National Medical Excellence Awards 2025

The National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) recognises the efforts of outstanding clinicians, clinician scientists and other healthcare professionals for their contributions. It acknowledges their achievements in advancing healthcare, improving the standards of patient safety and driving research and education, which ultimately improve people's lives.

This year, we are proud that three SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC staff are recipients of the prestigious NMEA 2025:

National Outstanding Clinician Award 2025

Professor Lim Shih Hui
Senior Consultant, Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute
Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School

Professor Lim Shih Hui exemplifies the rare combination of clinical excellence, visionary leadership, and cross-cultural medical wisdom that is demanded by modern healthcare in Singapore. As an accomplished neurologist, specialising in epilepsy and electroencephalography (EEG) —a notoriously challenging field— he has consistently pushed the boundaries of medical practice, while also bridging Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

With more than 35 years of experience managing patients with epilepsy, Prof Lim always aimed for seizure freedom without unacceptable side effects for patients. In the 1990s, when anti-seizure medications were limited, he established the Epilepsy Surgery Programme to provide more options for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Prof Lim evaluated more than 100 patients who eventually underwent surgery, resulting in significantly fewer seizures and a better quality of life. 

Prof Lim was certified by the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology in 1990, and he set out to ensure consistent, high standards in EEG interpretation and reporting, both in Singapore and the region. He established an EEG Certification Examination under the auspices of the ASEAN Neurological Association (ASNA) and the Asian Epilepsy Academy. This examination has become the gold standard for EEG practice across Asia and Oceania. Close to 1,000 clinicians and EEG technologists have taken the examination, and 40% have been certified over the past two decades. In recognition of his contributions to advancing epilepsy care at the international level, he received the Ambassador for Epilepsy Award from the International League Against Epilepsy & International Bureau for Epilepsy in 2007, and the ASNA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.

Prof Lim is a problem-solver with foresight who studies the big picture before focusing on the details and identifying the root cause of problems. He has applied this principle throughout his career in both his clinical, educational, and leadership roles. As Master, Academy of Medicine, Singapore from 2012 to 2016, Prof Lim championed the vital role of family medicine physicians in healthcare, successfully engaging multiple stakeholders, and laying the foundation for the eventual recognition of family medicine as a specialty.

Recognising the limitations of Western medicine in treating certain neurological conditions, Prof Lim learned acupuncture and established the Acupuncture Unit at Singapore General Hospital in 1998. This early recognition of TCM's value put him in good stead and laid the groundwork for his roles as Head of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Branch at the Ministry of Health and Registrar of the TCM Practitioners’ Board in 2020. Prof Lim has been instrumental in elevating standards of TCM practice and integrating TCM into Singapore's healthcare system. He is now evaluating how evidence-based TCM practices could be used in the standard neurology care path for conditions such as migraine, neuropathy and post-stroke neurological deficits.

Prof Lim’s exceptional contributions have been widely recognised through numerous awards, including the NMEA National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award in 2015 and the Outstanding Fellow Award of the College of Physicians Singapore in 2024. He was also conferred an Honorary Fellowship by the Academy of Chinese Medicine Singapore in 2025, acknowledging his three decades of pioneering work in TCM. 

For his clinical excellence in neurology and epileptology, and outstanding leadership in advancing professional standards in Western and Chinese Medicine, Professor Lim Shih Hui is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Award 2025.

National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award 2025

Professor Carolyn Lam Su Ping
Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, National Heart Centre Singapore
Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School

Professor Carolyn Lam is a visionary cardiologist, world-renowned heart failure expert, pioneer in artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics, and advocate for women’s heart health, who has reshaped global understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease through decades of groundbreaking research, leadership, and innovation. Prof Lam’s career reflects the highest ideals of clinician science: combining deep academic rigour with bold innovation and a passion for equity. Her legacy is one of improving lives not only in Singapore, but worldwide. 

In Singapore, she is the Founding Programme Lead of the Asian neTwork for Translational Research and Cardiovascular Trials (ATTRaCT), the nation’s largest translational cardiovascular research initiative, supported by over $90 million in funding across nine leading institutions. Under her direction, ATTRaCT has driven more than 100 publications, fostered public-private partnerships, and set new standards for integrated translational research.

Regionally, she is the Co-Lead Commissioner for the Lancet Commission on tackling cardiovascular disease in the Asia-Pacific region, a multinational effort that will develop a roadmap for region-specific solutions, fostering collaboration and promoting innovation to enhance cardiovascular outcomes, thereby improving health and well-being across the region. This follows landmark multinational studies across Asia-Pacific which she spearheaded, such as the Asian Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure (ASIAN-HF) and Asian Diabetes Outcomes Prevention Trial (ADOPT) studies which were both groundbreaking efforts to understand heart failure and diabetes outcomes across Asia. 

As an international authority on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) —a condition that disproportionately affects elderly women— Prof Lam was instrumental in leading global efforts to treat this elusive disease. Through her work on pivotal clinical trials such as PARAGON-HF¹ , DELIVER² , EMPEROR-Preserved³ , and FINEARTS-HF⁴ , she paved the way to the first FDA-approved and guideline-recommended treatment for HFpEF, addressing one of cardiology’s greatest unmet needs. 

Globally, she co-chairs mega-outcomes trials at the forefront of cardiovascular development, such as the SURMOUNT-MMO⁵  trial of tirzepatide for reduction in morbidity and mortality in obesity; and the LIBREXIA-AF⁶  trial of the Factor XIa inhibitor milvexian in atrial fibrillation.

A prolific scholar with over 700 publications in top journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Nature Medicine, Prof Lam boasts a Hirsh index of 121 and has been named a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate for multiple consecutive years, as well as a World Expert in heart failure by Expertscape. Her achievements were recognised in her appointments to the 2021 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Failure Guidelines Task Force, and as International Honorary Fellow of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) 2021, ESC Rene Laennec Lecturer in 2022, HFSA 2023 Mihai Gheorghiade Lectureship, and Singapore Cardiac Society Lecturer 2024.

Beyond academia, Prof Lam is revolutionising clinical care through artificial intelligence. Her work in democratising access to expert cardiovascular diagnostics set a new standard for digital medicine. As co-founder of the award-winning MedTech startup Us2.ai, she has transformed the field of echocardiography by automating cardiac ultrasound interpretation with AI. Her clinical vision and strategic direction led Us2.ai to international acclaim, receiving top prize at SLINGSHOT 2019 and listing on Forbes Asia 100 to Watch in 2021. 

A champion of women’s cardiovascular health, Prof Lam founded Singapore’s first Women’s Heart Health Clinic in 2011, addressing gender disparities in cardiovascular care. She continues to mentor the next generation of clinician scientists, with over 40 mentees advancing to leadership positions, international recognition, and grant success. Her mentorship of women in academic medicine was recognised with the Rosalind Franklin Fellowship in 2016 from the University Medical Centre Groningen.

For her outstanding contributions and dedication in the areas of cardiovascular research, clinical trials, digital health and women’s heart health, Professor Carolyn Lam is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award 2025. 

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¹Prospective Comparison of ARNI [angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor] with ARB [angiotensin-receptor blockers] Global Outcomes in HF with Preserved Ejection Fraction trial.
²Dapagliflozin Evaluation to Improve the LIVEs of Patients With PReserved Ejection Fraction Heart Failure trial.
³Empagliflozin Outcome Trial in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction trial.
⁴FINerenone trial to investigate Efficacy and sAfety superioR to placebo in paTientS with Heart Failure trial.
⁵A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Investigate the Effect of Tirzepatide on the Reduction of Morbidity and Mortality in Adults with Obesity.
⁶A Study of Milvexian Versus Apixaban in Participants With Atrial Fibrillation.

National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award 2025

Professor Christopher Cheng Wai Sam
Senior Consultant, Department of Urology, Singapore General Hospital and Sengkang General Hospital
Clinical Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School

Professor Christopher Cheng is a distinguished leader, renowned for his contributions to urology, medical education, and healthcare administration. As a senior consultant urologist and former CEO of Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), he has played a pivotal role in advancing patient care, medical innovation, and hospital leadership. He is a highly regarded opinion leader internationally and has led many regional and international urological organisations and has been on the editorial boards of leading urological journals.

With a career spanning four decades at Singapore General Hospital and Singapore Health Services, Prof Cheng has been instrumental in shaping urological practices in Singapore, pioneering minimally invasive surgical techniques, and mentoring generations of clinicians. Numerous prominent local and regional urologists count him as their mentor through their formative years, and many local leaders in urology both in public and private institutions recall their time spent training with him fondly. Besides laying the foundations of a structured advanced urological training with annual progressive examinations leading to specialist accreditation when urology was at its infancy, he also dedicated efforts to raise funds for scholarships for fellows from regional countries to train in Singapore. Many fellows internationally (including Japan, China, Vietnam, and Thailand) consider Prof Cheng as a mentor in their training journey through Singapore and they continue to collaborate with him to spread his structured training over the Asia-Pacific region.

Prof Cheng’s dedication to research and innovation has led to significant advancements in prostate cancer management and minimally invasive surgery, improving patient outcomes both locally and internationally. He is a pioneer in using robots in surgery and led the development and introduction of da Vinci robotic prostatectomy in Asia with funding from the Ministry of Health’s Health Services Development Plan grant. The prostatectomy procedure is now widely adopted in all urological services in Singapore. Prof Cheng made a significant impact on the lives of prostate cancer patients, making diagnosis and treatment more effective, resulting in excellent clinical outcomes. 

Beyond his clinical expertise, Prof Cheng has demonstrated exceptional leadership in healthcare administration. As the founding CEO of SKH, he spearheaded its successful development into a major acute care hospital, enhancing Singapore’s healthcare infrastructure. His vision for integrated care and patient-centric services has influenced national healthcare strategies, fostering collaboration across institutions. With National Medical Research Council and Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING Singapore) grants, Prof Cheng led the development of the patented Mona Lisa robot for prostate biopsy into a commercial device. With an optional MRI-Ultrasound fusion capability that enables targeted biopsies and potentially targeted treatment, the device is now adopted by leading centres worldwide. This medical breakthrough enables urologists to make earlier diagnoses and pinpoint prostate tumours with higher accuracy. 

Prof Cheng’s healthcare contributions have been nationally recognised with the National Outstanding Clinician Award at the National Medical Excellence Awards in 2017 and the Public Administrative Medal (Silver) and Long Service Medal at the National Day Awards in 2015 and 2013 respectively. Most recently, Prof Cheng was conferred the inaugural Foo Keong Tatt Distinguished Professorship in Urology in 2023, which recognised him as an exceptional urologist who had made substantial contributions to clinical practice, education, research, and administrative leadership. Prof Cheng was also awarded the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre Master Academic Clinicians Award in 2021, GCEO Excellence Award for Outstanding Clinician in 2011, CIO Awards as Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Chairman in 2004 and the Service with a Heart Award in 2005 and 2006.

For his outstanding dedication in mentoring and training the future generation of clinicians and laying the foundation of excellence in urology, while role modelling the ethos of public service, Professor Christopher Cheng is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award 2025.