large scale public programmes in just a few months.

Prof Yung Chee Fu

Senior Consultant of Paediatric Infectious Diseases KK Hospital

Prof Yung Chee Fu is a Senior Consultant of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at KKH with research interests in Epidemiology, Public Health and Vaccinology. Prof Yung is also adjunct Associate Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School and LKC Medicine, Imperial College NTU. Prof Yung lead several research groups on COVID-19 vaccination in children, respiratory syncytial virus, health economics of viral respiratory infections and outbreaks of Zika, Ebola and Influenza. He is main author and co-author of more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Liew Woei Kang

Paediatrician Mount Elizabeth Hospital

Dr Liew Woei Kang is a Paediatrician at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, specialized in Paediatrics Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology. Dr Liew Woei Kang served as a consultant paediatrician in the allergy service and consultant in the immunology service at KKH. He was appointed an adjunct assistant professor in Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in 2010. He is the Past-President of the College of Paediatrics and Child Health Singapore, of the Academy of Medicine. He is Executive Board member of Asia Pacific Society for Primary Immunodeficiency, and Vice-President of Allergy Clinical Immunology Society.

Prof Lee Chien Earn

Deputy Group CEO (Regional Health System), SingHealth Chairman, Eastern General and Community Hospitals Planning Committee

Prof Lee is currently the Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, Regional Health System, SingHealth that seeks to enable the population in Eastern Singapore to keep well, get well and live well. He also Chairs the Planning Committee for the upcoming Eastern General and Community Hospitals. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Changi General Hospital. Prior appointments included senior leadership positions in the Ministry of Health Singapore where he was involved in the strategic development and improvement of healthcare services as well as health regulation and finance. Prof Lee is a Clinical Professor with the Duke-NUS Medical School and Adjunct Professor in the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Prof Lee co-edited Singapore's Health Care System: What 50 Years Have Achieved (2015) and contributed the chapter on Strategies for Health Services in the Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health (6th edition).

Policy Making in the Real World

*Pending*

Dr Calvin Chiew

Consultant, Analytics, Disease & Behaviour Modelling Co-operative Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness & Response (PREPARE) National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore

Dr Calvin Chiew is a public health physician from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). He has worked in areas of clinical epidemiology, health data science and medical informatics. He oversees a team at the Ministry of Health (MOH) that manages the national database on COVID-19 cases, reporting of COVID-19 statistics, and data analytics to support public health policy, operations and research. He obtained his medical degree from the National University of Singapore and Master of Public Health from Harvard University.

Data Management and Analytics for Successful Pandemic Response

In this talk, I will share how data was used to understand new disease characteristics, to answer policy questions and guide public health response, and to conduct surveillance and epidemiological investigations, drawing examples from Singapore’s COVID-19 experience. We will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for data analytics in supporting pandemic response, and explore novel data science approaches needed to prepare and do better for the next pandemic.

Dr Wycliffe Wei

Public Health Physician

Dr Wycliffe Wei is a public health physician who has been working in the area of communicable diseases. Between 2020 to 2023, he was involved in multiple aspects of the COVID-19 response at the Ministry of Health, including conducting epidemiological investigations, formulating disease control measures and developing vaccination policies. Drawing from the COVID-19 experience, he has also contributed to the development of pandemic preparedness strategies. He continues to work on vaccine issues at the Communicable Diseases Division at the Ministry of Health on a part-time basis.

A/Prof Gan Wee Hoe

Chief Executive Officer, SingHealth Community Hospitals Senior Consultant, Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Singapore General Hospital

A/Prof GAN Wee Hoe is CEO of SingHealth Community Hospitals. He also practises as a Senior Consultant in Occupational Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital. A/Prof Gan is a dual specialist in Occupational Medicine and Aviation Medicine. He graduated from the National University of Singapore before pursuing his specialist training in Singapore and the United Kingdom. He is a member of Singapore’s Multi-Agency Workplace Safety & Health Taskforce, Workplace Safety & Health Council, and the President of the College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians, Academy of Medicine, Singapore. Before joining the public healthcare sector, A/Prof Gan served in the Singapore Armed Forces, with his last appointments being Chief Air Force Medical Officer and Assistant Chief of Medical Corps.

Digital Local Connect and Living Asset Map Using Geospatial Technology

*Pending*