MBBS, FRCS (Ed), FAMS, PhD
Chief Executive Officer (Designate) & Deputy CEO (Future Health System)
Singapore General Hospital
Director
SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute
Clinical Associate Professor Tan Hiang Khoon is a dynamic clinician leader, currently serving as the Director of SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) and the Group Director of the International Collaboration Office at SingHealth. He also holds the position of CEO (Designate) & Deputy CEO (Future Health System) at Singapore General Hospital. Prior to his current roles, he served as the Chair of Surgery in SingHealth from 2015 to 2022.
With a distinguished career in head and neck surgery and surgical oncology, Dr Tan has made significant strides in healthcare leadership. He spearheaded the creation of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Head and Neck Disease Centre in 2013. As Chair of surgery, he led the integration of the Division of Surgery at Singapore General Hospital with the Division of Surgical Oncology at the National Cancer Centre Singapore to optimise care of surgical patients. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he established a 3,700-bed Community Care Facility, ensuring hospital capacities were maintained.
Dr Tan is dedicated to global health equity; he founded the Global Surgery Programme and initiated the Asian Surgical Leaders Network, which addresses the pandemic's impact on surgical health systems in Asia and develops strategies for health system resilience. His commitment to cost-conscious innovation led to a partnership with Duke University, resulting in a low-cost portable flexible nasopharyngoscope, enhancing diagnostic access in lower-resourced settings.
Under Dr Tan’s leadership, SDGHI has grown exponentially in just three years, expanding its headcount from 6 to nearly 40 today, and engaging close to 120 faculty members across the AMC to be involved in global health work. Additionally, he has led in the establishment of Regional Collaborating Centres in Medan and Jaffna to enhance alignment, impact and sustainability of its global health efforts.
With a vision to build tomorrow’s generation of global health leaders, Dr Tan oversaw the development of an Asia-focused Graduate Certificate in Global Health Practice in Asia which was launched earlier this year. Another Graduate Certificate in Global Health Innovation will be launched next year to equip global health practitioners with skills to innovate in low-resourced settings. He was also instrumental in the formation of the Centre for Global Nursing to support skills enhancement and research for nurses across the region.
Recognising that improving health outcomes in the region is not limited to the clinical setting, Dr Tan conceptualised the Asian Institute for Healthcare Leadership & Management (Asian HEAL) to provide a platform for knowledge exchange and learning where healthcare leaders in Asia can convene and learn from each other’s experiences to tackle health system challenges. Dr Tan is one of the founding faculty members of Asian HEAL.
With a keen eye on financial sustainability, Dr Tan has often created viable funding models for initiatives that he has led, including SDGHI, where he has raised close to S$10m in extramural funds to support its global health activities.
Dr Tan received his medical degree from the National University of Singapore, a Ph.D. from the University of Bristol, and advanced training in head and neck surgical oncology from the Institute Gustave Roussy in Paris. He also recently received his Executive Master in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.