Satyaki Sengupta
Chief Therapist, Rehabilitation Department
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
As Chief Therapist at KKH, Satyaki oversees a wide range of rehabilitation service, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy, music therapy, as well as hospital play services. The keen learner is always on the lookout for ways to innovate, improve therapy services and enhance the delivery of patient care at KKH. A recipient of the Allied Health Innovative Practice Award, Satyaki was part of a team that developed a short animated video on CD-ROM to help prepare children for elective surgeries.
As an educator, Satyaki strongly believes in sharing his skills and experiences with fellow team members. As a mentor, he has inspired and influenced many of his mentees to be open to idea sharing for the growth of the next generation of therapists. Under his leadership, KKH's Rehabilitation Department became the first in Asia to be accredited as a SpineCor Physiotherapy Centre. SpineCor is an innovative spinal brace for scoliosis which is more comfortable than traditional braces and allows a patient to have an active lifestyle while wearing it.
Satyaki also volunteers his knowledge and expertise in the community sector as an executive committee member of the Spastic Children's Association of Singapore. He is also a Council Member of the Muscular Dystrophy of Singapore, and an active member of the Singapore Physiotherapy Association.
The passionate allied health professional hopes that in the future, rehabilitation services will move beyond expediting the recovery process to encompass all aspects of patient care, so as to provide timely, holistic, accessible and affordable care for all. To be a true trailblazer in healthcare, Satyaki believes that one must be professional, compassionate, ethical, and at the same time, possess leadership skills and innovativeness.
Awards & Accolades
2007 -- Allied Health Innovative Practice Award, Child-Friendly Video to Prepare Children for Surgery
Marabelle Heng
Podiatrist
Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
Marabelle has a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular/Cell Biology & Public Policy Economics from the National University of Singapore. She was awarded a SGH scholarship for full time studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Podiatry degree from the University of South Australia in 2008.
As a podiatrist at SGH, Marabelle assesses, diagnoses and treats a variety of lower limb disorders, which range from diabetic foot conditions, biomechanics, dermatological (skin and nails) conditions and nail surgery. An active volunteer with the Diabetes Society of Singapore, Marabelle helps to address the foot ailments of diabetes patients as a community podiatrist.
She is also passionate about paediatric podiatry and has been featured in the media for her expert view on foot care for children. Her other interests are in sports and dance podiatry. She is also a keen ambassador of foot health and has given public education talks on common foot ailments and how to manage diabetic foot conditions. As an active member of the podiatry faculty in Singapore, Marabelle also helps to raise public awareness of the profession as the Vice-President for the Podiatry Association of Singapore.
Awards and Accolades
2010 -- Singapore Health Quality Service Award, Silver Award
Dr Celia Tan
Director, SGH-Postgraduate Allied Health Institute (PGAHI) and SGH-LIFE Centre
Deputy Director, Allied Health
Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
Dr Tan is currently the Director of SGH-PGAHI where she provides the educational leadership to build a strong faculty and provide the much-needed postgraduate training for allied health professionals in SGH. As a physiotherapist, she also continually explores opportunities and drives the development of new clinical services, for example satellite rehabilitation centres (Rehabilitation Associates), chronic pain management, comprehensive workplace health promotion programmes in weight and stress management, ergonomics and healthy lifestyle programmes for patients.
As an added service to the patients, Dr Tan works closely with the therapists and doctors to develop innovative devices to enhance rehabilitation strategies for patients. Dr Tan provides physiotherapy consultation to the Ministry of Heath, National Council of Social Service, Singapore International Foundation, Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Singapore Physiotherapy Association, where she has been the President from 2001 to 2010.
Dr Tan is a firm believer in SingHealth’s collaborative culture and enjoys working with her multidisciplinary allied health team to constantly reach for higher standards of care through continuing education and research. Dr Tan sees the ability to visualise new possibilities, coupled with a tenacious and enduring spirit, as essential attributes to providing outstanding and innovative healthcare.
Dr Tan has also been actively involved in community work through her experience as a Singapore International Foundation (SIF) volunteer in Vietnam and Cambodia from 2002-2009. She has worked with NGOs, professional bodies and national coordinating agencies both locally and internationally such as the World Confederation of Physical Therapy, Cambodian Physical Therapy Association and numerous Universities in Asia, Australia, United Kingdom and United States in order to help build the profile of SingHealth’s Allied Health profession.
Awards and Accolades
2009 – SingHealth GCEO Excellence Award, Administration
2008 – Allied Health Innovative Practice Award, Parkinson Project
2007 – Outstanding Presentation, World Confederation of Physical Therapy Congress
2006 – National Day Awards (Commendation Medal)
Dr Andrea Kwa
Pharmacy Clinician Scientist (Inpatient)
Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
Dr Kwa achieved her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the Albany College of Pharmacy, New York, USA, in 2006. She also attained Added Qualifications in Infectious Diseases in Pharmacotherapy from the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties, USA, in 2007.
Dr Kwa’s area of specialty is in critical care medicine, infectious diseases and anti-infective research. She is a reviewer for numerous scientific journals including Cochrane Review, Expert Review in Anti-infective Therapy, Clinical Infectious Disease, and Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Disease.
A passionate researcher, Dr Kwa obtained a grant from the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) in 2007 to run in-vitro experiments on multi-drug resistant bacteria. Since then many lives have been saved through translation of the results from this research to bedside practice.
Apart from research, Dr Kwa is also a trained Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) pharmacist, and co-manages patients in the surgical intensive care unit with intensivists. She aims to improve the clinical outcomes of the critically ill and has co-authored several clinical papers on the subject. Dr Kwa is also a faculty member of the SGH Postgraduate Allied Health Institute and the Program Director of the infectious diseases pharmacy residency programme.
Awards & Accolades
2009 - Allied Health Innovative Practise Award, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme, SGH
2009 - Professor Lucy Wan Outstanding Pharmacist Award
2009 - SingHealth GCEO Excellence Award, Clinical Research
2007 - National Medical Research Council Grant
2006 - SGH ASM (Annual Scientific Meeting) Young Investigator Award
Ms Shirley Ng
Chief Medical Technologist (Vascular) 1991-2010
National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS)
Shirley is no stranger to pioneering work. In 1991, the former Chief Medical Technologist set up the first laboratory dedicated to non-invasive diagnostic services of peripheral blood vessels from scratch. At a time when the concept of vascular ultrasonography was very new in Singapore, she had to see to everything - from setting up the laboratory, standardising a system dedicated to vascular investigations to learning new technology, all at the same time.
Many hours were spent at work every day but Shirley was not content with just doing her job. She makes an effort to think out of the box and has done much research into new ways of improving patient outcomes. For Shirley, better health care is not just a matter of affordability but also quicker services and faster diagnosis. In the near future, she hopes to see portable laptop-sized ultrasound devices, which transmit live ultrasound images to the doctors, who will assess patients on the spot and prescribe treatment for emergency cases. An open mind and a positive attitude have kept the energetic NHCS staff going after 19 years on the job. Just like SingHealth, she takes pride in providing patients with the best possible care through the adoption of innovative technologies and equipment.
Awards and Accolades
2008 - National Day Awards, The Efficiency Medal
- EXSA Star Award
2007 - EXSA Gold Award
2005 - EXSA Silver Award
- SQ Award (Bronze)
Ms Goh Chin Chin
Clinic Pharmacy Manager
SingHealth Polyclinics – Pasir Ris
Chin Chin started her career at SingHealth Polyclinics-Tampines as a pharmacist and has risen steadily through the ranks. She is a passionate pharmacy leader and has contributed to the success of SingHealth Polyclinics' pharmacy initiatives. She believes strongly in SingHealth’s three pillars of Patient Care, Education and Research as being integral in defining tomorrow’s Medicine.
She is particularly active in research, having submitted papers at national and regional events such as the Federation of Asian Pharmacy Associations (FAPA) Congress and also at the MOH Clinical Quality Improvement.
Her research projects include:
· "Medication Adherence Among Patients in SingHealth Polyclinics" - presented the findings at FAPA Congress in 2008
· "Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of patients on MDI Technique In A Primary Health Care Setting" - the project won best poster presentation award at Ist International Conference On Healthcare Transformation - Primary Healthcare Focus 2008
· "Reduction of Asthmatic Patients Acute Exacerbation at SingHealth Polyclinics - Pasir Ris" - the project won second runner-up in MOH Clinical Quality Improvement Poster Compeitition 2006.
She is also involved in training junior pharmacy staff and conducting talks at public forums. In addition, she also balances her work with other interests such as volunteerism and sports. She has represented SingHealth Polyclinics at a number of community and outreach events.
Ms Crystal Lim
Senior Principal Medical Social Worker,
Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
Crystal is a conscientious medical social worker and has over the past 17 years, initiated many new programmes to help address the needs of patients. She was instrumental in developing the hospital’s protocol for domestic violence intervention and trained a team of MSWs to empower victims of violence. She was also the longest serving renal social worker in Singapore before setting up kidney and liver transplant social services. Crystal can also be credited for initiating grief and bereavement support for families whose loved ones are in critical care and facing imminent death.
Among the significant initiatives that Crystal has led in include the set up of the Survivors’ Assistance Fund (SAFE), the Liver Transplant Financial Aid to help ease medical costs for liver transplant patients, as well as Project AID (Assistance for Interim Dialysis) for patients with kidney failure and facing financial hardship.
Providing quality care for patients is a top priority for Crystal, who often goes the extra mile to address the needs of her patients, and has on more than one occasion, gone beyond her official working hours to ensure the safety of victims involved in high-risk domestic violence cases.
She has delivered numerous educational talks to doctors, medical students, nurses and Allied Health professionals, in addition to her part-time Social Work teaching at tertiary institutions. She was also the Project Manager for the profession’s inaugural book, “Tapestry of Care”, a collection of medical social workers’ stories.
As a nurturing supervisor, she is always ready to share her vast experience with younger medical social workers and advance her knowledge and skills in patient care. She has been awarded a scholarship by SGH and is currently pursuing her PhD, focusing on transplant social work, at the University of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Awards & Accolades
2008 - SingHealth GCEO Service Excellence Award, Allied Health Division
2007 - Outstanding Social Worker Award (OSWA)
2006 - Courage Fund Healthcare Humanity Award