National Medical Excellence Awards 2026

The National Medical Excellence Award (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, driving research and education, and developing better health in the community, which ultimately improve people's lives.

This year, we are proud that six SingHealth individuals and teams have received the prestigious NMEA 2026. Congratulations to our winners!

National Outstanding Clinician Award

Professor Teo Eng Kiong

Chief Executive Officer
Sengkang General Hospital

Assistant Group Chief Executive Officer (Medical & Clinical Services)
SingHealth

Professor Teo Eng Kiong is a gastroenterologist and hepatologist of international standing whose more than 30 years of distinguished service have left an indelible mark on clinical practice, shaped generations of clinicians, and strengthened Singapore's healthcare system at every level. 

As a clinician, Prof Teo has consistently redefined what is possible in minimally invasive care. Together with his colleagues, they developed direct endoscopic necrosectomy, a technique that treats severe pancreatic infections without open surgery. This has spared countless patients from high-risk procedures, significantly reducing complications and saving lives. His advanced protocols for managing life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding have set new regional benchmarks, while his endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage techniques have given patients safer, less invasive alternatives to traditional surgery. These innovations are now widely adopted across Asia-Pacific, a testament to their clinical impact and reproducibility. 

Prof Teo has been a driving force in shaping Singapore's national response to viral hepatitis, contributing to national Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) treatment guidelines and serving on the National Hepatitis C Programme Steering Committee. His hepatitis treatment protocols for persons in custody, developed as Chairman of the Drug Rehabilitation Centre Review Committee, achieved micro-elimination goals in one of society's most underserved communities and have since been adopted as a national reference model — a strong example of medicine reaching those who need it most. 

As a researcher, Prof Teo has been a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator in over 40 clinical studies, including landmark international trials for Hepatitis B and C treatments, advancing evidence-based medicine and cementing Singapore's position at the forefront of therapeutic development. His research fellowship at the University of Michigan produced seminal publications in Hepatology, and his scholarly leadership is further reflected in his role as Chief Editor of the Singapore Medical Journal from 2010 to 2013. 

As an educator, Prof Teo has earned multiple Best Teacher Awards and the Outstanding Faculty for Learning Award from Duke-NUS in 2013. His service as Vice Dean of the Academy of Medicine Singapore Deanery Academic Board speak to a career-long dedication to upholding the highest standards of clinical training and professional excellence. 

Beyond the clinic, research and classroom, Prof Teo has driven transformative change at the system level. As Master of the Academy of Medicine Singapore, he co-chaired the MOH Multilateral Healthcare Insurance Committee, establishing the Clinical Claims Resolution Process to resolve disputes between insurers, patients, and medical practitioners. He subsequently led the Medical Workforce Transformation Implementation Steering Committee from 2023 to 2025, steering Singapore's healthcare workforce into its next chapter.  

For his clinical excellence in gastroenterology and hepatology, and outstanding leadership in advancing patient safety, medical education, and healthcare system transformation, Professor Teo Eng Kiong is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Award 2026.

National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award

Professor N. Gopalakrishna Iyer

Head and Senior Consultant

Department of Head and Neck Surgery

Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology

Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore

Head

Division of Medical Sciences

National Cancer Centre Singapore

Professor N. Gopalakrishna Iyer is a pioneer clinician-scientist, exceptional surgeon and dedicated mentor who has reshaped the understanding and treatment of Asian-prevalent head and neck cancers through decades of bench-to-bedside research. His rare combination of surgical expertise, scientific curiosity, and bold approach to applying innovation in oncology has enabled him to improve patient outcomes today while advancing the development of future therapeutics.

As Head of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), Prof Iyer leads  complex resections and reconstructions across the full spectrum of head and neck cancers.  He has also been instrumental in establishing the internationally recognised Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery fellowship programme, training the next generation of surgeons in Singapore and internationally to deliver complex surgical and multidisciplinary care.

For Prof Iyer, every patient he sees informs his research questions, and every question answered in his lab is aimed at helping the next patient. This is evident in his efforts to establish an institutional head and neck cancer database at NCCS, which serves as a real-time prospective platform that annotates tissue and specimens for research, diagnostics, and artificial intelligence (AI) model training. This resource serves clinicians and scientists conducting head and neck research in Singapore and internationally. As Principal Investigator of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Laboratory, Prof Iyer leads a programme that has discovered various disease biomarkers and mechanisms through next-generation sequencing, single-cell genomics, patient-derived cell cultures, and immune microenvironment modelling..

A key practice of Prof Iyer’s lab involves identifying patients who are exceptional responders to various therapies and unravelling the mechanisms behind their responses. This ‘from-few-to-many’ strategy has resulted in the development of  new therapies ranging from biologics, therapeutic exosomes, to messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) therapeutics, validated through an innovative bioengineered ex-vivo platform co-developed with the National University of Singapore.

Prof Iyer was awarded the Singapore Translational Research Investigator Award in 2025, which is the National Medical Research Council’s (NMRC) pinnacle talent award for clinician scientists. With this funding, he is translating pre-clinical successes in novel biologics and immune cell therapy into clinical trials, with plans to develop a national manufacturing resource for immune cell therapeutics in Singapore.

A prolific scholar with over 170 publications, 12,300 citations, and a Hirsh index of 48, Prof Iyer is a peer reviewer for Nature and its family of journals , and holds leadership roles in the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies, the International Academy of Oral Oncology, and was the Founding President of the Head and Neck Cancer Society (Singapore).

Prof Iyer is particularly proud of his role as a mentor to the next generation of clinician-scientists. To date, he has mentored more than 85 clinician-scientists, post-doctoral fellows, doctoral students, clinical research fellows, and medical students who have gone on to build research programmes, secure competitive funding, and lead clinical trials of their own.

For his visionary leadership and outstanding contributions in the areas of translational head and neck cancer research, therapeutic innovation, and clinician scientist mentorship, Professor N. Gopalakrishna Iyer is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award 2026.

National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award

Professor Terrance Chua

Senior Consultant

Department of Cardiology

National Heart Centre Singapore

Senior Advisor

SingHealth

Professor Terrance Chua is a visionary clinical leader and dedicated educator whose contributions to nuclear cardiology, specialist training, and mentorship have left a lasting mark on Singapore's cardiovascular medicine landscape. Over the past four decades, he has continuously advanced the field of cardiac imaging, developed partnerships in clinical collaboration, nurtured cardiac research, and mentored generations of clinicians, attracting and retaining talent that continues to strengthen academic medicine and patient-centred care.

Prof Chua played a pivotal role in driving the growth of National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS)’s cardiovascular care services and research. He established Singapore's first cardiology department-based nuclear cardiology service and grew NHCS to become one of the highest volume centres in cardiac nuclear imaging globally. As Chief Executive Officer of NHCS from 2014 to 2023, he  championed the development of clinician scientists across research areas spanning genetics, ageing, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac computed tomography, laying the foundation for the National Heart Research Institute Singapore. In 2015, Prof Chua partnered with Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to establish the SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre (SCFC), matching military requirements with diagnostic expertise to advance evidence-based preventive cardiac care.

As Group Chairman of the SingHealth Medical Board from 2016 to 2025, Prof Chua fostered a culture of collaboration, partnership, and learning across the cluster. Through the sixteen SingHealth-Duke-NUS Disease Centres, he promoted multidisciplinary collaboration across specialties, breaking down silos and streamlining care for conditions ranging from diabetes and genomics to sports and palliative care. His leadership cultivated an environment of mutual support among clinicians working across different sites within the cluster. As part of broader cluster efforts to promote “Choosing Wisely” and appropriate value-based care initiatives, he advocates for patient-centred care, ensuring excellent outcomes whilst conserving limited healthcare resources.

Prof Chua has mentored generations of healthcare professionals and remains personally involved in career counselling with junior doctors to this day. As Chairman of the Specialist Training Committee for Cardiology and the Residency Advisory Committee for Cardiology, he instituted a national programme of regular teaching sessions for advanced specialty training trainees, and built the framework for exit examination, nurturing numerous clinicians who have gone on to assume leadership positions. In 2008, he supported the development of the Academy of Medicine Singapore Staff Registrar Scheme – Diploma in Cardiology and more recently, championed the development of the Hospital Clinician Programme, building a career track for hospital-based doctors to meet the growing demands of an expanding acute hospital sector. He served on MOH’s workgroup examining needs and working hours of junior doctors, advocating manpower planning needs.

Widely known for his warm and nurturing nature, Prof Chua has set the tone for supportive environments for staff across NHCS and SingHealth, demonstrating that mentorship is about believing in people, uplifting them, and helping them become the best versions of themselves. His approach has fostered a culture of collegial collaboration across institutions and disciplines. Prof Chua's outstanding contributions have been recognised through multiple accolades, including the NMEA National Outstanding Clinician Award in 2013 and the Singapore Cardiac Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. His impact is felt in the trainees who found confidence through his guidance, the clinicians and researchers whose careers he has shaped, and the enduring culture of mentorship he has built across Singapore's medical community.

For his clinical excellence and dedication to the advancement of cardiovascular care, and his exemplary leadership in mentoring and training the next generation of academic clinicians, Professor Terrance Chua is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award 2026.

National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award

Associate Professor Kevin Tan

Education Director

National Neuroscience Institute 

Senior Consultant 

Department of Neurology 

National Neuroscience Institute

Associate Professor Kevin Tan’s contributions to neurology training spans the continuum of undergraduate medical education to the field of neuroimmunology and neuroinflammatory diseases. As the inaugural Programme Director of the Neurology Senior Residency Programme at the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), he brought rigour and structure to a training landscape that needed both. He formalised processes, raised standards, and set a tone of scholarly meticulousness that would come to define his approach to education.

Nationally, he serves as Chair of the Neurology Residency Advisory Committee. He advanced the assessment of clinical neurology through the implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in neurology training and harnessing artificial intelligence in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) question writing.

Internationally, A/Prof Tan has led education initiatives for the Pan-Asian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the ASEAN Neurological Association, conceptualising and directing educational webinar series and conference symposia that have reached neurologists across Asia and beyond. As a clinician, A/Prof Tan directs the NNI Neuroimmunology-Neuroinflammation programme and has advised both the Health Sciences Authority and the Ministry of Health on neurological issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet it is perhaps in the field of interprofessional education (IPE) that A/Prof Tan’s influence has been most transformative. As NNI Education Director, he supports education across all healthcare professions and all levels of training As Co-Lead of the Centre for Interprofessional Healthcare Education (CIPHE) within the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, he has been the driving force behind a cultural shift in how healthcare teams learn and work together.

Recognising that collaboration must be taught and systems created to support it, he forged a landmark partnership with the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare and Education at the University of Toronto, bringing world-class IPE training to Singapore while systematically building local capacity to sustain it. The interprofessional community of practice he cultivated at SingHealth has since extended its reach across healthcare clusters and into the wider region. He co-chaired the organising committee of Asia-Pacific Interprofessional Education and Collaboration Network Conference 2026, which will be held in conjunction with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference in Singapore, bringing together the local, regional and international IPE community.

A/Prof Tan’s approach to healthcare professions education has been scholarly. He studies innovations in teaching and interprofessional education as rigorous fields of inquiry, leads funded education research projects and publishes healthcare professions education papers in those areas. He has also ensured that his research findings translate directly into education and clinical practice. Clinical reasoning and decision-making in the uncertainties of real-world medicine are essential skills for neurologists and  A/Prof Tan has developed  ascript concordance test to assess and measure these   skills in trainees. The test has also been used to determine the effectiveness of educational interventions to teach clinical reasoning. Similarly, his studies on interprofessional collaborative healthcare at NNI have been used to deliver team training more effectively and to improve the structure of interprofessional care. Several of these publications were produced in collaboration with students, residents, and junior faculty, reflecting his deep investment and joy in nurturing the next generation of educator-scholars.

For his pioneering contributions to neurology training, interprofessional education, and health professions education research, which have transformed healthcare education across Singapore and beyond, Associate Professor Kevin Tan is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award 2026.

National Clinical Excellence Team Award

ONE-STOP OBSTETRIC HIGH RISK (STORK) CENTRE

Associate Professor Tan Lay Kok

Head and Senior Consultant

Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Assistant Professor Serene Thain Pei Ting

Head and Senior Consultant

Maternal Medicine Unit

Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Associate Professor Michelle Jong

Visiting Consultant

Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Senior Consultant

Department of Endocrinology

Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Assistant Professor Tan Chuen Wen

Visiting Consultant

Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Senior Consultant

Department of Haematology

Singapore General Hospital 

Pregnant women with co-existing medical conditions including diabetes and blood disorders face significantly higher risks of complications for themselves and their babies. As such pregnancies continue to rise in Singapore, the need for coordinated, expert care has become increasingly urgent.

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) established the one-STop Obstetric high RisK (STORK) Centre in February 2021, bringing together multiple specialists from across Singapore's health clusters to deliver integrated care for high-risk pregnancies. The STORK Centre has since become a model of cross-institutional collaboration, serving mothers and babies facing the highest risks.

Today, the STORK Centre offers 11 consultant-led specialist services, with specialists spanning multiple medical disciplines from Singapore General Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Sengkang General Hospital working alongside KKH's consultants to provide integrated care for these women. From around 4,000 visits in 2021, the Centre has grown to about 4,600 visits in 2025 — a 15 per cent increase reflecting both the scale of need and the reach of its services. The STORK Centre accepts referrals from polyclinics, general practitioners, public and private hospitals, as well as self-referrals.

The STORK Centre addresses the complexities of high-risk pregnancies, particularly those with underlying or co-existing medical conditions, by guiding each woman to the most appropriate consultant-led service — including the Joint Obstetric and Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinic, Joint Obstetric and Medical Disorders in Pregnancy Clinic, and Joint Obstetric and Haematology Clinic.

Within the STORK Centre, obstetricians, medical specialists, dietitians, and nurse educators work hand in hand, enabling women to consult the relevant members of their care team on the same day, under one roof. This minimises the number of trips women need to make to KKH — reducing time away from work and family over the course of a pregnancy — while enabling direct communication between specialists and more coordinated care across the antenatal, delivery, and postnatal periods.

The benefits extend beyond the individual. Better coordinated care improves outcomes for mothers and newborns, reducing the risk of complications that are far more difficult to manage once they arise. By consolidating the most complex cases under the STORK Centre, KKH's general obstetric clinics are also freed up, giving more women timely access to the care.

As a key part of the SingHealth Maternal Medicine Network, the STORK Centre also ensures that each pregnant woman is referred to the hospital best equipped to handle her condition, giving her access to the full range of expertise she needs.

The health of mothers today shapes the health of their children and the population tomorrow. As the complexity of pregnancies in Singapore continues to grow, the STORK Centre's cross-institutional model ensures that women with the most complex needs receive the right care, from the right teams, at the right time.

For integrating obstetric and internal medicine expertise under one roof to give vulnerable mothers and babies the best chance at a healthy future, the STORK team is awarded the National Clinical Excellence Team Award 2026.

National Community Care Excellence Team Award

PROJECT ACHIEVING RESILIENT AND INSPIRING FAMILIES (ARIF)
 
Associate Professor Suzanna Sulaiman

Deputy Chairman and Senior Consultant

Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Dr Nur Adila Ahmad Hatib

Senior Consultant

General Paediatrics Service

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Ms Siti Nurzakiah Zaran

Senior Medical Social Worker

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital 

Mr Mohamad Helmy Mohamad Isa

Senior Director

Religious Talent Development 

Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS)

Project Achieving Resilient and Inspiring Families (ARIF) is the region’s first programme to guide couples from marriage through preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and child health, integrating clinical maternal and child health support within faith-based marriage ecosystems. From 1 June 2026, Project ARIF was renamed ARIF and transitioned into a national programme under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, extending its benefits to Muslim couples across Singapore.

Project ARIF is a collaboration between KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), and Temasek Foundation, with support from the Association of Muslim Professionals. The pilot emerged from a 2020 KKH study that identified significant gaps in maternal and child health knowledge among young Muslim couples, and the recognition that religion plays a central role in health decisions within the community — making mosques and marriage solemnisers natural entry points for preventive healthcare.

The science behind this approach is well established. The first 1,000 days of life — from conception to a child's second birthday — represent the most sensitive window for cognitive, physical and emotional development, with consequences that extend into adulthood. Research shows that inadequate support during this period can disrupt brain development and compromise immune function, with effects that last a lifetime. Global evidence consistently shows that intervening early, at the point of family formation, delivers far better population health outcomes than managing crises after they arise.

Project ARIF puts this evidence into practice by working through Singapore's existing Muslim community ecosystem. Naib kadis — the marriage solemnisers who are among the most trusted figures in Malay-Muslim family life — are trained by a multidisciplinary KKH team of doctors, nurses and medical social workers to deliver health guidance, conduct needs assessments and identify couples requiring additional support during the first two years of marriage. Each couple is assessed for social and medical needs, ranging from financial difficulties and young marriages to chronic conditions and mental health concerns, so that the most vulnerable receive timely support.

Since the pilot’s launch in September 2020 to May 2025, the programme has benefited over 12,000 individuals. Among them, over 5,000 couples received education and support spanning marriage preparation, preconception, pregnancy, parenting and early childhood development, alongside access to relevant programmes and health services. Of those who underwent needs assessments, 20 per cent were identified as having higher needs and referred for additional support. The programme also trained 124 community personnel to guide couples through key life transitions.

Among tracked pregnancies, outcomes have been equally encouraging. Of the 200 babies currently being supported, 101 are enrolled in an ongoing research programme, and all have received their birth vaccinations. Almost all mothers attended their antenatal scans and began breastfeeding at birth. Self-assessed parenting knowledge and confidence rose by an average of 15 per cent – an improvement that research associates with better long-term outcomes for children.

For the Malay-Muslim community, embedding clinical guidance within a trusted religious and cultural framework has proven to be an effective model of care – improving health-seeking behaviour and supporting couples in making evidence-based health decisions. The ARIF model demonstrates that this approach can improve population health outcomes, offering a replicable blueprint for communities across Singapore and the wider region.

For pioneering the region’s first integration of clinical maternal and child health care with a faith-based marriage ecosystem, nurturing families before new life begins to give the next generation the healthiest possible start in life, the Project ARIF team is awarded the National Community Care Excellence Team Award 2026.