Darren Tan was educated in St. Andrew’s School (1984-1993) and at the Singapore Polytechnic (1994- 1997). In 2000, after his national service stint, he pursued his Bachelor of Science degree at the National University of Singapore where he also received the Singapore Institute of Biology Book Prize (Biology) and citation on the Dean’s List for meritorious academic performance. In 2004, he undertook his Master of Health Science (Management) degree from the University of Sydney and graduated with the Health Sciences Award for being the top student in the program.
Between 2003 and 2005, he worked at the Division of Johns Hopkins in Singapore as a Research Assistant in the field of Oncology Research before moving into research administration, operations and biosafety. From 2005 to 2006, he managed the administration of the NUH-NUS Tissue Repository before moving, in 2006, to the SingHealth Centre for Health Services Research. Today, he leads their Outcomes Research Team.
- Outcomes research, or the understanding of the end results, of clinical practices and health services interventions
- Healthcare management and administration challenges
- The practice of palliative care in Singapore
- Healthcare financing – uncovering novel mechanisms that would ensure Singaporeans continue to be able to afford and access health services