Curriculum Vitae

Radiology Clinical Expertise

1. MRI

I worked in the first public hospital in Australia to have a high field (1.5 Tesla) MRI system in 1986, and I worked with this system for over 10 years. I trained in all aspects of MRI, including physics, instrumentation, pulse sequence optimization, pharmacology of MR contrast agents, and the broad range of rapidly expanding applications in MRI.

I have taught extensively on fundamental aspects as well as clinical MRI of most body regions. I became experienced in diagnostic neuroradiology, abdominal radiology and musculoskeletal radiology, particularly in CT and MRI.

I have been a member of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the premier scientific society in the field, since 1988, and was invited to sit on their Strategic Planning Committee in 2004. I have also sat on other committees of the society — Global Development, Workshops, Governance, and I chaired the Young Investigator Award Committee in 2009. My links with the Society enabled NUS to organize the first ISMRM Outreach Course to be conducted in Asia. This program has proven extremely successful and has been replicated around the world in many countries.

2. Breast Imaging

I was trained at the Sydney Square Diagnostic Breast Centre, and the Northern Sydney Breast Screening Centre in breast screening and diagnosis using mammography, ultrasound and various breast interventional techniques including needle biopsy and localization.

I also established the breast MRI service at Royal North Shore Hospital, and again at National University Hospital, including MR-guided breast localization and biopsy.

In National University Hospital, I helped to establish a quality assurance system for mammography, and introduced image-guided breast needle biopsy and mammotome biopsy services.

I developed the case to justify the establishment of the National Breast Screening Programme in Singapore, and chaired the Quality Assurance Committee of BreastScreen Singapore from 2002 to 2008. I have taught widely on breast imaging, screening and image-guided biopsy in Asia.

I was recently appointed as a Visiting Medical Officer and Head of Breast Radiology for the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, and have also joined the Clinical Advisory Board of this organisation.

3. Musculoskeletal Imaging

In Sydney, I trained in musculoskeletal imaging with a strong musculoskeletal radiology and orthopaedic team, learning musculoskeletal interventions including biopsy, and introduced a variety of nerve and joint injection techniques in the spine, as well as training myself in musculoskeletal MRI and ultrasound in the early 1990’s. I was a member of the Sydney Bone Club, “Innominates”, who met regularly to share cases, techniques and knowledge.

In Singapore, I helped to popularize and teach musculoskeletal ultrasound locally and in Southeast Asia, to expand the use of multidetector CT in musculoskeletal injury, and to introduce MR arthography and various musculoskeletal intervention techniques in NUH, including image-guided tendon, nerve, disk and spinal joint injections. I am also trained in cement vertebroplasty and bone tumour radiofrequency and laser interstitial thermal ablation (with Prof. Afshin Gangi at the University of Strasbourg).

I have an established international reputation as a musculoskeletal radiologist, being a founding member of the Asian Musculoskeletal Society, a multidisciplinary society registered in Hong Kong. I served as the first Honorary Secretary in this society and subsequently served on its Executive Committee until 2005. I have lectured as a member of Faculty in this society’s annual meetings held across Asia.

I have been very active in musculoskeletal ultrasound training. I helped to organize the Annual Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Society Course in Singapore in 2000; this is the premier course in MSK ultrasound. I am a regular member of this Society, having taught in this course in Singapore, the USA and Europe as a member of Faculty. I also co-organized the first Asian MSK Ultrasound course at National University Hospital in Singapore, and have also conducted hands-on ultrasound training workshops in Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand since 1999.

I was invited to teach musculoskeletal ultrasound for the International Skeletal Society’s Annual Refresher Course in Singapore in September 2005. Normally, only ISS members are permitted to teach in this course.

4. Interventional Procedures

I trained in vascular and interventional radiology in Sydney, at one of Australia’s best centres for neurointervention and vascular interventions. I learned a wide range of endoluminal vascular, gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary interventions, including dilatation and stenting techniques, as well as thrombolysis, embolisation and vasodilatation methods. I trained in all areas of image-guided tissue biopsy, drainage and injection.

In Singapore, I introduced image-guided automated core needle biopsy throughout the body to NUH, as well as a wide array of ultrasound guided interventional techniques, and developed a central vascular line access programme in Radiology. I also introduced radiofrequency tumour ablation of the liver to NUH from 1998 onwards, and developed the programme for Yttrium-90 SIR-sphere liver tumour therapy starting in 1999-2000. From 2000 to 2007, NUH was the only institution in Southeast Asia performing this procedure regularly for patients with unresectable liver cancer.

I have trained other radiologists to perform RF ablation and Yttrium-90 SIRT in Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia through in-house training programmes, as well as by conducting workshops on RF ablation. I have been invited to speak on RF ablation in workshops conducted in Malaysia and Vietnam, and to train and present on Y90 SIRT regionally and in Australia. SIRtex Medical has formally recognised me as one of their expert trainers and proctors. In 2007 and 2008 I organised and ran training workshops on Y90 SIRT for interventionists from Asian countries (Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong), and have proctored the first live cases of Y90 SIRT in a number of hospitals in various countries (Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and New Zealand).