Curriculum Vitae

Administrative Experience

1. Head and Clinical Chief of Diagnostic Radiology

From January 2000 to May 2008, I served as the Academic Head of Diagnostic Radiology for the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.

From January 2000 to December 2006, I served as the Clinical Chief of Diagnostic Imaging for the National University Hospital in Singapore. From January 2000 to December 2003, I also served as Clinical Chief for the Department of Radiology at Alexandra Hospital. As clinical chief, I was responsible for recruitment, oversight of the clinical radiology service, development of new services and planning, purchasing and installation of new imaging equipment for the department

1. Increase in Service Levels and Clinical Performance

Under my leadership, several areas of service were improved in Diagnostic Imaging

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  An increase in clinical workload from 160,000 studies per year in 2000 to 220,000 per year in 2008
  
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  A marked increase in MRI, CT, breast imaging and interventional radiology procedures over the period from 2000 to 2007
  
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  Many approaches to improve access for urgent and private outpatient imaging
  
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  Improved report turnaround, with reporting turnaround falling from an average of 5 working days to 1 working day.
  
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  Filmless radiology and web-based imaging distribution throughout the hospital
  
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  Long-term large-scale medical imaging archiving and distribution, both within NUH and National Healthcare Group enterprise
  
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  Insourcing of polyclinic and GP x-rays for fast turnaround reporting
  

2. New Applications and Practice

The following innovations and new applications were introduced under my leadership:

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  Reduced cost screening-type MRI scans for well-defined conditions and clinical scenarios — NUH was the first public institution in Singapore to take this step
  
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  Central line insertion service
  
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  Interventional oncology, including radioembolisation with SIR-spheres, chemoembolisation, percutaneous ethanol injection and radiofrequency ablation
  
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  Aortic stent grafting
  
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  Below-knee angioplasty
  
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  Neurointerventional service (provided by SGH and NNI radiologists)
  
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  Day-stay interventional radiology procedures
  
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  Image-guided breast needle biopsy
  
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  Ultrasound-guided interventions, especially vascular puncture, biopsy and drainage
  
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  MRI-guided interventions, especially in the breast
  
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  MRI of the breast, abdomen, heart and female pelvis
  
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  Advanced MR applications: Myelography, MR angiography and venography, MR cholangiopancreatography, MR arthrography, DCE MR imaging
  
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  Use of new contrast agents in MRI: Resovist, Teslascan, Gadovist and Vasovist
  
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  Sentinel node lymphoscintigraphy
  
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  Sestamibi scintimammography
  

3. Purchase and Upgrading of Imaging Equipment

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  First multislice CT scanner in Southeast Asia in 2000 (Siemens Volume Zoom)
  
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  First flat-panel large field digital angiography system (Philips Allura) in Southeast Asia in 2004
  
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  New high end diagnostic ultrasound machines
  
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  Portable ultrasound equipment for interventional radiology
  
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  1.5 Tesla MRI scanner (second scanner for NUH)
  
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  64-slice cardiac-capable CT scanner for NUH (in conjunction with Cardiology)
  
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  Fist dual head gamma camera for nuclear medicine
  
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  Replacement for single head gamma camera (in conjunction with Cardiology)
  
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  Mammography system with horizontal arm digital spot biopsy
  
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  Breast ultrasound systems
  
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  Updating and expansion of Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for large-scale image storage, universal modality integration
  
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  Web-based PACS image distribution for filmless radiology, including implementation of dedicated imaging review workstations throughout NUH
  
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  Comprehensive plan to integrate PACS storage across the National Healthcare Group Enterprise, partnering with GE Healthcare
  
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  New integrated Radiology Information System (RIS) including direct voice recognition and transcription, leading to a dramatic reduction in report turnaround time; by the end of my tenure, 95% of special examination reporting was completed within 24 hours.
  
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  Purchase and installation of an automated analysis software and hardware system for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast and prostate gland
  

4. Renovation and Imaging Service Planning

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  Major renovation of the department to include inpatient waiting bays, increased patient waiting areas
  
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  Implementation of a queue management system
  
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  Implementation of new policies with regards to patient pre-booking and registration on the RIS in clinics and wards
  
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  Coordination with hospital IT department for development of Radiology-specific IT infrastructure, especially deployment of web-based imaging distribution for filmless radiology
  
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  Planning and development of a private medical imaging centre within NUH Kent Ridge Wing. NUH is the only restructured hospital in Singapore with such an imaging facility
  
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  Planning and development of new nuclear medicine facilities, including shared nuclear cardiology and nuclear medicine suites, nuclear medicine patient waiting and injection facilities, and new radioactive waste management facility and therapy injection room.
  
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  Planning for a PET-CT suite
  
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  Development of an integrated Breast Imaging Centre.
  

5. Recruitment and Manpower Development

Under my leadership, the department manpower and expertise grew in several ways:

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  An increase in consultant level positions from 7 to 18 at its peak
  
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  An increase in trainee positions filled from 7 to 18
  
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  Implementation of subspecialist radiology practice, training and rostering
  
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  Accreditation of the department as a training centre for the Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, the first and only centre outside Australasia so accredited
  
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  Deliberate expansion of nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities
  
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  Development of nuclear isotope therapy capability, both image-guided and systemic
  
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  Development of formal radiographer and nurse training programmes for skills upgrading
  
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  Nurse intravenous line insertion programme
  
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  ISO 9001, ISO 14000 and JCI certification; Diagnostic Imaging was the first department in NUH to undergo this process, at my instigation. DDI subsequently helped to lead NUH to ISO 9001 certification and was crucial for successful JCI accreditation subsequently
  

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