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A MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION OF WOODLANDS HEALTH CAMPUS

Message Message fromfrom CEOCEO

Message Message from CEOfrom CEO

3 May 2021 3 May 2021

Dear Colleagues, Dear Colleagues, Current COVID-19 Currentpandemic COVID-19 situation pandemic situation Globally, the Globally, COVID-19 the COVID-19 pandemic pandemic is is showing no showing signs ofnoabating. signs ofThis abating. is so This is so despite a handful despite aofhandful effective of and effective safe and safe vaccines that vaccines have that beenhave developed been developed and and administered. administered.

We are still Weinare thestill early in the early days of a worldwide days of a worldwide vaccination vaccination effort. effort.

Nearer to Nearer Singapore, to Singapore, the situation the situation does not look doesall not that look good all that for now. goodInfor now. In response to response the worsening to the worsening situation situation in various in countries, various countries, SingaporeSingapore has has banned the banned entry of theallentry long-term of all long-term pass pass holders and holders short-term and short-term visitors with visitors with recent travel recent history travel (including history (including transit) transit) to Bangladesh, to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, India, Pakistan Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and Sri within Lanka thewithin last 14the days. last 14 days.

The situation The in situation the neighbouring in the neighbouring countries countries (Malaysia (Malaysia and Indonesia) and Indonesia) has also not hasimproved, also not improved, with number with number of new daily of new casesdaily in the cases thousands. in the thousands.

In Thailand, In Thailand, the country theis country now faced is now faced with a lockdown with a lockdown due to newdue clusters to new clusters and outbreaks and outbreaks in a number in aofnumber areas, of areas, and those and withthose recent with travel recent history travel history to Thailand to are Thailand no longer are no allowed longertoallowed to opt out of opt serving out of their serving 14-day their Stay 14-day Stay Home Notice Home (SHN) Notice at dedicated (SHN) at dedicated SHN SHN facilities. facilities.

MAY 2021

Featured Story

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ere in Singapore, ere innew Singapore, cases and newclusters cases and clusters

have emerged have in the emerged local community in the local community Staying Staying vigilant vigilant against against and the migrant and the worker migrant dormitories. worker dormitories.

Of Of concern particular is the concern Tan Tock is the Seng TanHospital Tock Seng Hospital COVID-19 COVID-19 and pushing and pushing on to on to particular (TTSH) cluster (TTSH) which cluster was detected which was lastdetected week, last week, and unfortunately and unfortunately a patient involved a patient in the involved in the care for care thefor population the population we serve we serve cluster has passed cluster away has passed due to away complications due to complications

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My Campus

Pavilion Terrace

08 My words

Ms Margaret Wong

Dr Jason Cheah Dr Jason Cheah Chief Executive ChiefOfficer Executive Officer

arising from arising COVID-19. from TTSH COVID-19. had moved TTSH had moved swiftly to contain swiftlythe to situation contain the by situation locking down by locking down the affectedthe wards, affected not allowing wards, not visitors, allowing andvisitors, and swabbing allswabbing its inpatients all itsand inpatients many ofand its many of its healthcare workers. healthcare workers.

Other Healthcare Other Institutions Healthcare Institutions (HCI) have also (HCI) have also stepped up their stepped vigilance, up theirand vigilance, our Human and our Human Resource (HR) Resource and Emergency (HR) and Planning Emergency (EP) Planning (EP) team issuedteam an advisory issued over an advisory the weekend over the that weekend that all staff movement all staffinto movement TTSH and intoitsTTSH campus and its campus has been suspended has beenunless suspended on anunless exceptional on an exceptional basis. If youbasis. have been If youtohave TTSH, been dating to TTSH, back dating back to 18th April,toyou 18thshould April, quickly you should get aquickly swab get a swab test (regardless test of (regardless whether orofnot whether you have or not you have been vaccinated), been vaccinated), monitor yourmonitor health closely your health closely (including twice-daily (including temperature twice-daily temperature taking) and taking) and

at the

see a doctorsee promptly a doctor if you promptly feel unwell. if you feel unwell.

I know that these I knoware that trying these times are trying for times Workforce for Transformation, Workforce Transformation, and Digital and Digital In addition, In if you addition, have been if youtohave any been of to any of and for you, you, thoseand of for youthose (like me) of you with (like me)Transformation with Transformation are pillars that are will pillars that will the public places the public visited places by confirmed visited by confirmed families andfamilies loved ones andinloved affected ones in affecteddrive this care drive transformation. this care transformation.

This This cases duringcases their during infectious theirperiods, infectious youperiods, you My countries. countries. appeal toMy you appeal is to remain to you is to remain was mentioned wasby mentioned our newlyby appointed our newly appointed should also go should for aalso swabgotest. for aYou swab cantest. Youoptimistic can and optimistic hopeful and thathopeful eventually, that eventually, NHG Chairman NHGMrChairman Tan Tee How Mr Tan in his Tee How in his go to the Urgent go toCare the Urgent Centre Care at Kampung Centre at Kampung 2021, and aligns 2021, and aligns the vaccination the programme vaccination will programme build will build message on message 15th Aprilon 15th April Admiralty, a Admiralty, Regional Screening a RegionalCentre Screening Centre with WHC’s with aim to WHC’s provide aimseamless to provide care seamless care momentum globally, momentum andglobally, as moreand andas more and or a Public Health or a Public Preparedness Health Preparedness Clinic Clinic within and beyond within and the hospital. beyond the hospital. more peoplemore are immunised, people are immunised, the spread the spread for your swab. forDo your check swab. if you Do check have been if you have of been the coronavirus of the will coronavirus be curtailed will be curtailed to the locations to the visited locations by confirmed visited by confirmed Woodlands Health’s Woodlands roleHealth’s in this ecosystem role in this ecosystem eventually. We eventually. have in fact We have seen in this fact seen this cases at the cases specified at the timings specified at. https:// timings at. https:// is to overseeisthe to health overseeneeds the health of theneeds of the happen in places happen such in places as the such UK and as the UK and wereyouthere.safeentry.gov.sg wereyouthere.safeentry.gov.sg HR and HR Israel. and Even Israel. north-western north-western region of Singapore region ofthat Singapore that in the US, Eventhe in the vaccination US, the vaccination EP will continue EP will to send continue out updates to send out via updates via is home to about is home 400,000 to about residents 400,000 residents programme there programme has definitely there has resulted definitely resulted advisories, so advisories, please look so out please for look themout for them (as at 2021), (asofatwhich 2021), 10% of which are now 10% 65 are now 65 in reduced daily in reduced new cases. daily Despite new cases. Despite and you canand speak youtocan your speak supervisor to yourorsupervisor years yearsThe andnumber older. The of residents number of residents this,ora lot more this,people a lot more still need people to still be need to be and older.

Human Resource Human if you Resource have any if you queries. have any queries. in the north-west in theand north-west the proportion and theofproportion of vaccinated. vaccinated.

This is a long This haul is global a long haul global elderly are expected elderly are to expected increase over to increase the over the challenge and challenge we needand to do weour need part. to do our part.

The rise in community The rise in cases community and clusters cases and clusters next 10 to 15 next years.

10 to Despite 15 years. being Despite one being one has prompted hasthe prompted Multi-Ministry the Multi-Ministry Taskforce Taskforce of the “youngest” of the parts “youngest” of Singapore, parts of Singapore, Regardless of Regardless the COVID-19 of thepandemic, COVID-19 pandemic, (MTF) to tighten (MTF)safe to tighten management safe managementwe need to continue population theispopulation rapidly ageing is rapidly and has ageing and has we need to push continue ahead to push with aheadthe with measures formeasures two weeks forbeginning two weeks beginningour plans to our one one of age-adjusted the highest age-adjusted rates rates careplans for the to care population for thewe population weof the highest 1st May including 1st May chronic diseases, on chronic complications diseases, complications and and stricter including crowd stricter control crowd at control serve. at Health-related serve. Health-related issues arising issues from arisingonfrom frailty. frailty. In there addition, is a sizable there is a sizable shopping malls. shopping The MTF malls. hasThe also MTF urged has alsoan urged ageing population, an ageing coupled population, withcoupled the with the In addition, at-risk population at-riskwhose population chronic whose chronic Singaporeans Singaporeans to limit social to interactions limit social interactions high prevalence high of prevalence chronic diseases, of chronic diseases, conditions will conditions progresswill to become progress to become to no more than to notwo more a day, thanavoid two acrowded day, avoid crowded continue to be continue public to health be public issues, health with issues, with full blown diseases full blown anddiseases developand develop places, and places, stay home andwhere stay home possible. where possible. or without a or pandemic. without aWe pandemic. must explore We must explore complications, complications, if there is noifintervention. there is no intervention.

These measures These aremeasures necessary aretonecessary break to break new ways to new engage wayspatients to engage andpatients their and their the virus transmission the virus transmission chains, and chains, we andfamilies, we andfamilies, work with and partners work with for partners a for a With the our newWith health our campus new health opening campus in opening in have to be prepared have to be forprepared further tightening for further tightening holistic approach holistic towards approach maintaining towards maintaining the 2023, we are 2023, well-poised we are to well-poised facilitate to facilitate if the situation if the does situation not improve. does not improve. well-being ofwell-being the community. of the community. a comprehensive a comprehensive ecosystem ofecosystem care, of care, bringing together bringing caretogether providers care in providers the in the The recent cases The recent and clusters cases and show clusters show Transforming Transforming Care for theCare residents for the residents community to community deliver coordinated, to deliver coordinated, holistic holistic that we continue that we to be continue vulnerable to betovulnerable the to the we serve we serve and person-centric and person-centric care. We envisage care. We envisage COVID-19 virus, COVID-19 not just virus, at work not just but at work but Woodlands working Health, closely working with closely with also at homealso andatinhome food courts, and in food hawker courts, hawker The MinistryThe of Health’s Ministry National of Health’s National Woodlands Health, the conductor as thefor conductor the health for the health places, eateries, places, andeateries, restaurants and where restaurants where Population Health Population Strategy Health of the Strategy of the partners, as partners, ecosystem for ecosystem the population for thein population the in the we are typically we are unmasked. typically In unmasked. a separateIn a separate “Three Beyonds” “Three- Beyond Beyonds” Healthcare - Beyond to Healthcare to north-western north-western region, the provider region, the for provider for cluster unrelated cluster tounrelated TTSH, anto officer TTSH, from an officer from Beyond Health, Health, Hospital Beyond to Community, Hospital to Community, acute acute andcare; sub-acute the coordinator care; the coordinator ImmigrationImmigration & Checkpoints & Checkpoints Authority Authority and Beyond and Quality Beyond to Value Quality - aims to Value to - aims to and sub-acute (ICA) infected (ICA) his infected entire immediate his entire immediate for preventive, for primary, preventive, long-term primary,care long-term care help Singaporeans help Singaporeans stay healthy,stay provide healthy, provide family including family hisincluding wife whohis is awife nurse who is a accessible nurse and other services; and other andservices; the educator and the educator care accessible closer to care home, closer andto home, and working at TTSH. working If any at TTSH. individual If anyinindividual your in your and influencer andfor influencer health promotion for healthand promotion and keep healthcare keepaffordable. healthcare Itaffordable. is one It is one household ishousehold unwell or is has unwell been or exposed has been exposed healthy lifestyles. healthy lifestyles. of the impetus of the behind impetus the National behind the National to another person to another with person COVID-19, with we COVID-19, Healthcare we Group’s Healthcare (NHG) Group’s plan (NHG) to build plan to build must take necessary must takeprecautions necessary precautions and and an ecosystem anthat ecosystem will align that payers, will align payers, Scaling up Scaling up adhere to safe adhere distancing to safemeasures. distancingAs measures.

As providers, patients, providers, andpatients, the population and the population Since 2017,Since WHC 2017, has worked WHC with has worked with healthcare workers, healthcare we workers, must keep wetomust strictkeep we to strict serve, to we provide serve,person-centred to provide person-centred partners in the partners community in the to community develop the to develop the standards ofstandards monitoring of our monitoring temperature our temperature care that covers care both that covers health both and social health and social “building blocks” “building for this. blocks” Ourfor efforts this. Our efforts twice-daily, seeing twice-daily, a doctor seeing immediately a doctor immediately aspects. Partnership, aspects. Partnership, Care, Finance, Care, Finance, include transitional include care transitional supportcare fromsupport from when unwell,when washing unwell, our washing hands and our hands and hospital to home, hospital Community to home, Nurse Community Posts Nurse Posts practising good practising personal good hygiene, personal wearing hygiene, wearing as a key community as a key “infrastructure”, community “infrastructure”, a face mask awhen face outside, mask when andoutside, mandatory and mandatory various social-health various social-health integration integration use of the TraceTogether use of the TraceTogether app or tokenapp or token initiatives toinitiatives improve coordination to improve coordination and and to facilitate to contact facilitate tracing contact efforts. tracing We efforts. We resilience, and resilience, an innovative and ancare innovative networkcare network have to stay have vigilant to stay to prevent vigilantanother to prevent another comprising the comprising GPFirst programme the GPFirst and programme and outbreak in the outbreak community, in the community, and as and as Urgent Care Urgent Centre Care (UCC)Centre to optimise (UCC) to optimise Minister GanMinister Kim Yong Gan has Kim mentioned, Yong has mentioned, primary and primary pre-hospital and pre-hospital care. care. to minimise to theminimise risk of a the large risk cluster of a large of cluster of cases whichcases will then which putwill additional then putstress additional stress Our pilot programme Our pilot to programme improve the to improve right- the righton our healthcare on oursystem. healthcare Thatsystem. is also That is also siting of caresiting in the of north care in - the theUCC north- has - the UCC - has why overseaswhy travel overseas for leisure travelremains for leisure remains received more received than 3,200 more than patients 3,200 since patients since suspended for suspended all essential, for allfrontline essential, frontline opening in September opening in 2020.

September We recently 2020. We recently public (including publichealthcare) (including workers. healthcare) workers.

02 Joy JoyininWork Work 02 Joy Joy May May inin2021 Work Work 2021May May 2021 2021

Joy in WorkJoyMay in Work 2021 May 03 2021 03

My Colleagues My Colleagues

My Words My Words

Medical Social Medical Work Social (MSW) Work (MSW)

Ms Margaret Ms Margaret Wong Wong

wasonstruggling her own due on her to the ownlack due to the lack It all began It all with began an anonymous with an anonymous tip received tip by received one ofby ourone of our was struggling of social support of social and support limited and information limited information doctors that doctors quickly thatcaught quicklythe caught attention the attention of our Medical of our Social Medical Social on the available on the help available channels. helpThe channels. The Services team.

Services What team. transpired What transpired thereafterthereafter is an exemplary is an exemplary case of case of and pandemic pandemic circuit-breaker and circuit-breaker had further had further isolated them. isolated them. extendingextending care beyond carehospital beyond walls. hospital walls.

She decidedShe to come decided forward to come afterforward after t the height of t the theheight pandemic, of theone pandemic, of a one photocopied of a photocopied identity cardidentity was leftcard at was left at witnessing the witnessing dedication theby dedication our MSWby our MSW the door entrance. the door The entrance. elderly lady The elderly was ladyinwas our doctors received our doctors an anonymous received an anonymous caring forinher caring mother. for her While mother. it wasWhile a it was a observed to observed be weak and to be disoriented. weak and disoriented.

WhatsApp message WhatsApp requesting messagefor requesting for challenge tochallenge convince to herconvince to allow her the to allow the The ambulance The and ambulance police were and called police were called help for an elderly help for lady an who elderly waslady reportedly who was reportedly team to bring team her to mother bring to herthe mother hospital to the hospital in for assistance in forhowever, assistance thehowever, elderly the elderly lying on the lying floor of onher theHDB floor flat of her andHDB flat and initially, sheinitially, eventually sheagreed. eventually Bothagreed. Both lady refusedlady to give refused her consent to give her to be consent tomother be had gone without had gone foodwithout for days. food Thefor days. The and mother daughterand aredaughter receivingare support receiving support conveyed to conveyed the hospital to the for further hospital for further WHC doctor WHC informed doctor herinformed clinical Head her clinical Head from APS and from community APS and partners community to partners to assessment. of Department, of Department, who decidedwho to call decided the to callassessment. the reintegrate back reintegrate into theback community. into the community.

Medical Social Medical Work Social (MSW)Work Department (MSW) Department not give did up and not give continued up and continued for assistance fortoassistance review thetocase. review the case. Cherlyn did Cherlyn to monitor the to monitor lady’s wellbeing the lady’s bywellbeing by daily conducting home visits daily to home ensure visits to ensure As there wasAs only there an was address only given an address and givenconducting and she had foodshe andhad water, foodand androped water,inand roped in the number the fromnumber which the frommessage which the message her to neighbours help keeptowatch. help keep Her watch. Her was sent waswas subsequently sent was subsequently turned off, turnedher off,neighbours efforts slowlyefforts gained slowly the trust gained of the the trust of the the MSW team the approached MSW team approached community community elderly lady. elderly lady. partners such partners as Agency suchfor asIntegrated Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), Monfort Care (AIC), CareMonfort and Institute Care and Institute The escalated case was toescalated the Ministry to the Ministry of Mental Health of Mental (IMH)Health to gather (IMH) to gather The case was of Social andofFamily Social Development and Family Development Adult Adult information information and to locateand thetolady’s locate the lady’s Protection Services Protection (APS) Services for urgent (APS) for urgent next-of-kin. next-of-kin.

As the case As wasthe notcase known was not known assistance toassistance invoke thetoVulnerable invoke the Vulnerable to any of thetoagencies, any of the the agencies, team decided the team decided the elderly Act aslady the elderly was in selflady was in selfto pay a visittotopay verify a visit the to situation verify the even situationAdult evenAct asAdult neglect. Theneglect. case took The a turn case when took aitturn was when it was though we were though under we the werecircuit-breaker under the circuit-breaker revealed thatrevealed the person thatwho the had person sent who had sent phase then. phase then. the anonymous the message anonymous wasmessage in fact the was in fact the elderly lady’selderly daughter lady’s who daughter was suffering who was suffering Upon arrival,Upon our MSW arrival, Cherlyn our MSW Quek Cherlyn Quek MSW’s intervention MSW’s intervention is not only limited is not only limited from mentalfrom health mental issues, health like issues, found an elderly foundlady, an elderly unkempt lady, unkempt to like work within to work the hospital within the but hospital also but also her mother. her Shemother. contacted She contacted and on the living and on room the floor. living room floor. extended outextended to the community. out to the community. us for assistance us forasassistance she as she The door wasThe notdoor locked, was and not locked, and Decisive andDecisive timely intervention and timely intervention are critical in areour critical courseinofour work. course of work.

The ability toThe connect abilitywith to connect various with various service providers service allow providers us to gather allow us to gather information information promptly andpromptly take and take necessary actions. necessary During actions. the During the process, we process, also addressed we alsoissues addressed issues that her daughter that her hasdaughter faced over hasthe faced over the years and rendered years and therendered appropriate the appropriate support. support.

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What have Whatwehave learnt? we learnt?

INSIDE

Message from CEO pg02

My Colleagues pg05-06

My Words

My Work

pg08

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Ms Margaret Wong Sister Kala

Placing the person Placingatthe theperson centreatofthe centre of everything they everything did, thethey MSW did, team the MSW team persisted in persisted engaging in theengaging lady withthe lady with empathy andempathy practicaland support, practical andsupport, and collaboratedcollaborated with various with partners various partners to achieve the to achieve commonthe goal common of goal of improving lives. improving Even when lives. the Even when the lady had notlady yet been had not admitted yet been into admitted into hospital, ourhospital, team of our MSWs team and of MSWs and doctors wentdoctors the distance went the to render distance to render outstanding outstanding care. Our hats care. off Our to you hats off to you for your tireless for your efforts tireless to care efforts for our to care for our community! community!

Strategic Futures Office 06 Joy in Work 06 JoyMay in Work 2021 May 2021

Margaret’s mum Margaret’s mum sharing about sharing her about her job with her eldest job with her eldest granddaughtergranddaughter and and her school mates. her school mates.

CNY reunion taken CNY reunion taken before the pandemic before the pandemic with Margaret’s with Margaret’s parents, daughters parents, daughters and her husband. and her husband.

Mothers often Mothers are often the most are the most importantimportant women inwomen our lives, in our lives, impactingimpacting us in many us ways. in many ways.

AssistantAssistant Director of Director Enterprise of Enterprise Risk Management, Risk Management, Ms Margaret Ms Margaret Wong shares Wong the shares role her the role her mother played motherinplayed her decision in her decision to join healthcare. to join healthcare.

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ince my schooling ince my years, schooling I had years, been I had been accustomed accustomed to being in atohospital being in a hospital daily. To me,daily. it wasTolike me,a itstudent was like a student care facility care wherefacility I would where go toI before would go to before and after school. and after school.

I remember Idoing remember my homework doing myonhomework a on a small table beside small table the nurse beside station. the nurse station.

Honestly, I could Honestly, hardly I could concentrate hardly concentrate on on my homework myashomework there wasas a lot there going was a lot going on. There were on. constant There were beeps constant and beeps and buzzer sounds buzzer fromsounds the machines from theand machines and I had a clearI view had aofclear the babies view ofwho the babies who back until the back handover until the is handover fully completed is fully completed On a happierOn note, a happier I witnessed note, the I witnessed the were few hours wereorfew days hours old, or some daysinold, some in or when there or were whenurgent there were tasksurgent to be tasks togratitude be from gratitude parentsfrom towards parents the towards doctors the doctors the incubator, thesome incubator, in theirsome littleincots. their little cots. completed. All completed. they wantAllis they to ensure want is that to ensure and that nurses when and nurses they bring whentheir theybabies bring their babies There could There be several couldepisodes be several where episodes where their patients their are patients well taken arecare welloftaken before care of before home.

Manyhome. times Many I hear times the parents I hear the parents the doctors would the doctors rush in would to administer rush in to administer they leave for they theleave day. for the day. saying, I don’t saying, knowI what don’telse know to what say but else to say but resuscitationresuscitation and tearful parents and tearful wereparents were thank you sothank much, you with so happy much, tears. with happy tears. quite a common quitescene. a common scene.

I befriendedI abefriended patient who a patient stayed at who AHstayed at AH for two years. forI two literally years. watched I literally himwatched him I was inspired I was by my inspired mother, by who my mother, is now who is now You should be Youable should to guess be able by now. to guess by now. grow up as his grow family up asstopped his family visiting stopped visiting semi-retired,semi-retired, to join the healthcare to join thesector. healthcare sector.

My mum worked My mum in the worked Paediatrics in the ICU. Paediatricshim ICU. since hehim turned sincesixhemonths turned old. six months old.

Unfortunately, Unfortunately, I cannot be on I cannot the clinical be on the clinical Because I spent Because long Ihours spentthere long so hours I there so When I he could When take hesmall couldamount take small of amounttrack of due to track my phobia due toofmy needles phobiaand of needles and engaged in conversations engaged in conversations with the nurses with thesolids, nursesI shared solids, my Isnacks sharedwith my snacks him (with with him (with blood but I hope bloodtobut beIable hopetotocontribute be able to contribute and played with and played the babies. with My the mum’s babies. My mum’s my mum’s clearance). my mum’s Iclearance). remember Ihis remembertohis WHC, ensuring to WHC, thatensuring we brave that through we brave through colleagues devoted colleagues theirdevoted hearts their to thehearts job to favourite the job is K** favourite mashed is K** potato. mashed I ampotato. sure I am sure all possible risks all possible from now risks tillfrom campus now till campus - if need be,- they if need were be, ever they ready weretoever stayready he to stay is in a better he isplace in a better now place now  opening, up opening, to being operational. up to being operational.

Joy in WorkJoyMay in Work 2021 May 07 2021 07

A MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION OF WOODLANDS HEALTH CAMPUS

The two have become fast friends after being deployed to Ward 77 as Care Ambassadors.

My Colleagues Yus Herlydia Bte Mohamed Jalil and Nurul Ayda Fitria Bte Junaidi

My Campus Ng Soon Kwan 2

for patient healing. first purpose- built parkland WHC will feature the Garden” integrates “Woodlands Healing Designed by the NParks, of our campus. seamlessly into the heart

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andscape is basically an intricate design that requires the balancing of 2 opposing elements, hardscape and softscape. As the name would suggest, hardscape is the hard stuff in the garden - concrete, bricks and stone.

While softscape refers to living, growing objects such as trees, scrubs and flowers.

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JUNE 2021

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us Herlydia Bte Mohamed Jalil and Nurul Ayda Fitria Bte Junaidi had both been with Singapore Airlines as crew members for three years when the COVID-19 pandemic crippled air travel and grounded most flights. When they joined us as Care Ambassadors, they weren’t sure what to expect but the team welcomed them into the WHC Family. The strong support and guidance of the team has encouraged them and kept them going during this time of unfamiliarity.

MY CAMPUS

Featured Story

Last October, WHC welcomed Singapore Airlines crew members as Care Ambassadors at our pre-ops wards at KTPH. Over a sixmonth stint, they worked closely with the care team to provide care for patients. Read about Yus Herlydia and Nurul Ayda’s experience, and what made them decide to extend and stay on for another four months with us.

LANDSCAPE

We are truly very thankful to WHC for engaging the stewardesses.

For the past six months, we have truly learned a lot and it definitely became like a part of our daily life to actually care for the patients,”

Campus

- Yus Herlydia

Nurul Ayda adds, “The brothers and sisters in our ward, they actually approach us to ask how we’re coping. We appreciate that they took the time to sit down with us and listen to us.”

While they have dealt with numerous patients, an Indian couple in their late

70s is one that stands out to Yus Herlydia the most. With her husband having gone through a surgery and being in the hospital for a week, the wife poured her heart out and confided in Yus Herlydia.

The conversation taught her to always cherish the time we spend with our loved ones, the importance of health and how we should always treasure family.

Nurul Ayda also talks about how she has learned to treat every patient like family. She realised that some patients come from nursing homes with no family members to visit them, mainly because their children are too busy and sometimes forget about them. “It makes me want to be there for them. I feel that we’ve gotten close to and have this bond with the patients.”

This experience has taught both Yus Herlydia and Nurul Ayda a lot. From learning healthcare terms or how to study a patients’ symptoms for a certain diagnosis, to lifelong lessons that they will bring with them even when they return to flying. Nurul Ayda shares about her key takeaway from this experience: “Be more empathetic. I mean we do have this motto (in SQ) to be more

4 1. Care Ambassadors with the WHC Team 2. Right before the pandemic crippled the aviation industry: Ayda in one of her last flights dressed in the iconic Singapore Airlines sarong kebaya 3. Adorable passenger alert: A “wefie” of Lydia with her Russian passenger 4. Training for Care Ambassadors

empathetic, but I think the takeaway here from what we see and learn is to be more empathetic. Because sometimes you really don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes for a passenger and similarly for a patient or their family. So, I feel that no questions asked, you should just be there for them.”

Despite only being with WHC for a short period, they have built a strong connection with their fellow brothers and sisters in Ward 77. Their continuous support and guidance, as well as care and concern have prompted both of them to extend their stint with WHC.

I feel very heavy-hearted to leave this place because I feel that WHC has taught me a lot of things. It is really an eye-opener for me,” - Nurul Ayda.

Thank you for extending your service, and for embodying our mission and core values, Yus Herlydia and Nurul Ayda!

The hardscape that we have in the campus appears mainly in the form of planters of various shapes and sizes.

They can be found all over the campus, strategically placed to demarcate visitors access and circulation path as well as provide some seating for visitors and staff who are enjoying the outdoor greenery.

Softscape not only plays a role in softening the outlook of the entire campus but also provides lush greenery to promote healing. The comforting, soothing, simulating and therapeutic qualities of softscape would aid patients and promote recovery. Softscape also provides benefits such giving out abundance of fresh air in the morning, being able to cool the immediate surroundings, and providing shade and privacy for patients and their family while they are enjoying the outdoor spaces.

In this aspect, trees play a particularly

Did you

Know?

Campus important role in overall softscape design.

Other than being aesthetically pleasing, there were several crucial criteria that we look at during the plant selection for our campus and they include:

e t nam Fun Fact longes m var. ceu with the nt tilia The pla : Talipariti is pus ens on cam pernambuc

Sufficient spread to provide shade while allowing visual permeability Hardiness and growth rate so that it would not topple easily or have its branches break off during adverse weather conditions Relatively pest-free Least withering and maintainability Most of the trees that will be planted in the campus are pre-grown to a desirable height and spread. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to select them from a nursery in Malaysia. The challenging part was not which healthy trees to select but trying to remember the tree names that are difficult to pronounce, among them Cratoxylum Cochinchinensis and Arfeuillea Arborescens. The selected pre-grown trees are then moved to a

Plants often have two names – a common name used by most of us in everyday circumstances which may vary by region or country; and a scientific name which is unique and universally recognised by botanists, agronomist, the ‘experts’.

Here are some of examples of the plants that we have on campus: Common Name Ironwood Mampat or Yellow Cow Wood Fiddlewood Umbrella tree Kelumpang Burong

Scientific Name Hopea odorata Cratoxylum cochinchinense Citharexylum spinosum Schefflera actinophylla Sterculia parviflora

06 Joy in Work June 2021

Here’s another edition of #AskMeAnything! This time, we posed ten questions to Chief of Surgery, Dr Chua Wei Chong. Who knew he’s can make takoyaki and tempura?

Dr Chua Wei Chong

opening is accelerating, and instead of rushing from point A to point B for meetings in the past, today I am juggling zoom meetings in the midst of clinic or in between cases in the operating theatre. Technology has closed the gap to bring people together, yet the irony is that zoom meetings can make communication less personal and less engaging.

on a number of overseas missions like the earthquake medical team in Sumatra, peacekeeping operation in Timor Leste and medical needs assessment in Afghanistan. I have also developed the 3rd Generation Army Medical Support System to modernize Singapore’s medical capability in the field.

Q Do you set aside specific times to cast vision to your employees and other leaders?

A Yes, I believe that the success of

any organisation depends on its people. The clarity of thought and direction will energise and empower our actions in both directions. I encourage my team to share their views openly and I do likewise with senior management, so that we can collectively make the best decisions for the organisation.

Q What is your favourite thing about your team?

A Everyone in my team has unique skills that I don’t have. I respect each surgeon in my team as equal, because each one brings to the table his/her experience, talent and

INSIDE

Message from CEO

My Colleagues pg05-06

My Words

My Work

pg07

pg08

Dr Chua Wei Chong

Mary Neo ry Ne rsing Ma or of Nu pirations y Direct her ins Deput me. shares as she rk and at ho at wo Dr Chua with his family

o

Sister Mary taking Polar on a walk

Sister Mary and her family

An avid watch collector: Dr Chua loves watches for their precision, much like the skills needed for a surgeon.

passion. Together, we complement each other to form a STRONG team, with our common vision of Safety, Teamwork, Respect, Openness, Nurturing and Greatness.

Q What was your dream job when you were a kid?

A I was a sick cat when I was young,

and my parents often brought me to see my family doctor. I was always impressed by his ability to comfort and heal, and that inspired me to be a doctor one day. So it is really a dream come true for me.

Q Which movie have you seen recently or what are you watching on Netflix?

A Netflix shows are getting better, I just finished watching the Japanese anime series Sword Art Online with my family. I also enjoyed Vincenzo (quite intense), Hell’s Kitchen and Lucifer.

Q

What are your personal interests/hobbies?

A

I love to collect watches, because the precision required to make a good watch reminds me of the precision

2

skills that surgeons must hone. Each watch commemorates a certain milestone in my life, so that I will always remember and share each story with my kids.

Q If you could acquire a new skill in 10 minutes, what would it be?

A This will definitely be making sushi

rice. I love Japanese food, and I have already learnt to make takoyaki and tempura during the circuit breaker period. With sushi rice, I can make a variety of sushi, temaki and chirashi to enjoy.

Q What’s your favourite music genre?

A I love listening to all types of music,

different music for different occasions.

I play light instrumental music in the operating theatre to keep my team relaxed and focused. English pop songs are still most enjoyable for me.

Q What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done or seen before?

A During my travels to Cambodia to

train the doctors and nurses in trauma, I have been introduced by the locals to eat fried tarantulas, stir fried red ants, rat meat and grilled bee honeycomb with larvae. I don’t think I can do that again.

MD

1

I really enjoyed working in the construction environment even though most people will try to avoid it at all cost. The sense of achievement and satisfaction I felt whenever I complete a construction project, be it multi-million project or just a simple covered walkway, gives me the motivation to perform even better for my next project. With the opportunity to work on different types of projects, I could feel the impact that landscape made to the overall built environment, and this is especially so when I compare private residential project to industrial building project.

Landscape would ‘soften’ the residential development and made it feel cooler and more welcoming. On the other hand, this could not be felt when I completed the industrial development where landscape was bare minimum.

My Words

Q How’s life?

A Life is a zoom. The pace to WHC

Q What was your first job like?

A I was an Army doctor, and deployed

It is truly my wish that the landscape will promote positive healing energy for patient and a pleasant environment for the community and staff.

Joy in Work June 2021 09

My Words

Dr Chua Wei Chong

nursery in Singapore to allow them to grow to the desired height and spread before being planted in the campus. I would be one of the very few who can actually ‘watch’ them grow.

3

1. Dr Chua and his team 2. A younger Dr Chua during his deployment to East Timor 3. Your eyes aren’t playing a trick on you. Presenting fried spiders. Dare to take a bite?

Joy in Work June 2021 07

Polar’s 6 year-old birthday

AT HOME I used to have 2 Cocker Spaniels, named Dusky and Dylan. Dusky was more attached to me, while Dylan was more attached to my husband. Unfortunately, due to the health of both my children we had to rehome Dusky and Dylan which was very sad for both of my kids. How Polar entered our lives following this was rather interesting.

My eldest son got Polar without telling us and I think ever since, it has brought a lot of joy and laughter not only into my life, but my family’s.

Playing and training Dusky was something that I used to do in my free time previously, hence doing the same with Polar now helped me reminisce the good times with Dusky and Dylan.

I will always be welcomed back home no matter how long I left with very high energy jumping and barking at the front door. He would invade my personal space when I am working from home by lying or stepping on my feet like it’s his own territory. Looking back, Polar has already been with our family for 7 years and he has made my family a lot happier and added a lot of liveliness and noise into the house. It does not matter how

08 Joy in Work June 2021

bad a day I had, coming home to such a sight would never fail to make me smile or laugh.

Walking Polar in the park on a weekend was also a healthy activity for my family especially for my hubby and me. With Polar, we explored different locations, from Chinese Garden to Park Connectors and we would always end I could never forget frequent visits to OT, our walk with a nice brunch.

AT WORK

the way how she conducted meetings and motivated the team, which continue to inspire me till today.

Throughout my nursing career, Ms Chey Boon Tiang and Ms Lee Yen Yen both left tremendous impact on me and played a vital role in defining the leader that I am today.

Upon graduation as a Staff Nurse in 1988, I was posted to Singapore General Hospital, Major Operating Theatre.

Ms Chey was a mentor who inspired me to pursue a career as an OT Nurse.

She is someone that I would consider a “Shifu” in the Operating Theatre. Though strict and assertive, she was extremely passionate in teaching and guiding her juniors. Up till today, I can still recall the very first Open Cholecystectomy that we both scrubbed in together. Though I only spent a year under her mentorship,

I acquired several hard and soft skills which laid a strong foundation for me as a nurse clinician and educator.

As leader, Ms Lee had taught me to believe in people and build trust. She was understanding and rendering her support in the changes I made to manage the operating theatre. Her trust in me gave me more confidence to manage the complex team in Operating theatre. I could never forget frequent visits to OT, the way how she conducted meetings and motivated the team, which continue to inspire me till today.

NEWSLETTER

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:

REACHING OUT GLOBAL HEALTH

A JOURNEY OF

“I was appointed the Director of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) and Group Director of SingHealth International Collaboration Office (ICO) on 1 January 2021. With the unique expertise and resources of these two units, we are confident that our academic medical centre will go from strength to strength in advancing our global health mission. By working with our regional partners, we can build resilience in our local health systems and make a sustainable impact on global health equity beyond our borders.”

Learning from crisis The importance of global health is only too obvious now with countries worldwide grappling with the COVID-19 outbreak. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, we had to avoid overwhelming our country’s healthcare system by moving the battlefront from the hospitals to the community. Healthcare professionals from every one of our SingHealth institutions were brought to the frontlines at the Community Care Facilities to take care of migrant workers who had tested positive for COVID-19.

MAJOR NEWS:

NOVEL TRAINING TOOLS FOR

ONCOPLASTIC BREAST SURGERY

Assoc Prof Tan Hiang Khoon Academic Chairman, Surgery ACP; Director, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute; Group Director, International Collaboration Office, SingHealth

This crisis tested our staff and system’s resilience and highlights the importance of a coordinated global approach to healthcare challenges. We cannot secure our population’s health if parts of our society do not have equitable access to health. Advancing health equity through health-system collaboration within and across borders is central to the global health mission.

Giving and receiving Global health is not limited to humanitarian missions in times of crisis. Over the years, the SingHealth surgical community has built strong partnerships with our counterparts in the region, allowing for sharing of ideas and best practices.

Through the tutorship of master surgeons, Dr Angkoon Anuwong in Thailand and Dr Tran Ngoc Luong in Vietnam, we have adopted innovative techniques to perform minimallyinvasive thyroid surgery in Singapore.

These approaches are now offered as safe and viable options to our local patients. This is only one example of the many areas of excellent practice in health systems in the region. While we reach out to support health systems in the region, we must not forget that

DISCOVERY engaging beyond our borders also presents us with opportunities to innovate and provide better care for our patients.

Beyond COVID-19 That is not to say that we overlook the difficulties of healthcare in lowresource settings. The number of deaths today due to the lack of access to safe and affordable surgery is greater than the combined loss of lives due to tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV. To overcome this clear and present challenge, our surgical community must work with our regional partners to facilitate clinical skillset transfer and health-system enhancement.

COVID-19 has overwhelmed even countries with advanced health systems. In countries with low healthsystem capacity, the pandemic has accentuated inequities in access to care ranging from ICU beds to vaccines. The ripples of COVID-19 will continue to be felt long after the pandemic as we begin to assess its longer-term impact on people’s livelihoods and mental well-being.

SKH will continue its gradual opening of services. The patient profile and expectations at SKH are a little different from SGH as we see young and well-educated residents of Punggol and Sengkang towns, as well as the very old, given the high density of nursing homes in the area.

Hence, we need to model our services to meet the referrals we get and extend services along the healthcare continuum, particularly in ambulatory and outpatient care, so that we can return the care of these patients to the community.

Having the space and freedom to plan a new hospital was exciting and satisfying. With a ‘blank canvas’ to work on, we could focus on patient journeys and build co-locating care facilities. The experience provided me with vital insight into how our physical planning and day-to-day operations impact patients, and our healthcare staff carrying out their duties.

For example, siting services within walking distance of each other offers patients convenience while helping us optimise workflow. A patient who needs to see a hand surgeon can easily access related services such as rehabilitation and radiology nearby.

In fact, our SKH Breast Centre has received favourable feedback from patients for its co-location with Breast Imaging. It has been heart-warming to learn that patients appreciate our focus on patient care in our planning.

Ambulatory & Outpatient Care is a new division at SKH, unique to our hospital. Since I became Chairman of the division in July 2020, I have been working with the Operations team in the Medical Centre to review outpatient services and workload, improve

Issue 18 Jan – Apr 2021

SurgeOn Figure 1:

Oncoplastic conserving breast surgery has a steep learning curve and requires hands-on practice. However, recruiting volunteers for teaching purposes is challenging as the breast is an intimate organ.

To teach the surgical steps following the marking, Virtual Breast Oncoplastic Surgery Simulator (VBOSS), a world first virtual interactive training tool, was invented, utilising the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Teaching Enhancement Grant and was reported in European Journal of Surgical Oncology in 2018. VBOSS (figure 2) was also determined to be an effective teaching tool, with its evaluation results published in the Breast Journal in 2020. Since VBOSS can allow learning at one’s own pace virtually, it is particularly useful in times when teaching is disrupted, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

A

B

C

D

E

F Figure 2:

Figure 1: MBOSS, simulating breast texture, can be maneuvered in the same way as the female breast during the marking, to facilitate teaching.

Figure 2: Illustrations of an example in VBOSS navigating the learner through the sequential steps of incision to skin closure in wise pattern mammoplasty a) marking (dotted line) of incision with tumor in the upper outer quadrant (blue asterisk) b) tumor excised after skin flaps raised (c) preservation of nipple areolar complex (NAC) on superiomedial pedicle with removal of redundant tissue d) defect filled using extension of pedicle e) repositioning of NAC and skin closure f) final operative appearance.

Issue 18 Jan – Apr 2021

10

PHILANTHROPY NEWS:

SurgeOn

07

Head & Senior Consultant, KK Breast Department, KKH

To overcome this, the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s (KKH) Breast Department has developed a droopy breast model for the purpose of teaching marking in oncoplastic surgery, named the Marking Breast Oncoplastic Surgery Simulator (MBOSS), using the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster grant. MBOSS (figure 1) was used for teaching in the 5th Singapore Breast Oncoplastic Surgery Symposium (SBOSS) in 2019 and was evaluated to be an effective teaching tool, with the potential to replace volunteers to facilitate the teaching of marking.

This evaluation study received financial support from the Academic Medicine Education Institute (AM•EI) grant and was published in Gland surgery in 2020.

Importance of a great team

I strongly believe teamwork is crucial for successful healthcare, in fact, for anything we do. I feel that it is equally important for us to have joy at work. Staff wellbeing is important in delivering good healthcare to the patients we care for.

We are fortunate to have a great team at SKH who is energetic, innovative and positive. I hope to be able to continue to improve and grow our services with the team. I am very encouraged and glad that my journey of discovery in my management role has been a very enjoyable one.

Issue 18 Jan – Apr 2021

Clinical Associate Professor Lim Geok Hoon

03

A new journey

Chairman, Division of Ambulatory & Outpatient Care, Sengkang General Hospital; Adjunct Assistant Profession, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Adjunct Associate Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School, and Content Expert, Clinical Teacher and Clinical Practice Facilitator, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU

ONCOPLASTIC BREAST SURGERY

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

protocols and systems to optimise clinic utilisation and manpower efficiency, and help departments as they develop new services. I also oversee the Departments of Ear, Nose & Throat, Orthopaedics, Psychiatry, Dentistry Occupational Health and Paediatrics.

Assoc Prof Tan Kiat Tee, Benita

NOVEL TRAINING TOOLS FOR

REACHING OUT FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

I enjoy my core clinical work as a surgeon in Breast Surgery at Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) and the Outram campus. I also like being a clinicianplus—–over the years, I have broadened my skills in administration, paid it forward in teaching, and enriched my learning through research.

I started my journey in SKH in 2012 as Co-Director of the Specialist Outpatient Services. I spent many days and nights discussing and designing the Medical Centre with the SKH team.

Collaboration and mutual support between our surgical community and our counterparts in the region will ensure that we get through this pandemic and close the gaps in access to surgery. We must leverage on our collective strength and expertise.

SDGHI and ICO are here to support all efforts to advance the global health mission towards stronger and more resilient health systems for all.

MAJOR NEWS:

02

03 SurgeOn

02 SurgeOn

SurgeOn JANUARY – APRIL 2021

FOR

ISSUE 18

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

GOH HAK SU PROFESSORSHIP IN COLORECTAL SURGERY As one of the leading colorectal surgeons in Singapore, Professor Goh Hak Su is recognised as the Father of Colorectal Surgery.

In 1989, Professor Goh established the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the SGH, the first of its kind in the region. Heading the Department and as a Senior Consultant, he built a centre of excellence for clinical work, teaching and research and trained many colorectal surgeons for Singapore and the region. With his significant contributions, SGH’s Department of Colorectal Surgery remains a premier colorectal centre with an international reputation in clinical work, teaching and research.

Because of the increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in Singapore, Professor Goh established the first computerized medical record for colorectal cancer in SGH, a colorectal cancer tissue bank, a dedicated molecular biology laboratory and a Polyposis Registry. He also started an anorectal physiology laboratory and founded the Society of Colorectal Surgeons Singapore. For his work on colorectal cancer, he was awarded the Singapore Science and Technology Medal in 1985.

Issue 18 Jan – Apr 2021

we have raised a total of

S$3.2 to establish the Professorship

million

Prof Goh Hak Su

Professor Goh had extensive publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributed chapters in textbooks on colorectal surgery and colorectal cancer. He had also lectured worldwide and impacted students locally and internationally. He was honoured with the Galloway Gold Medal and Memorial Lecture in Singapore, the Joint Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and Academy of Medicine (Singapore) Lecture in Edinburgh, the Edward Wilson Lecture in Sydney, the Harry Bacon Oration in Jodhpur, and the WG Smith Lecture in Perth.

Although he is now practicing as a private colorectal surgeon in the Goh Hak Su Colon & Rectal Centre at Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore.

Professor Goh continues to teach and contribute as a Visiting Consultant to SGH’s Department of Colorectal Surgery and NUH’s Division of Colorectal Surgery. Currently, he is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS. Renowned for his passion in education and contributions towards the field of colorectal surgery in Singapore,

He or she who gives receives more in return”

the Goh Hak Su Professorship was established in honour of his efforts and success. With the philanthropic support from donors such as Professor Goh, his colleagues, friends and patients, we have raised a total of S$3.2 million to establish the Professorship. The Professorship strives to recruit and recognize the finest scientists and clinicians to create a strong framework for cutting-edge research and innovation. It also plans to provide excellence in education for young surgeons and work towards the establishment of an internationally renowned fellowship centre. The aim is to identify, study and help solve emerging colorectal problems in Singapore and to nurture, inspire and train current and future colorectal surgeons with dedication, skills and innovative ideas for the benefit of our patients.

NEWSLETTER

02 SurgeOn

SurgeOn SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2020

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:

COVID-19 AND ACADEMIC SURGERY – OR WHY CLINICIANS SHOULD LEAD RESEARCH

03 SurgeOn

ISSUE 17

The success of this policy depended on senior doctors on the ground making correct judgment calls on the cases to be postponed. Any misjudgment could lead to non-critical cases becoming critical and, patients being eventually admitted for emergency care with an increased risk of poor outcomes.

Data-driven approach Our policy was in sharp contrast to the strategies of many hospitals worldwide which was to cancel all elective surgeries entirely.

Was our policy sound and to what extent have we succeeded, or failed?

The answers to these are important as there is every possibility for second or third waves of the pandemic to occur in the immediate future. Hence, we assembled a team and conducted research to assess the effect of our ‘surge strategy’.

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology had from February to July 2020 adopted a strategy of continuing with life and limbsaving surgery but postponing all non-critical procedures.

We needed to increase ’surge’ capacity at our hospital and release manpower and resources for COVID-19 measures. At the same time, we wanted to avoid depriving patients who needed critical surgery from receiving such surgery.

We focussed on six high-volume surgical operations carried out from February to June 2020, including high-volume cancer surgeries (breast, liver, colon and rectum cancers) and non-cancer surgeries (abdominal hernia and gallbladder).

Compared to similar surgeries carried out from February to June 2019, the research showed

 No significant difference in the number of cancer surgeries

 Decrease in non-cancer surgeries to one-third of the baseline but no significant increase in the number of patients who were admitted as emergency cases

 Patients admitted for emergency surgical care were not patients whose surgeries were postponed

 No increase in the number of patients opting out of scheduled surgeries Our strategy was therefore effective and did not negatively impact on patient outcomes. This assures us that the same strategy can be usefully applied to meet future challenges.

Clinicians as researchers It is critical that clinicians have the ability to carry out research to address challenges in healthcare, more so in the context of an academic medical centre as society depends on our research.

Prof Pierce Chow Vice Chair (Research), Surgery ACP; Senior Consultant, Hepatopancreatobiliary and Transplant Surgery, SGH, NCCS; Professor and Programme Director, Duke-NUS Medical School

Besides providing data to support our policies, research plays an essential role in answering important clinical questions which only clinicians can identify.

programmes. Not every clinician is inclined towards the “triple threat” – teaching, research and clinical work – but all clinicians can play a part in academic medicine.

For example, most clinicians know that the plasma protein called alphafetoprotein is found elevated in the blood of both pregnant women and patients with liver cancer. This provided us with the insight that the mechanisms adopted by the fetus to prevent being rejected by the mother’s immune system may also play a role in the development of liver cancer, a very important cancer in Asia.

‘Triple threat’, anyone?

Leveraging on the platform of the National Medical Research Council Translational and Clinical Research Flagship Programme in Liver Cancer, our multi-disciplinary study which involved several Singapore institutions showed that liver cancer cells masquerade as fetal-like cells. We identified a pivotal reprogramming of the tumour ecosystem in human hepatocellular carcinoma that lets cancer cells achieve immune evasion and grow aggressively.

These findings were recently published in the high-impact journal, Cell.

To me, this is what academic medicine is about – clinicians collaborating with different experts to lead critical research that improves our understanding of a disease and ultimately patient outcomes.

SGH has a large patient pool and provides fertile ground for research.

While clinicians may feel overwhelmed by their caseloads, they are uniquely positioned to support research by enrolling their patients into research

SINGHEALTH SURGICAL COMMUNITY JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

COVID-19 AND ACADEMIC SURGERY – OR WHY CLINICIANS SHOULD LEAD RESEARCH

12

04

INNOVATION – DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Assoc Prof Chan Chung Yip Head, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary/Transplant Surgery Singapore General Hospital (SGH) & National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS)

One silver lining of the COVID pandemic is a greater appreciation of how important clinician-led research is for society. The solid data underpinning our ‘surge strategy’ can be usefully shared with institutions in other countries that are at varying stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESIDENT’S CORNER

2020 GRADUATION PROGRAMME

Message

Congratulations on achieving this milestone! You have made the programme proud and we are happy to have accompanied you for these 5 years of training. Best of luck for your future!

GS Residency Programme

SGH campus’s involvement in providing primary care at the purpose-built dormitories stretched from April to September this year. Known as medical mobile teams, they comprised doctors, nurses, pharmacists/pharmacy technicians and administrative support personnel.

02

05 SurgeOn

THE SINGHEALTH SURGICAL COMMUNITY JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

SurgeOn

MAJOR NEWS:

THE

If we don’t have a critical mass of clinicians doing research, we have to rely on research done by others in other places and on different patient populations – none of which may directly address our patients’ needs.

My patients also cannot benefit quickly from the findings. We have to do our own research to gain a better understanding of the diseases afflicting our patients. The resulting betterinformed decision-making benefits our patients directly.

Issue 17 Sep – Dec 2020

Issue 17 Sep – Dec 2020

MAJOR NEWS:

A critical mass of academically oriented clinicians will, however, be required to lead academic medicine. We need more surgeons who can focus on and take deep dives into specific areas of unmet clinical needs. In my practice I converge my teaching, research and clinical work on liver cancer and hepato-pancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery. When I carry out research using patient samples and patient data, the results of my research improve my clinical practice. And I transmit this knowledge to my students and colleagues.

It was heart-warming to see so many of our colleagues value the significance of this effort and step forward for repeated stints. Aside from having to learn how to take proper swab samples, it was particularly challenging as we practise in a tertiary care institution and are thus less involved in primary care work. The physical environment that the teams were working in was also less than ideal, as many of the medical posts were tents set up in the carpark, between blocks of dormitories and exposed to the elements.

Despite the limitations, there was so much positive energy in the teams

that made the work purposeful and enjoyable. Through the months of toil and sweat (literally), a very strong camaraderie was established in the teams. Lunch time was always eagerly awaited, not just for well-deserved rest, but also for the friendly banter and bonding that happened over the shared meals. Alumni of the various dorm teams were “inducted” into WhatsApp chat groups, where news in the media and happenings on site continued to be shared and regaled.

Having seen the contagion blaze through the dormitories in the early days, to the eventual embers and last whiff of smoke, it was with much relief that the work provided by our colleagues was handed over to operators in the private sector. We can all give ourselves a pat on our back and beam with quiet pride that we took the bull by the horns and contributed to taming a formidable foe.

Issue 17 Sep – Dec 2020

Graduands Top row from right: Dr Koo Chee Hoe, Dr Darren Chua, Dr Darius Aw Center: Dr Benjamin Poh

MEMORIES IN

Residency

Dr Du Jingzeng Urology

I remember the moment I became a resident and the moment I passed the exam and completed the journey. The six years of hard work has paid off and I feel very happy and excited for what is to come!

Issue 17 Sep – Dec 2020

Dr Koo Chee Hoe (left) and Dr Lee Chee Meng (right)

First from left: Dr Lasitha B. Samarakoon (Graduand)

Dr Darius Aw (left)

CLINICAL INNOVATION CLINICAL INNOVATION

PREPARING PREPARING THE THE ELDERLY ELDERLY FOR FOR SURGERY SURGERY

AS AS SURGEONS SURGEONS NATURAL-BORN NATURAL-BORN LEADERS LEADERS MENTORING MENTORING AND NURTURING AND NURTURING THE NEXT THE NEXT GENERATION GENERATION

NEWSLETTER

03

PEERS PEERS PROGRAM: PROGRAM:

I believe Ithat believe surgeons that surgeons tend to be tend natural to beborn natural leaders born leaders by virtueby ofvirtue the character of the character traits liketraits decisiveness like decisiveness While we areWhile first and we foremost are first and foremost and expediency and expediency that make that them make surgeons. them surgeons.

But goodBut good clinicians, weclinicians, have to be weclinician have topluses be clinician pluses lead well. This to lead means well.that Thisinmeans addition that in addition followship, followship, or the humility or the humility to learn from to learn others, fromisothers, just is tojust to being good toclinicians, being good weclinicians, can take we can take as important. as important.

By “followship”, By “followship”, I mean the I mean understanding the understanding on roles to beonscientists/researchers, roles to be scientists/researchers, educators, innovators educators,orinnovators administrators. or administrators. that onethat has one to follow has tofirst follow before firstone before can one learncan how learn how to lead. Often, to lead.with Often, highwith achieving high achieving individuals individuals like likeAs a clinicianAsplus, a clinician I believeplus, in teaching I believe in teaching and sharing for andthe sharing greater forgood. the greater I good. I surgeons, surgeons, we tend we to want tend to lead wantwithout to lead without first learning first learning was privileged was toprivileged be mentored to be bymentored Prof

by Prof how to follow. how to follow.

Russell Strong Russell during Strong my Hepatoduring my Hepato-

pancreato-biliary pancreato-biliary (HPB) training.

(HPB) Proftraining. Prof Other leadership Otherqualities leadership include qualities the include Forthe the young For surgeons, the young mysurgeons, advice is my advice is is renowned Strong Strong is forrenowned having done for having the done the empathy to understand, empathy to organisational understand, organisational never be afraid never or too be afraid proudor to too learn. proud to first learn. successful first living-donor successful living-donor transplant transplant aptitude to be aptitude structured to beinstructured approach, in approach, With progress With andprogress new discoveries and new discoveries in the world. in In the a small world. way, In Iaam small paying way, I am paying intelligence and intelligence foresightand to be foresight visionary, to be come visionary, better come ways of better doing ways things. of doing As things.

As by training forward forwardthose by training from Asia those to from Asia to and eloquence andand eloquence charismaand to convey charisma to surgeons, convey wesurgeons, need to embrace we neednewer to embrace newer improve careimprove for theircare patients for their where patients where messaging. messaging. techniques and techniques technologies and technologies to better to HPB better surgery HPB services surgery do not services exist. do not exist. manage our patients. manage our patients.

As good neighbours, As good we neighbours, should not we should not While a surgeon While has a surgeon the potential has the to lead potential to lead be afraid to share. be afraid SingHealth, to share.and SingHealth, and in any path, aingreat any path, leader a great chartsleader his/ charts Surgeons his/ willSurgeons always be will differentiated always be differentiated Singapore, can Singapore, only benefit can when only benefit we when we her own course. her In own SingHealth-Dukecourse. In SingHealth-Dukefrom non-surgeons from non-surgeons by their skillsby in their skills in a network build build of atrust network across of different trust across different NUS AMC, there NUSare AMC, many there leadership are many leadership surgery and procedures. surgery and However, procedures. However, healthcare institutions. healthcare institutions. opportunitiesopportunities and it is up toand each it istoup to each with to the evolution with the of surgery evolution (which of surgery (which make a preferred makechoice. a preferred choice. has already happened) has alreadytowards happened) towardsI have enjoyed I have the many enjoyed roles theI many played.roles I played. more minimally-invasive more minimally-invasive procedures, procedures, If I had to choose If I had thetomost choose satisfying, the most satisfying, surgical training surgical will increasingly training will increasingly it would be as it Chairman, would be as Division Chairman, of Division of include skillsinclude more historically skills morelinked historically linked Surgery fromSurgery 2006 tofrom 2015.2006 It gave to 2015. It gave to non-surgeons, to non-surgeons, e.g., the endoscopy e.g., the endoscopy me the opportunity me the to opportunity steer and grow to steer and grow skills of gastroenterologists skills of gastroenterologists and and16 clinical departments, 16 clinical departments, the Operating the Operating bronchoscopists, bronchoscopists, and wire manipulation and wire manipulation Theatres, andTheatres, Theatre Sterile and Theatre Supplies Sterile Supplies skills of interventional skills of interventional radiologists and radiologists Unitand into a cohesive Unit intoand a cohesive responsive and responsive cardiologists.cardiologists. entity with a entity good sense with aof good belonging sense of bybelonging by all in the division. all in the division.

I believe thatI leaders believe beget that leaders leaders. beget It is leaders. It is important forimportant leaders tofor groom leaders others to groom to Any others to Any organisation organisation is only as strong is only as as strong as take on leadership take onroles. leadership Senior roles. surgeons Seniorits surgeons people. This its is people. why itThis is critical is whytoit is critical to need to be good needrole to be models good before role models they before they mentor our surgeons mentor our towards surgeons being towards being can inspire others can inspire to follow. others It certainly to follow. It certainly Clinician Pluses, Clinician and being Pluses, leaders and being in leaders in helps if senior helps surgeons if senior alsosurgeons have a also have a respective their their fields. respective Such growth fields. Such and growth and nurturing attitude nurturing and attitude want to see and want to see developmentdevelopment are vital to talent are vital retention to talent retention growth and development growth and development in others. in others. for our publicfor sector. our public sector.

Prof London Prof Lucien London OoiLucien Ooi Senior Consultant, Senior Department Consultant, ofDepartment of Hepatopancreatobiliary Hepatopancreatobiliary & Transplant & Transplant Surgery, Division Surgery, of Surgery Division andofSurgical Surgery and Surgical London ProfLucien London Ooi Lucien was conferred Ooi was conferred the 2019 the 2019 Oncology, Singapore Oncology, General Singapore Hospital General and Hospital Prof and National Outstanding National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Clinician Award Mentor at Award at National Cancer National Centre Cancer Singapore Centre Singapore

MOH’s National MOH’sMedical NationalExcellence Medical Excellence Awards ceremony.

Awards ceremony.

Behind (L to R): Ms Behind Joyce (LLim, to R): MsMs Phoebe Joyce Tan, Lim, Ms Ms Lee Phoebe Rui Jia, Tan,Ms MsGLee Khasthuri, Rui Jia, Mr MsAlex G Khasthuri, Lin, AsstMr Prof Alex Leonard Lin, Asst Ho,Prof Dr Sharmini Leonard Sivarajah, Ho, Dr Sharmini Ms LimSivarajah, Shu Fen, Ms Lim Dawn Shu Yeo Fen, Ms Dawn Yeo In Front (L to R): In Asst Front Prof (LFoo to R): Fung AsstJoon, Prof Assoc Foo Fung ProfJoon, ChewAssoc Min Ho, Prof DrChew Baldwin MinYeung Ho, Dr Baldwin Yeung

of showed the patients improvements, showed improvements, With Singapore’s With Singapore’s aging population, aging population, there is athere high is a high of the patients 67% demonstrated 67% demonstrated improvements improvements on on likelihoodlikelihood that surgeries that surgeries for the elderly for thewill elderly be onwill thebe on the most of the parameters. most of the 86% parameters. showed 86% showed improvement in their quality in their of lifequality of life rise. There rise. is overwhelming There is overwhelming evidenceevidence that suggests that suggestsimprovement (QOL) which(QOL) was sustained which was beyond sustained beyond 6 months after 6 months surgery.after surgery. taking measures taking measures to prepare to patients prepare patients in the pre-operative in the pre-operative setting leads setting to better leads to outcomes better outcomes and this and needs this needs There was noThere mortality was no reported mortality andreported and (Clavien-dindo rate (Clavien-dindo ≥ 3) ≥ 3) to be executed to be executed in an evidenced-based, in an evidenced-based, systematic, systematic, the morbiditytheratemorbidity was 7.3%. Wewas were 7.3%. ableWe to were discharge able to discharge multidisciplinary, multidisciplinary, audited fashion auditedto fashion ensuretosuccess. ensure success.the majority the (91%) majority of patients (91%)without of patients without

having to send having themtotosend step-down them to step-down With this in mind, With this the PEERS in mind, the PEERS and geriatricand consultation geriatric consultation are also are also facilities. facilities.

Programme (Programme Programme (Programme for Enhancedfor Enhanced carried out tocarried understand out tothe understand patients’ the patients’ Elderly Recovery) Elderly was Recovery) developed wasindeveloped conditions. in conditions.

The programme The is programme supported isbysupported a by a Sengkang General Sengkang Hospital General (SKH).

Hospital (SKH). philanthropicphilanthropic grant, makinggrant, it readily making it readily To70 date, 67 patients To date,(Feb 67 patients 2017 – Feb (Feb 2017 –available Feb Elderly patients Elderly above patients the age above of 70the age of especially available to especially elderly patients to elderly patients 2020) with a2020) median with agea of median 77 years age of 77 years undergoing major undergoing surgery major are first surgery are first with limited financial with limited resources. financial The resources. The (70 – 93 years) (70have – 93undergone years) havethe undergonetotal the expenditure recruited intorecruited a three-week into aprogramme. three-week programme. total per expenditure patient inper thispatient in this PEERS Programme.

PEERS Programme.

Major operations Major operations After an initial After assessment, an initial patients assessment, patients programme was programme $800, which was $800, is offset which is offset carried out were carried colorectal out were and colorectal upper and by upper will undergo will an individualised undergo an individualised intensive intensive cost savings by cost in terms savings of avoidance in terms of avoidance gastrointestinal gastrointestinal cancer resections. cancerThe resections.

The nutrition andnutrition physiotherapy and physiotherapy programme programme of complications, of complications, prolonged hospital prolonged hospital of staylength was 9.94 of stay days. was 9.94 days. put togetherput by dieticians together by and dieticians and mean length mean stays and thestays needand for the stepneed down for step down Physical ability Physical was assessed ability was using assessed using physiotherapists physiotherapists after their assessment after their assessment facilities. Thefacilities. programme The is programme testament is testament parameters like parameters the 6-minute like the walk 6-minute test, walk of the patients. of the These patients. assessments These assessments are are thattest, surgery that in thesurgery elderlyincan thebe elderly done can be done gait speed, 30-second gait speed,chair 30-second rise, grip chair rise,ingrip done throughdone visitsthrough timed at visits intervals timed at intervals a safe andin cost-effective a safe and cost-effective way through way through strength andstrength functional and reach functional test. 91% reach test.

91%interventions. during the period. duringAn theechocardiogram period. An echocardiogram simple simple interventions.

MAJOR NEWS MAJOR NEWS

04

WellPerforming Well ALL ACP ALL ACP SURG ACP SURGPerforming ACP ALL ACP ALL ACP SURG ACP SURG ACP Successful Successful Successful Successful ApplicationsApplications ApplicationsApplications applicationsapplications applicationsapplications 248 248 109 (44%) 109 (44%) 37 (15%) 37 (15%) 18 (49%) 18 (49%) 55 55 28 (51%) 28 (51%) 3 (5%) 3 (5%) 3 (100%) 3 (100%)Education Education 82 82 41 (50%) 41 (50%) 18 (22%) 18 (22%) 7 (39%) 7 (39%)

03

PEERS PROGRAM:

OPTIMISING THE ELDERLY FOR SURGERY

1%

111

111 40 (36%)

40 (36%) 16 (14%)

16 (14%) 8 (50%)

8 (50%)

52

52 24 (46%)

24 (46%) 6 (12%)

6 (12%) 4 (67%)

Research Sup 4 (67%)

EDUCATIONEDUCATION

AdvancingAdvancing Surgical Education Surgical Education Faculty Evaluation FacultyScores Evaluation continue Scores to surpass continue80% to surpass 80%

DevelopmentDevelopment of a Multi-Fidelity of a Multi-Fidelity Simulation Simulation Increasing Accessibility Increasing of Accessibility of System for theSystem Optimisation for the Optimisation of Operating of Operating Laparoscopic Laparoscopic Surgery in LowSurgery and in Low- and Room Resources Room in SingHealth Resources in SingHealth Middle-Income Middle-Income Countries Countries and Duke Health and Duke Health

Dr Sean Lam

Dr Tamara Fitzgerald Dr Tamara Dr Amos Fitzgerald Loh

5.0 4.8

4.8 4.6

4.6

4.7

4.8

4.7

5.0

4.8

4.8

Faculty Evaluation FacultyScores Evaluation (%) Scores (%)

4.2

AY2017 AY2016

AY2018 AY2017

AY2018

4.6 4.4 4.2

4.40 4.30

AY2016

4.6 4.4 4.2 4.0

4.50 4.40 4.40 4.30 AY2017 AY2016

4.504.50 4.40

AY2018 AY2017

Overall Average Score National (SGH) Average

4.50

4.8 4.6 4.4 4.2

AY2018 4.0

National Average

4.5

AY2016

5.0 4.8 4.6

4.6

4.7 4.5

4.6

90

90

80

80

70

70

60

Y4 Advanced Surgery Faculty Y4 Advanced Evaluation Surgery Faculty Evaluation

5.0

Duke-NUS Graduate Duke-NUS Graduate Questionnaire Questionnaire

4.4

4.0

4.7

60

50

40

40

2017

4.2

AY2017 AY2016

AY2018 AY2017

83 72

83

72

60

2017 2018

2018 2019

2019

Faculty provided Faculty provided effective effective teaching teaching during clerkship during clerkship

4.4

4.0

60

50

AY2018

Dr Amos Loh

$3Mil USD $3Mil USD

Achieved R1 Grant Achieved fromR1 National Grant from Institute National of HealthInstitute of Health-

Growing Funds Growing

by Surgery FundsACP

by Surgery ACP

Partnership toPartnership establish a to practice-based establish a practice-based network to assess network headtoand assess neckhead cancers and using neck cancers a using a low-cost portable low-cost flexible portable nasopharyngoscope flexible nasopharyngoscope

A/Prof Walter Lee

4.6

AY2016

P5 Surgery Teaching Scores P5 Surgery Teaching Scores

5.0

Overall Average Score (SGH)

Prof Dr Chris Mantyh Sean Lam

4.8

Posting scores ofPosting 3.8 andscores above of AND 3.8teaching and above AND teaching scores of 4.5 andscores above of in 4.5 AY18/19 and above in AY18/19

4.0

Prof Chris Mantyh

5.0

4.6

4.4 Received the Received the Clinical Training Clinical Merit Training AwardMerit Award 4.2 - P5 Surgery- P5 Surgery 4.0

Faculty Evaluation Score (5-point scale)

Faculty Evaluation Score (5-point scale)

Research Sup

SingHealthSingHealth Duke-NUSDuke-NUS Gala Dinner Gala 2019 Dinner 2019

Duke HealthDuke & SingHealth Health & Duke-NUS SingHealthAcademic Duke-NUSMedical Academic Centre Medical Centre

5-10 Another mins 15% Another 15% saved of data perfields of data fields case; (lab results) 4.2 to (lab results) to

Compared NSQIP Compared hospitalNSQIP hospitalto NSQIP webto NSQIP hoursweb saved hours be automated saved be automated with similar profile with similar profile portal ~ 15% portal per~cycle 15% (40 per cycle 1 new (40day 1 new day

Y2 Surgery Clerkship Faculty Y2 Surgery Evaluation Clerkship Faculty Evaluation

PHILANTHROPY PHILANTHROPY

Strengthen Strengthen Research Collaboration Research Collaboration

Intelligent autoIntelligent 5-10automins synchronisation synchronisation saved per of data fields of datacase; fields 4.2

Exemplary Exemplary

17%

33%

Faculty Evaluation Score (5-point scale)

RESEARCH RESEARCH

19%

1975 17%

Mortality MortalityClostridium Clostridiumof data fields of data - 60fields cases per- 60to cases be saved/ per to be saved/ Ventilator > 48 Hrs Ventilator > 48 Hrs Difficile Colitis Difficile Colitis automated automated cycle) cycle) month month 6 additional 6 additional Venous Venous Return to Return to cases can be cases can be Thromboembolism Thromboembolism Operating RoomOperating Room Appendectomy Appendectomy Bariatric SurgeryBariatric Surgery recorded; recorded; Urinary Tract Urinary Tract Readmission Readmission Colectomy Esophagectomy Colectomy Esophagectomy Hepatectomy Hepatectomy 12% in cases 12% in cases Infection Infection PancreatectomyPancreatectomy Thyroidectomy Thyroidectomy

Teaching Scores (5-point scale)

SURGEONS AS NATURAL-BORN LEADERS

4% 10% 1975

1%

Faculty Evaluation Score (5-point scale)

Research Support Research Support

4% 10%

33%

Active participation Active participation in ACP Programme in ACP Programme Grants Grants

(National Clinician (National Scientist Clinician Scheme) Scientist Scheme)

19%16%

16%

ACP Programme ACP Programme Grant Funding GrantParticipation Funding Participation Trends – most Trends recent – most 7 cycles recent(FY2016 7 cycles–(FY2016 Cycle 1 FY2019) – Cycle 1 FY2019)

(include National (include Clinician National Scientist Clinician Scheme) Scientist Scheme)

Enhancements Enhancements to NSQIP Web to NSQIP PortalWeb Portal

Surgical Procedures 2018) Surgical (Jan-Dec Procedures (Jan-Dec 2018)

ACP PROGRAMME ACP PROGRAMME GRANT GRANT

All Types All Types Education Support Education Support Clinical Innovation ClinicalSup Innovation Sup Research Support Research Support

SurgeOn

SurgeOn

SurgeOn

National Surgical NationalQuality Surgical Improvement Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Program (NSQIP)Use of Information Use of Information Technology Technology to ImprovetoEfficiency Improve Efficiency Plan for Better Plan for Care Better with Care Increased with Increased Surgical Procedures Surgical Procedures

SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANT 20192019 ACHIEVEMENTS ACHIEVEMENTS ACP Programme ACP Programme Grant Grant

05

CLINICAL INNOVATION CLINICAL INNOVATION

SURGERY SURGERY ACP ACP

Teaching Scores (5-point scale)

04

Issue 15 Jan –Issue Apr 2020 15 Jan – Apr 2020

Total Quantum EnhancingEnhancing Surgical Skills Surgical Training SkillsinTraining Residency in Residency Awarded:

Total Quantum Awarded:

$45,100 Innovative Simulation-Based Innovative Simulation-Based Education Projects Education Awarded Projects Awarded

$45,100

$2,091,034 $2,091,034

A/Prof Tan Walter LeeKhoon A/Prof Tan Hiang Khoon A/Prof Hiang

Clinical Device Clinical Development Device Development Project Project Harmonised GS Harmonised Residency GS Laparoscopy Residency Laparoscopy Improve Microsurgical Improve Microsurgical Skills Skills Training Curriculum Training across Curriculum 3 Campuses across 3 Campuses - SGH, CGH and - SGH, SKH CGH and SKH

04-05

SURGERY ACP SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS 2019

Asst Prof Zhang Yi

Asst Prof Dr Zhang Koh YeYiXin

Dr Koh Ye Tan Xin Lay Poh Assoc Prof Tan LayMathew Poh Assoc Prof Dr Ronnie

Dr Ronnie Assoc Prof Pramanik Assoc ProfMathew Manojit Pramanik DrManojit Tang Tjun Yip

Catalyse &Catalyse Enable Research & Enable Research CY18 Articles Published Articles Published 214 Top 20% JournalTop 20% Journal 51 Research Funding Research $9,100,000 Funding

CY18 214

7.2M

10.4M, ↑44% 7.2M

214, ↑26%

5.4M

$242,186 $65,776

$242,186

$65,776 2015

2015 2017

2019 2017

214, ↑26%

5.4M

51

Total Research Funding Total (Annualised) Research Funding (Annualised)

$9,100,000

153

131 Number of Articles Published Number of Articles Published

CY16

Issue 15 Jan –Issue Apr 2020 15 Jan – Apr 2020

CY17 CY16

Progressive Enhanced Progressive Enhanced Case-Based Learning Case-Based Learning

Dr Tang Tjun Yip

10.4M, ↑44%

153 131

CY18 CY17

CY18

2019

PI: Assoc ProfPI: TanAssoc NgianProf Chye Tan Ngian Chye PI: Dr Chan Ching PI: Dr Yee Chan Ching Yee PI: Dr KennethPI: Chen Dr Kenneth Chen Project title: GS Project Laparoscopy title: GS LaparoscopyProject title: Otology Project title: Practice Otology Simulator Practice andSimulator and title: TURP Project Project Training title: TURP Curriculum Training Curriculum Training Curriculum Training Curriculum Models for Microscopic Models forSurgery Microscopic Surgery (Simulator Practice (Simulator + Online-Modules) Practice + Online-Modules) Quantum awarded: Quantum $33,000 awarded: $33,000 Quantum awarded: Quantum $4,000 awarded: $4,000 Quantum awarded: Quantum $8,100 awarded: $8,100 (General Surgery (General Residency) Surgery Residency) (Otolaryngology (Otolaryngology Residency) Residency) (Urology Residency) (Urology Residency)

Issue 15 Jan –Issue Apr 2020 15 Jan – Apr 2020

05 SurgeOn

Issue 15 Jan –Issue Apr 2020 15 Jan – Apr 2020

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:

03 SurgeOn

02

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SurgeOn

02 SurgeOn

SurgeOn JANUARY – APRIL 2020

SurgeOn

ISSUE 15

NEWSLETTER

ISSUE

9

NOVEMBER 2018

DIABETES HEALTH TALK AT GROCERY & PORRIDGE DISTRIBUTION DAY

highlights including the instalment of the new ACSM president.

FOR HEALTHY AND AT-RISK POPULATION

Talk

EIM TAIWAN

INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES 2018 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON FRAILTY INTERVENTION

The directors of the EIM National Centers from all over the world coming together each year in US, to share, explore and discuss best practices in making physical activity promotion a standard in clinical care, and connecting healthcare with evidence-based physical activity resources for people everywhere and of all abilities. One EIM family; One EIM vision!!

65 ACSM ANNUAL MEETING & 9TH WORLD CONGRESS ON EIM TH

Minneapolis; the second fittest city in US, played host to more than 6000 professionals around the world who came together to experience the most comprehensive sports medicine and exercise science meeting in the world from May 29-June 2, 2018.

This year, the annual research conference continued to deliver an outstanding programme which

On 31st August 2018, EIM Advisory Board member Prof James S. Skinner was invited to Changi General Hospital, Singapore, under the Sport and Exercise Medicine Distinguished Guests Series. His lecture on “Exercise Prescription for Healthy and AtRisk Population” was well received by the 130 attendees, comprising clinical professionals from various hospitals and medical institutions in Singapore.

featured hundreds of excellent sessions, lectures and poster presentations as well as several

2018 International Symposium on Frailty Intervention organized by New Taipei City Government (EIM Taiwan) and sponsored by Lien I-Nan Foundation for Promotion of Education and Research in Rehabilitation Medicine, took place in Taipei International Convention Center, April 28-29.

ORGANIZED BY BEDOK MAEC PRE-KHUTBAH TALK ON DARI SAHUR KE IFTAR:

KEKAL GAYA HIDUP SIHAT SEWAKTU RAMADAN AT AL-ANSAR MOSQUE @ AL-ANSAR MOSQUE

SIGLAP MAEC PRE-RAMADAN EVENT - ON EXERCISE/DIET IN RAMADAN

The symposium brings together nearly 500 professionals in multiple disciplines from around Taiwan to communicate new knowledge in the field of frailty and exercise intervention. Over 2 days, 2 Keynote Speeches and 15 education sessions were taught The meeting is a demonstration of by 13 international experts crossing importance and significance that 4 continents, on topics of “Geriatrics the comprehensive exercise intervention Perspectives of Frailty Intervention”, could prevent and reverse of frailty; “Therapeutic Exercise Approaches to Fit for Age program of New Taipei City is an example.”

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention –Mayor of New Taipei City and EIM Taiwan & Treatment”, “Epidemiology, national center director Li-luan Chu Nutrition, and Home-based Frailty Intervention”, “Global Integration of Physical Activity into Healthcare Settings: Exercise is Medicine”.

Health Promotion Board (HPB), one of the key partners supporting Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)’s annual Ramadan Campaign, invited Dr Fadzil Hamzah as a guest speaker to give a pre-sermon talk at Al-Ansar Mosque for the Friday prayers congregation on May 18, 2018.

Titled “From Dawn to Dusk: Living healthily in Ramadan”, the session addressed healthy eating habits and highlighted practical tips on staying physically active during the Muslim fasting month. The event also illustrated the two key pillars of our national healthcare system ie. Beyond Healthcare to Health, to help and support Singaporeans live healthier lives; and Beyond Hospital to Community, for Singaporeans to receive care in the community nearer to their homes.

Dr Fadzil Hamzah was invited to share practical tips on modifying physical activity and exercise, as well as dietary routines in the fasting month, with the Muslim residents in Siglap.

EIM

REGIONAL MEETING

Organised by Siglap Malay Activity Executive Committee, the pre-Ramadan event also featured a public dialogue session with an Islamic religious leader who also emphasised on the importance of staying physically active and eating healthily in Ramadan, based on Islamic teachings.

Dr Benedict Tan and Ms Shayne Hu were invited to attend the 2018 EIM Asia Regional Meeting in Hong Kong on 19 Jan 2018. The event was attended by 10 countries including Australia, Japan and Taiwan.

The last session of “Global Integration of Physical Activity into Healthcare Settings: Exercise is Medicine”, was the peak of the meeting. Diversely experience sharing on promotion of physical activity among EIM Global, EIM Singapore, EIM Japan and EIM Taiwan, from concept to implementation, brings marvelous moments to audiences.

MEDICINE + SPORTS The 2 Medical Fair Asia Medicine + Sports Conference was held on 29 August 2018 at Marina Bay Sands. It is part of Medical Fair Asia 2018, a 3 day event targeted at the medical and healthcare industry and sponsored by Ministry of Health. nd

On May 27, 2018; Dr Fadzil Hamzah was invited

by Bedok Malay Activity Executive Committee (MAEC) to speak to Malay Muslim residents at the Ramadan Healthy Grocery & Porridge Distribution event.

EIMS is proud to be involved in this event, with our doctors presenting a series of talks in the session “Tailored Exercise Programs for Patients and Athletes”

Titled “Diabetes and You”, the talk which was conducted in the Malay language aimed at promoting awareness on prediabetes and diabetes. During the session, Dr Fadzil shared with the audience practical tips on diabetes prevention and management, and the ways one can live actively and healthily with diabetes while performing the ritual fast. This was also one of the community partnership events organised by Southeast CDC, in collaboration with the Health Peers Programme in the national war on Diabetes, and one of EIMS’ efforts to promote physical activity and healthy living in the community.

ISSUE 9 | NOVEMBER 2018

WITH NEE SOON SOUTH RESIDENTS AT YISHUN RING ROAD 9th September 2018 was an eventful day for some of the residents residing in Yishun. Together with Dr Teh Kong Chuan from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital who is an EIMS advisory board member, Mr Don Lee from People’s Association (Nee Soon South) and Mr Dexter Jemuel Tay, an EIMS certified fitness professional had a day to train a group of trainers on the usage of fitness equipment at the EIMScompliant fitness corner near Blk 813 Yishun Ring Road.

UPCOMING EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION COURSE (JAN TO JUN 2019)

EIMS RE-CERTIFICATION

Allied Healthcare and Fitness Professionals 11 & 12 Mar 2019 3 & 4 Jun 2019

EIMS MANAGEMENT BOARD MEMBERS Dr Benedict Tan

ON 31 AUGUST 2018 FILMING WITH

DIABETIC SOCIETY ON CHANNEL NEWS ASIA

26 participants attended our first recertification course for allied health professionals on 31st August 2018. This 3-hour refresher course provides an update of the current ACSM consensus and summarises the EIMS curriculum.

Dr Fadzil Hamzah

Dr Leonard Lim Ang Tee

Director of Community Programmes

Director of Research

Dr Ng Chung Sien

Dr Ivy Lim

Director of Education

Dr Mandy Zhang

Deputy Director of Education

Director of Public Outreach

Ms Shayne Hu

Deputy Director of Public Outreach

For more information and enquiries, please email: sportsmedicine@cgh.com.sg.

EIMS Facebook

For more information on EIMS, visit our website: www.eims.sg

EIMS Website

Connect with us on social platforms

04 | EIMS NEWSLETTER

EIMS NEWSLETTER | 03

ISSUE 9 | NOVEMBER 2018

Chairman of EIM Singapore and EIM Asia

Has your EIMS certification expired?

Do you know that your certificate is valid only for 3 years?

“On the Red Dot” will be aired on 2nd November 2018 on Channel 5 and 4th November 2018 on Channel News Asia.

02 | EIMS NEWSLETTER

TRAIN THE TRAINER PROGRAM

Primary Healthcare Professionals 5 & 12 Jan 2019 6 & 13 Apr 2019

Invited by Mr Venkatesh Narasiah, Executive Director of Diabetes Singapore, EIMS is proud to be part of a programme - “On the Red Dot” filimed by Channel News Asia. Featuring the dangers of Diabetes, its prevention and how exercise can help to fight the disease, Ms Shayne Hu led a group of volunteers and school children in some group exercises.

Ms Hu spoke on “Bridging the Clinical Gap between EIM and Patients”, sharing her experience as an EIMS teaching faculty, while Dr Tan shared his expertise on how to set up a successful EIM centre to effectively complement the public health system.

Special Thanks to Ms Vicky Chung from EIM Taiwan for the contribution for this article.

MEDICAL FAIR ASIA

ISSUE 9 | NOVEMBER 2018

EIMS NEWSLETTER | 01

ISSUE 9 | NOVEMBER 2018

ISSUE

10

NEWSLETTER

EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION

Dr Fadzil Hamzah shared the podium with speakers from Brazil and Taiwan in a colloquium session titled ‘Government Health Initiatives Incorporating EIM.’ Chaired by Dr Benedict Tan, the 60-minute session highlighted the importance of collaborations with likeminded stakeholders and organisations, community partners and the grassroots, as well as support from the government to achieve global targets for reduction of inactivity, its related morbidity and mortality, and healthcare costs. The session also featured the various initiatives from Taiwan, Brazil, and Singapore, illustrating the efficacy of exercise intervention in addressing frailty in the elderly, general health and social issues, and diabetes in the three countries respectively. Dr Fadzil shared with the international attendees the successful collaborations with Sport Singapore (Active Health Initiative) and South East Community Development Council (War on Diabetes Health Peers Programme).

MAY 2019

Latest Updates and Trends

KEEPING FIT WITH

ACTIVE HEALTH LAB In July 2017, Sport Singapore launched Active Health - a national social movement for health and wellness that will empower and motivate individuals to take ownership of their health and well-being, while building social bonds and support through shared interests. Active Health aims to shift the mind-set of Singaporeans from a problem-solving mode of seeking treatment only when in ill-health towards an aspirationmode of active living, by providing them with professional knowledge of health

physical activity

and wellness, complemented with sports activities, programmes, and health monitoring tools across varying fitness levels and life stages.

The Active Health Lab is a one-stop smart experiential and learning space located within public sports facilities and partner institutions to raise awareness about health and well-being across the four areas (physical activity, nutrition, screen time, and sleep). The Active

nutrition

sleep

Professional and Community Outreach Health Labs are staffed with Active Health Experts who are professionally trained in Sport and Exercise Science. They serve as the key touch point for raising awareness and sharing knowledge about active living and preventive health care in the community. Every individual who walks through the Active Health Labs will be able to experience a personalised journey towards self-discovery, appreciation, and activation of the right lifestyle habits for living better.

Special Thanks to Mr Kenneth Mc Geough from Sport Singapore for the contribution for this article.

screen time

EIM JAPAN

Exercise is Medicine Singapore (EIMS) hosted colleagues from Osaka Sangyo University and ambassadors of Exercise is Medicine Japan at CGH on November 1, 2018. Dr Fadzil Hamzah, EIMS Director of Community Programmes, led the team on a tour of Our Tampines Hub and the Active Health Lab. He awed the visitors with EIMS’s collaborations in many community projects with various stakeholders and agencies, and the incorporation of Exercise is Medicine principles in many government health initiatives.

Research

02 | EIMS NEWSLETTER

– THE MAGIC PILL FOR IHD AND BEYOND AT CGH CARDIOLOGY GP SYMPOSIUM – DR LIM ANG TEE EIMS Director of Research, Dr Lim Ang Tee was invited to speak to a big group of healthcare professionals during Changi General Hospital’s Cardiology GP Symposium on 29 Sept 2018.

We are very honoured to be able to work with National Cancer Centre Singapore to study the impact of physical activity among their patients and be involved in one of their recent meta-analysis study.

We are also working closely with one of our local tertiary institutions to look into the physical activity habits among their healthcare students and we look forward to seeing how that compares with our counterparts across Asia and the world.

Dr Ng Chung Sien, EIMS Director of Education, was an invited speaker for the OBES Scientific Meeting 2018 held on 11-13 October 2018.

He spoke on the topic “Exercise Prescription in Obesity and Diabetes”.

Dr Benedict Tan, Chairman of EIMS and EIM Asia, was invited to speak to health professionals from the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Singapore during their annual dinner and oration held on 25 October 2018, on Exercise is Medicine.

The residents brisk walked together for more than 30 minutes along Changi Beach and later danced their way to energetic music in the Zumba session that followed. Dr Fadzil Hamzah, EIMS Director of Community Programmes, who was also grooving for more than an hour to the beats of salsa, flamenco

PACS AWARDS ON BEHALF OF THE HEALTH PEERS PROGRAMME

Community Partnership; on behalf of Changi General Hospital. The Health Peers Programme was developed and launched in 2017 in collaboration with Southeast CDC, various grassroots organisations as well as other community partners such as Health Promotion Board; in line with Ministry of Health’s declaration of war on Diabetes. It has now trained over 300 Health Peers and benefited more than 1000 residents island wide.

EIMS NEWSLETTER | 03

Latest Updates and Trends

EXERCISE IS MEDICINE SRI THLANKA LAUNCHED and merengue music with the participants during the group workout, was also invited to speak on the benefits of physical activity and exercise in chronic disease prevention and management. The event culminated in a health Q/A session with the residents, chaired by Dr Fadzil.

The Ministerial Conference on Diabetes was attended by health ministers, senior government officials, academics and thought leaders from 18 countries and regions. The delegates shared best practices and insights, discussed the challenges and opportunities arising from the global diabetes epidemic, and aimed to build on the collective knowledge to address the challenges that diabetes inflicts on society. The Health Peers Programme, led by EIMS Director of Community Programmes, Dr Fadzil Hamzah, was featured at the conference. The team set up a booth, presented a poster as well as shared a video of the community outreach programme with the delegates and distinguished guests at the 2-day international conference.

Education The Health Peers Programme earned Changi General Hospital the Community UPCOMING COURSES Partnership Excellence Award MAY TO AUG 2019 in the People’s Association (PA) Allied Healthcare and Primary Healthcare Community Spirit Awards 2018.

Fitness Professionals Professionals The award seeks to recognise 6 & 13 Jul 2019 3 & 4 Jun 2019 HAS YOUR EIMS and honour the exemplary 3 & 10 Aug 2019 7 & 10 Oct 2019 EXERCISE CERTIFICATION EXPIRED contributions of organisations which had partnered the PRESCRIPTION PA in Do you know that your certificate is valid only for 3 years EIMS MANAGEMENT BOARD MEMBERS COURSE RECERTIFICATION from the day you received your certificate? various community initiatives Dr Benedict Tan to improve the well-being of residents. These partnerships are EIMS offers a 3-hour refresher course on a regular Chairman of EIM Singapore and EIM Asia basis in which it provides an update of the current ACSM important as they have helped the PA in its efforts in bonding consensus and summarises the EIMS curriculum.

Dr Fadzil Hamzah Dr Leonard Lim Ang Tee the community and building social capital.

Dr Fadzil Hamzah, EIMS Director of Community Programmes, and also the team lead spearheading the Health Peers Programme; received the award together with Dr Eugene Shum, Singhealth’s Director of ISSUE 10 | MAY 2019

SIGLAP MAEC BRISK WALK EVENT

Residents of different races and age groups from Siglap and Changi braved the storm and heavy rain on an early Sunday morning to participate in a community health event organised

by Siglap Malay Activity Executive Committee (MAEC) and Changi Point-Ubi Area Sub Committee (ASC). The event was graced by the Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mayor of South East District, Dr Maliki Osman.

SINGAPORE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DIABETES (MCOD)

There were two award categories: “Employers of Grassroots Leaders” and “Community Partnership” and two award types: Excellence and Merit Awards. Altogether, there were 88 recipients.

With the recent study by Zhao et al published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that indicated even 10 minutes of physical activity a week can help lower the risk of all-cause mortality, we believe that the studies we are going to do will help raise the awareness further that Exercise is, indeed, Medicine!

ISSUE 10 | MAY 2019

Professional and Community Outreach

PHYSICAL ACTIVITYAND

OBSTETRICAL & GYNAECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SINGAPORE (OGSS) DINNER AND ORATION 2018

Covering the topic “Exercise is Medicine – The Magic Pill for IHD & Beyond”, this talk gave the attendees an indepth knowledge on the importance of exercising in patients with chronic diseases.

OBESITY, BARIATRIC & ENDOCRINE SOCIETIES (OBES) SCIENTIFIC MEETING 2018

VISIT TO OUR TAMPINES HUB AND ACTIVE HEALTH LAB

This is an exciting time for the research arm of Exercise is Medicine Singapore. As the organisation matures, we are moving from studying the efficacy of our courses into the study of the efficacy of physical activities in diseases where the effects of physical activity are less known, such as cancer.

EXERCISE IS MEDICINE

Director of Community Programmes

WHY WAIT

Write to sportmedicine@cgh.com.sg to find out when our next recertification course is now!

Dr Ng Chung Sien Director of Education

Dr Mandy Zhang

Deputy Director of Education

Director of Research

Dr Ivy Lim

Director of Public Outreach

Ms Shayne Hu

Deputy Director of Public Outreach

ON-CAMPUS IN SINGAPORE

– REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC SINGAPORE

Goods!

New

Republic Polytechnic (RP) has become the FIRST educational institution in Singapore to be an EIM on Campus Registered School!

Members of the school, staff and students alike, have been actively promoting physical activity in campus, and being an EIM on Campus Registered School gives recognition of RP’s ongoing efforts in keeping the school community healthy and active.

Congratulations to RP!

For more information and enquiries, please email: sportsmedicine@cgh.com.sg.

For more information on EIMS, visit our website: www.eims.sg 04 | EIMS NEWSLETTER

EIMS Facebook

AT 4 SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS OF SRI LANKA SPORTS MEDICINE ASSOCIATION (SLSMA)

The Sri Lanka Sports Medicine Association (SLSMA) organized the 4th Scientific Sessions this year in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka under the theme “Exercise is Medicine Exercise is Wellness” from 24th to 26th November 2018 at Olympic House Colombo Sri Lanka. The event was endorsed by the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM).

The sessions had a pre-congress workshop for the general public on “Lifestyle with Sports and Exercise Medicine’ and a post-congress workshop on “Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Imaging for Sports Medicine doctors”.

SLSMA also initiated several important milestones during these sessions.

Official launch of the Health Movement; “Exercise is Medicine Sri Lanka” in affiliation with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) mainly focusing on prevention of NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.

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Connect with us on social platforms ISSUE 10 | MAY 2019

Official launch of the inaugural scientific journal of SLSMA, the Sri Lankan Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine (SLJSEM). A scientific journal of this nature was launched for the first time in Sri Lanka which will help the local scientists to publish and disseminate knowledge.

The close relationship of SLSMA with Exercise is Medicine, ACSM and Exercise is Medicine Singapore (EIMS) enabled SLSMA to invite Prof.

Benedict Tan, EIMS chairman, to be the Chief Guest for this event.

Prof Tan’s presence gave colour to the event and strengthened the professional collaboration within the sports medicine fraternity of the 2 countries.

The Scientific Sessions was attended by many international experts from Singapore, Canada, UK, with renowned local experts. The attendees ranging from coaches, trainers, allied health care professionals, doctors, consultants and many sports loving general public benefited from the congress as well, which contributed to the continuous development of Science and Medicine in Sport in Sri Lanka.

Special Thanks to Dr. Chathuranga Ranasinghe, Chairperson: Scientific Committee, 4th Scientific Sessions SLSMA for the contribution for this article.

ISSUE 10 | MAY 2019

EIMS NEWSLETTER | 01

MCI (P) 128/02/2016

EDITORIAL TEAM

Q3/2019

MCI (P) 128/02/2016

Note

Editor-in-Chief Ms Lisa Teo

with

Long Service Award RECIPIENTS

Joining us on this issue of Coffee Talk is Capt. Peng, Assistant General Manager of Fleet QSSD. He elaborates on the functions and various departments of Fleet Division, and shares with us interesting facts about his job. Flip over to find out more!

Editor Ms Abigail Lee Writers Captain Peng Rep Nandan Warrier Ms Michelle Anne Lim Ms Ying Xin Iti Ms Abigail Lee

Last but not least, we organised a slew of very exciting Club Pacific Activities to promote a healthy lifestyle! Tea Appreciation Workshop, BounceFit, Rock climbing class – you name it, we have it! Flip over to catch a glimpse of our colleagues sweating it out at the various fun-filled workout experiences!

Stay tuned as we bring to you all the latest happenings in PIL!

Mr S. S. Teo, kick started the ceremony by addressing to the colleagues and congratulating them for their years of dedication to PIL Featuring Mr Chin Tiak Hua in an interview segment below.

Worked in PIL for 40years.

01

Editor’s Note

02

Feature Story: Interviews with Long Service Awards recipients

10

Coffee talk

06

12

ClubPac Activities

09

We are now on LinkedIn!

14

PIL BLISS

with

Awardee

The inclusive work environment and culture at PIL has kept me motivated to stay on my job for so many years. I came up with a simple acronym for PIL, which is “People in Love”. As suggested by the acronym, the people in PIL are very caring and supportive of their colleagues, making PIL a second home to many, including myself. It is very heart-warming to be surrounded by colleagues who have a passion for their job and care for their peers. This has motivated me to strive for the best and stay on to make valuable contributions to PIL.

with

Long Service Award

Share a memorable time you had in PIL The most memorable moment would be when I performed on the D&D night. It was great to just chill and enjoy, and put up a performance for my colleagues.

How many years have you been working with PIL? Briefly describe your current job scope.

RECIPIENTS

I first started out in the cargo department at PIL as a tally clerk. Thereafter, I shifted to the warehouse and had to make frequent visits to the vessels for inspections. Currently

Interview with

Terminal Department AGSL Division

What kept you motivated on your job all these years?

FEATURE STORY

INTERVIEW

Long Service Award

Raymond Koh

I’m working in the Terminal department, AGSL Division, helping with collection order of containers and collecting late payments and leasing orders.

This year marks my 45th year in PIL.

Tell us 2 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I am a people-oriented person – I love interacting with others!

2. Drinking is my favourite pastime, especially having drinking sessions with colleagues after work.

What advice would you like to give to our new colleagues?

What’s the best thing about your current job?

I am able to pass on the knowledge and experiences that I have gained in PIL to newcomers. I am also very blessed to have met and worked with very nice colleagues since the day I joined PIL. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the chairman to continue staying in good health.

PIL - “People in Love”

My main advice to new colleagues is to develop an interest in your job. This way, you will be more willing to learn and work on criticisms received. It is important for new colleagues to embrace a good learning attitude at work, to always ask questions and seek help whenever they are in doubt. It is also important to establish good working relationships with others. This leads to better work productivity and makes work even more fun and enjoyable.

What advice would you like to give to our new colleagues?

I would urge everyone to develop a passion for your job, only then, will you enjoy what you are doing and achieve greater success. It is important to always stay humble and see every task assigned to you as a learning opportunity. I would encourage our newcomers to stay longer in the company as PIL is a company that encourages continuous learning, equipping every individual with vast knowledge and experience.

Share a memorable time of you had in PIL

What kept you motivated in your job all these years?

Back in 2007, on one of the days at around 5.30pm, my colleague and I suddenly stood up from our chairs at the same time. We were wondering what happened, as our chairs were shaking vigorously – we had a sudden thought that it might be a supernatural event as there were only the both of us left in the office Thankfully, we realised that people were gathering on the streets outside of PIL building and the shaking was due to an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 in Indonesia. Now that I recall this, it was hilarious that we were overthinking it.

PIL has a great working environment, providing me ample learning opportunities for personal growth. Every task at work is a new challenge and this brings great job satisfaction whenever I accomplished them.

I really value the good team synergy among my colleagues and seeing them working hard motivates me to do even better in my job. Under the guidance of my colleagues, I am able to continuously learn on the job and that inspires me to stay on to make valuable contributions to PIL.

What’s the best thing about your current job?

QSS Dept - Oversees the fleet management system for safety, security, and environmental protection, audits, inspections, investigation into accidents, safety projects, operation related issues and emergency responses.

Fleet Divisional dinner

2-5

Interview with Long Service Awards Recipients Hear first-hand from Mr Koh & Mr Ching on their memorable times in PIL

6-8

Helping Communities to help themselves Read on to find out more about PIL’s charitable shipment to Kenya

12-13

with Writer: Capt Peng Chuxing | Editor: Abigail Lee

Club Pacific Activities Tea Appreciation Workshop, BounceFit, Rock climbing class – You name it, we have it!

Can you tell us how long have you been with the Div/ Dept? What is the definite function of Fleet (Technical)?

I have been with the Fleet Division for about 3.5 years.

The combined Fleet Division (since Apr 2018) oversees the whole PIL fleet of about 140 dry cargo vessels of various sizes trading worldwide, these include new building, technical projects,

Capt Peng maintenance and repairs, staffing, safety management system, marine operation to meet the operational demands, and emergency response.

Fleet Support - Ensures our fleet vessels are fuelled, supplied with spares, tools, stores, catering the logistics for the voyages, and to ensure the vessels, crew and cargos are insured, and claims are dealt with.

Marine Personnel Dept - Equivalent to Human Resources, the department manages our 4300 floating staff include their selection, training, career development, deployment and logistics.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) Helping Communities to Help Themselves

1. I love cooking and whipping up new dishes for my family to try over the weekend.

2. I enjoy music — I will occasionally play my guitar and even sing at home using the wireless Bluetooth microphone that my daughter bought for me.

Who are the people in your team? Tell us more about them.

We are a team with diversified experiences and backgrounds include excaptains (referred to as “Old Man” on board, but not necessarily very old), Chief Engineers, industry veterans, enthusiastic graduates working around the clock with our teams on board to strive for the common goal of operational safety and efficiency.

independently create a better life for themselves.

The Tana River Life Foundation is a private charitable trust founded

by Mr. Gabriel Teo in December 2005 which was later registered as an NGO in Kenya in 2007. In their quest to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities, TRLF projects aim at integral development of the person, where academic and vocational skills development is accompanied by formation in values and character development. The holistic approach in assisting

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Winston Churchill

students and youths in the Tana Delta aim not only at development of education and vocational skills, but to create opportunities for youths to live with greater integrity dignity and conscience. The main beneficiaries of TRLF programs are members of the marginalized communities in Tana River and Lamu Districts

True TRLF’s motto of “building Individual Lives, and thereby entire communities”, PIL is part of an initiative to empower the people in the region so that they can

operational demand, with issues addressed promptly by the combined efforts of all.

The worst thing are accidents (which should not have taken place), leading to injuries to our colleagues on board and a great loss to the Company.

Lastly, what would you like to say to your colleagues?

6 — PIL CONNECTS

PIL CONNECTS — 7

FITNESS & SPORTS | MOVIE NIGHT | DURIAN PARTY | LUNCH & LEARN | BOWLING TOURNAMENT | FITNESS ClubPac & SPORTS | MOVIE NIGHT | DURIAN PARTY | LUNCH & LEARN | BOWLING TOURNAMENT | FITNESS & SPORTS | MOVIE NIGHT | DURIAN PARTY | LUNCH & LEARN | Writer: Michelle Anne Lim and Ying Xin It BOWLING TOURNAMENT | FITNESS & SPORTS | MOVIE Editor: Abigail Lee NIGHT | DURIAN PARTY | LUNCH & LEARN | BOWLING TOURNAMENT |

Actitivies

I would cross every river I would sail every sea I would climb every mountain if it would have you with me as a team!

BOUNCEFIT Bouncefit is a premium trampoline fitness experience for everyone!

Its rhythm-based rebounding workout

by Kulture Studios features a holistic combination of aerobic and anaerobic routines conducted on custommade mini trampolines.

Staff bounced under smart LED lights that change colour along

to an amazing music playlist. It was a truly unparalleled workout experience!

Every job has its ups and downs. What are the best and worst things about your job?

PIL TEA

The best thing of the job is that all the 140 over vessels worldwide are operating safely and efficiently to meet the

APPRECIATION WORKSHOP

ROCK Tea set used to make our tea

What better way to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival than with a Tea Appreciation workshop!

Can you elaborate more on the everyday job functions of the division/ department that you are heading? Are there any new developments or plans?

Some of the snacks provided

Colleagues enjoying the teas and snacks 12 — PIL CONNECTS

CLIMBING

Contrary to what many beginners believe, climbing requires much more than upperbody strength as rock climbing relies heavily on a long list of physical factors, including intricate footwork, lower body strength and lean muscle mass. If you are looking to burn fat and obtain that lean physique, then rock climbing or bouldering could be the answer to your dream bod prayers!

CLASS

The session was conducted by an experienced tea master who explained its interesting history and the art of appreciating tea. Did you know that there are 6 different types of tea colours?

They are red, white, yellow, green, black, turquoise, and the commonly drunk oolong is considered as turquoise!

PIL CONNECTS — 11

10 — PIL CONNECTS

Through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, PIL is working with the Tana River Life Foundation (TLRF), providing logistics support for schools in the Tana River Delta of Kenya in East Africa to receive study aids such as desks, benches, black boards, etc. The Tana Delta is probably one of the most economically backward regions in Kenya. As one of the largest and most important freshwater wetland rich in wildlife, there is a significant local community of cattle herders and others depending on these natural resources for their daily livelihood.

An artist needs canvass and paint and an artisan, his tools. For a student, a classroom without the right “tools” is meaningless.

One cannot build without blocks.

Welcome to Project Delta Education enhancement – Shipments of Donated Study Aids: from Singapore to remote hamlets in Tana River Delta on board PIL, PIL is helping to provide these building blocks to schools in remote Kenya in collaboration with other likeminded institutions.

Tell us 2 interesting facts about yourself.

PIL CONNECTS — 5

Tech Dept - Ensures our fleet vessels are designed, built, classed, maintained, and if necessary, repaired to meet regulatory requirements and operational demands.

Congratulations!

PIL CONNECTS — 3

Writer: Rep Nandan Warrier | Editor: Abigail Lee

I am able to tap on the experiences that I have gained from PIL and pass on the knowledge to newcomers.

4 — PIL CONNECTS

Smile!

Awardee

Long Service Award

My job requires me to recruit senior workers and electricians in the engine rooms, and conduct training programmes for engineers. I also handle cruise related account expenses such as recruitment agency fees.

Loving the company

2 — PIL CONNECTS

Marine Personnel Department Fleet Division

I joined PIL on 1st September 1979 and have been in service for 40 years. I was previously attached to the agency department until 1990, and am currently working in Marine Personnel Department, Fleet Division.

Keep up with the good job

Colleagues enjoyed the photo booth, taking photos with their department

Ching Tiak Hua

How many years have you been working with PIL? Briefly describe your current job scope.

Always a good time

Colleagues enjoying the tea reception and catching up with their colleagues and friends.

Ms Lisa Teo Editor-in-Chief

PIL CONNECTS — 1

Interview

Teamwork makes the Dreamwork

Featuring Mr Raymond Koh in an interview segment below.

Worked in PIL for 45years.

CONTENT Corporate Social Responsibility Charity shipment to Kenya

h Photo Boot

28 June 2019

Our 1st ever photo booth for LSA was a huge success!

Let it continue: since 2015, PIL has been working together with Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF) to ship over donated classroom furniture from schools in Singapore to remote public primary and secondary schools across the Tana Delta in Kenya!

PIL believes that sharing is caring, and we look forward to continuing our work with TRLF to assist the local community through education.

Contributors Mr Raymond Koh Mr Ching Tiak Hua

Long Service Award Photo Gallery

FEATURE STORY

INTERVIEW As we crossed the mid-year mark of 2019, PIL took the chance to thank our colleagues with our Long Service Award ceremony held on 28 June, where we honoured many Long Service Award recipients. We are immensely grateful for their years of dedicated service to PIL. Our Chairman Emeritus also graced the ceremony and presented the 40 and 45 years Long Service Awards.

The participants had fun with the hands-on segment where they get to prepare their own tea and enjoyed the variety of snacks.

Mooncakes were also provided, which were a great accompaniment to the variety of teas!

Move over fitness classes, Rock Climbing is the in thing now! Great for beginners, the rock climbing class at Climb Central provided an introduction to climbing, bouldering, climbing safety systems and climbing techniques. Each climbing lane even has grips that are colour-coded according to difficulty level. The walls may look colourful but it is sure not your ordinary playground!

PIL CONNECTS — 13

Important annual event for

FEATURE STORY

Q4/2019

global companies CIIE has become an important annual event for many global companies to showcase themselves, highlighting the exhibition’s success and attractiveness internationally. The event saw 288 Fortune Global 500 companies and industrial leaders attending the sixday event. Representatives from the world’s large auto manufacturers, worldrenowned pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies were all present with their booths, as well as other international consumer brands and SMEs.

MCI (P) 128/02/2016

everyone as we exchanged our viewpoints excitedly.

We disseminated brochures of our global service view and showcased a video of our company’s history to visitors.

After our exchange, many customers left their business cards with their WeChat QR code with us, while we

provided them our company’s official WeChat accounts in return. Interestingly, many African friends were excited to see PIL and our logo at the event. As PIL is famous across Africa’s port cities, many took the chance to take a photo with us to mark the occasion.

MoU Signing with Ping’An and externally across the entire shipping industry. We, too, took full advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate PIL’s excellent shipping capabilities as we cooperated with PIL Logistics to showcase our end to end intermodal transportation solutions to our customers.

More business partners gathered at PIL booth!

Mr S S Teo w the PIL Shanghai team at PIL Booth

A total of 71.13 billion U.S. dollar’s worth of tentative deals for one-year purchases of goods and services were reached at the event, which was 23 percent higher than that of the first expo last year.

CHINA INTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO (CIIE) Writer: Forest Cao | Editor: Yongli Chang

The 2nd China International Import Expo (CIIE) was successfully held in Shanghai from 5 to 10th November 2019. This year’s CIIE had attracted over 3,800 enterprises from 181 countries. More than 500,000 professional buyers visited the expo, which had an exhibition area of 360,000 square meters.

CIIE and beyond Mr Patrice Melom, General Manager of Cameroon PAK Port, and his team visintg PIL at CIIE

Our role at CIIE As one of the top 10 largest international shipping company in the world, we are glad to participate in CIIE for the second consecutive year.

During the six days, we met with different trading groups that came from the many provinces of China, including factories, trading companies and even our competitors. It was a great catching up with

Business opportunities at CIIE CIIE provided a great platform for companies to network and build relationships.

We took advantage of this opportunity as we managed to collect approximately 500 customer profiles over the six days. During the process, we also strengthened our cooperation with upstream

Mr S S Teo exchanging name cards with other business partners at CIIE

2 — PIL CONNECTS

PIL CONNECTS — 3

PIL MASTERCHEF COMPETITION

Writer: Jason Liew | Editor: Yongli Chang RISHILICIOUS - Rishi & Cecilia

PERFECT - Pei Theen & Cindy

Can you tell us how long have you been with PIL? It has been about 12 years and 9 months since I first started working in PIL liner trade department. In my latest assignment, I am posted to the PIL owner’s representative office in Indonesia. In Dec 2019, it will mark my 2.5 years in the posting. However, it felt like only last month when I first stepped into Indonesia. This could be probably because of the job rotation programme that PIL offers, allowing me the chance to rotate to different jobs on the assignment and offering me new challenges.

RESILIENCE - Haslindah & Jocelyn

PINOY COOKS - Philip & Vincent

OUR CONTESTANTS’ MASTER PIECES!

SPARTAN CHEF - Albert & Saurabh

from Jeddah, as well as their buyer from Suzhou Haixing.

This gave us an opportunity to interact and introduce PIL’s shipping routes, quotation and integrated solutions to both the consignor and consignee at the same time.

For example, we had the opportunity to meet with the National Aquaculture Group, which exports frozen fish

At the exhibition, we also saw a trend of greater in-depth cooperation taking place both internally

RISHILICIOUS

PINOY COOKS

RESILIENCE

SPARTAN CHEF

PERFECT

6 — PIL CONNECTS

Coffee talk is an informal sharing session with a senior member. Can you share three things about yourself that people are unaware of?

Horror movie - I don’t like horror movies at all. I remember watching The Ring, PIL CONNECTS — 7

After CIIE, our sales colleagues will continue to follow up closely with our targeted customers, as we consolidate our 2020 import and export marketing plans with various departments and set our post-event targets. We will also work on creating and implementing specific work plans based on customers’ key goals, as we continue to deepen our relationship with them.

We also hosted Mr Patrice Melom, General Manager of Cameroon PAK Port, and his team at CIIE and showcased our logistical solutions. We look forward to meeting them again in 2020!

MoU signing between PIL and Ping’An at the SingaporeChina Trade & Investment Forum

4 — PIL CONNECTS

Jason Liew

Our judges, Mr Ang Kok Kiang, Ms Amy Soong and Mr Jimmy Fong each had a round of food tasting at our contestants’ booth and rated them accordingly. Audiences also had the chance to vote for their favorite team.

Finally, emerging as first place as PIL MasterChef was… Team Spartan Chef!

Consisting of Albert Ser and Saurabh, the two walked away with S$300 cash prize.

All our PIL Chefs received attractive prizes for their delectable cuisines!

and downstream partners in the shipping industry. By exchanging and learning from industry professionals from all walks of life, we have managed to achieve a mutually beneficial win-win for all.

PIL CONNECTS — 5

with

Writer: Jing Wen Lim | Editor: Cecilia Ding

Ending off the two weeks of Healthy Weeks was PIL’s firstever cooking contest: PIL Masterchef.

Our fellow contestants put on their chef hats to showcase their culinary skills and battle it out to become the MasterChef of PIL. Each team had to prepare two healthy and creative dishes in an hour and a half.

The Singapore-China Trade & Investment Forum also took place in Shanghai while the 2nd China International Import Expo (CIIE) was ongoing. Organised by the Singapore Business Federation, PIL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the forum to increase our cooperation with Ping’An. Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing also participated at the forum.

This is one of the team building event hosted by Klub Selatan, chaired by Ms. Wiwid (the lady on the left in pink) to improve teamwork among the Jakarta offices. We went to Cibodas, a nature park located about 90km from Jakarta for the event.

Credit to Klub Selatan committee and Bu Aminah/Pak Azis for organising such a meaningful event and building rapport within the group.

and when I saw (spoiler alert) that creepy little girl crawl out of the TV set, I was practically scarred for life with goosebumps all over my body. I did not watch horror movies for a long time after that. After the movie, I did not dare to switch off the lights at night or watch TV for a month.

Vegetables and soup - I could simply drink soup and eat vegetables for every single meal, and I will feel extremely satisfied from them. While it is partially due to my habit of eating healthy, the main reason is because I like the ‘flavour’ and ‘mouthfeel’ of these dishes. They are also consistent with my minimalistic principles. Fun fact: my favourite vegetable since I was young is bai cai or bok choy, and Cantonese soups are my all-time favourite.

Repeated same song – Perhaps this is no different

from most people, but when I was young, whenever I discover a song that I like, I will have a habit of listening to it on repeat until I get sick of it. Thereafter, I will proceed to sing the song to my siblings until it drives them nuts (haha).

Now that I have a daughter, I have gained a new listener and fan – I would like to think that she appreciates my singing more than anyone else.

Can you elaborate more on the Indonesian office.

Are there any new developments?

In my role as PIL owner’s representative, I am accountable for all the businesses that PIL, ACL and MELL have in Indonesia, from revenue to costing. The regional office serves as the bridging gap between the Singapore HQ and local offices. We have about a total of 7 ports to oversee in the

whole of Indonesia, with close to 150 staffs under the local agencies comprising of various functions such as operations, inventory, logistic management, customer service, sales and marketing, finance, inbound sales and local documentation. Our role is to evaluate the local staffs on their job competencies and performances, as well as to focus on improving cost efficiencies and revenue maximization in every sector and port.

On the new business development side, we are looking at deploying larger vessels into our services through partnerships. We have recently collaborated with Cosco for our Semarang service as well as CMA on our Panjang service. At the same time, we are also reviewing our cost efficiencies by going through all the depot across the whole of Indonesia.

example who demonstrated what hard work can help you achieve in life. He has always shown me the reality of hardship and that is the reason why I am standing where I am today. I will always remember the slogan that he always sung to me: ”If you focus on the problem, you will get more problems. If you focus on the solution, you will get more opportunities”.

My mother has also supported me into becoming who I am today. I am thankful for the balanced upbringing from both my parents. My motivation is my job; l love what I am doing, and I believe that there is no substitute

Name an inspirational figure that you look up to.

How has this person influenced your outlook on work and life?

to hard work. Passion and conviction are what keeps me motivated and going.

What do you always want to try but never did?

I am more of an adventure seeker and I am inclined to try something adventurous. For example, I am interesting to try out diving in the Great Barrier Reef, hiking in Mount Kinabalu, taking road trip across California, participating in a full marathon, trying out bungee jump – the list goes on. Even though I have obtained my open-diving license in 2013, I am still hopeful that I can achieve more before it’s too late.

This is one of the year-end parties with the theme of sparkling night organised by Klub Selatan in 2018. I am in the centre of the picture in blue, and Bu Aminah is the second from the right. We had team building games at the party, allowing all staffs to enjoy and celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

There are actually plenty of people who have influenced me in work and life. However, without a doubt, my parents are naturally my biggest source of inspiration. My father, who used to run his own company, is a man of substance and an ideal

This is one of the movie screening events hosted

by Klub Selatan. I remembered it was the horror movie, Annabelle.

10 — PIL CONNECTS

PIL CONNECTS — 11

FEATURE STORY

CHINA INTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO (CIIE)

Actitivies CLUBPAC

Writer: Michelle Anne Lim and Ying Xin It | Editor: Yongli Chang

2-5

6-8

12-13

Hear from Forest Cao, DGM of PIL Shanghai, as he shares about business opportunities at CIIE 2019, a visit by Cameroon PAK Port GM and PIL’s MoU signing with Ping’An.

In this year’s Healthy Weeks, we have our very first PIL Masterchef Competition. We also brought back some crowd favourites such as Fruits Day, health screening, lunch talks and more!

Club Pacific returned to Batam with a 2D1N getaway for some beach time, food and shopping!

CIIE 2019

PIL Healthy Weeks

Club Pacific has returned to Batam with a 2D1N getaway after organising a successful trip last year! To spice things up this year, we headed to Ranoh Island and started our getaway with a day of sun, sand and sea on Day 1.

ClubPac Activities

Perfect spot for

lazing

Speeding on the banana

12 — PIL CONNECTS

boat

Bouncy platform for the daredevils

Next, we headed to the famous Duck King Restaurant after a full day at the island! This was a crowd favourite from last year as the restaurant serves extremely mouth-watering dishes such as their signature roasted duck, deep fried chicken, stir fried clams, just to name a few. It was satisfying seeing everyone digging into the scrumptious dinner after a fun day out at the beach.

Snorkeling time

Ranoh Island is a small island located across Batam island. Upon reaching the island, we were pleasantly greeted by crystal clear waters and clean sand. This tropical paradise is known for its natural pristine beach, offering a wide range of water sports and activities.

SSA 34TH ANNIVERSARY Gala Dinner Writer: Cecilia Ding | Editor: Cecilia Ding

PIL

Healthy

Weeks

Writer: Jing Wen Lim | Editor: Yongli Chang Mahjong time for those who want to stay dry

Health screening by Minmed Health Screening To kick start the healthy weeks, we have an in-house health screening for colleagues!

Makan time!

There was something for everyone at Ranoh Island – from water sports such as snorkeling, banana boating or even conquering a floating obstacle course that mimics the game show ‘Wipeout’! The water activities available were pretty exciting but some were not for the faint-hearted. For those who preferred to stay dry, there were activities like volleyball, mahjong, or even simply just lounging on a hammock and enjoying the warmth of the sun and cool sea breeze.

Complimentary fresh coconuts were provided for a good recharge and to quench our thirst.

A snapshot at PIL’s table!

Our fellow colleagues queuing up to collect their fruit packs!

On the night of 27th September 2019, Representatives of PIL were all dressed up to attend the 34th Anniversary Gala Dinner organised by the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA). Held at the Sands Ballroom at Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, the annual gala dinner is the shipping event of the year for many in the maritime industry. Themed ‘The Glamorous Sixties’, the event played up to the illustrious reputation of the gala dinner as one of the key maritime events in Singapore since the Association’s formation in 1985.

Coconuts for me, coconuts for everyone!

The signature roast duck

After dinner, it was free and easy time. Many went on to explore the shopping malls near the hotel as well as to relish in a good massage to loosen their tired muscles from a whole day of workout at Ranoh Island.

Mandatory photo at Ranoh Island

On Day 2, everyone made a dash to do some last minute shopping at Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall, the biggest shopping mall in Batam. Many of our colleagues took this chance to buy back local snacks for souvenirs, including the must-buy Indonesian crackers and kueh lapis (layered cakes). After a few hours at the mall, it was time to bid farewell to Batam.

Till next time, Batam!

PIL CONNECTS — 13

The dinner usually draws in a full crowd from both SSA members and non-members alike. Guest of honour, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health, Dr Lam Pin Min had also attended the gala dinner. Other guests include senior officials from relevant maritime government agencies, dignitaries and ambassadors from major shipping and maritime

nations (Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Japan, etc). In addition, SSA had invited international foreign guests from ICS, BIMCO, Intertanko and head of shipping associations from ASIA and South East Asia regions in attendance.

glad to be reunited with old friends and celebrating the many achievements in the industry. Concluding the night of celebrations, Executive Director of Commercial, Ms. Yvonne Lim said, “It is true team spirit that we see every year at PIL’s table. We work hard and play hard!”

As a member of the SSA and as Singapore’s homegrown shipping company, we were PIL CONNECTS — 9

Some snapshots from our lunch & learn talks!

A 2-week PIL Healthy Weeks was organised by the HR Department from 9 to 20 Sept 2019.

Fruits Day kicked off the event followed by the popular health screening, lunch talks, an exercise session and a cooking contest to mark the holistic health and mental well-being journey for staffs throughout the 2 weeks.

Chiropractic & Its benefits

A 1 hour PIL Bokwa exercise was organised, allowing participants to exercise to hip music during the session!

A mini bazaar was also set up to offer aura reading and free spinal scanning.

Back by popular demand, staffs enjoyed a 20-minute rejuvenating SAVH massage for their neck and shoulders to relax their tense muscles.

8 — PIL CONNECTS

PIL Bokwa Exercise

Reference Richard Dobbs, Corinne Sawers, Fraser Thompson, James Manyika, Jonathan Woetzel, Peter Child, Sorcha McKenna, and Angela Spatharou. Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis. November 2014. McKinsey Global Institute. (http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/economic_studies/how_the_world_could_ better_fight_obesity)

(FOR MODERATE INTENSITY EXERCISE >1 HOUR)

Guidelines for Pre-workout snacks : 30-50gm CHO, Low fibre Guidelines for Post-workout snacks : 30-60gm CHO, Low fibre, 10-20gm PRO, Low FAT

dinner right after your workout, a post workout snack will be unnecessary.

Try not to fall into the cycle of skipping breakfast, eating a light lunch and, then, exercising after work with little fuel onboard. This may lead to overeating after your evening workout as you are so hungry from not eating enough during the day. Another “trap” is rewarding a good workout with high-calorie or fatty foods.

Rewarding your workout with food and high-calorie fluids will undo your efforts in the gym; instead, treat yourself to a new pair of sneakers for a job well done.

PRE-WORKOUT

Suggested Foods

PRE AND POST-WORKOUT

REFUELING

Dr Darren Leong

Do answer the crossword puzzle at the end of the newsletter.

You can find the answers in this issue’s articles.

If you prefer to exercise in the evening, have lunch 3 to 4 hours before your workout. A nutritious lunch comprising of carbohydrate, protein and fibre should provide enough fuel for a late afternoon workout but some energy boost from fresh fruit such as a banana, a cereal bar or a slice of fruit bread may be beneficial.

Hydration is important to maintain fluid balance. Choose water if your workout session is less than an hour but you may consider a sports drink if you are exercising for more than an hour at moderate intensity. If you are having

RESEARCH CORNER!

After a workout, do you reach for a bottle of water or a bottle of isotonic drink? Individuals are often confused with the many sports drinks, bars, and sports supplements that are available on the shelves. Adequate hydration should be maintained on a daily basis, with water being the fluid of choice. Drinks containing carbohydrates, such as sports drinks (usually 4 to 8% carbohydrate), are a good option during and after moderate intensity training (>1 hour) to help maintain fluid, carbohydrate and sodium levels. Energy bars that provide about 100kcal may be a suitable snack option but remember, “energy” is calories, so be cautious of high-calorie bars.

Refer to the table on the next page for pre- and postworkout snack ideas.

The frequency of meals has been a vital aspect of nutrition and more so in weight management.

Eating small, frequent meals is presumed to reduce hunger and thereby reduce energy intake and body weight. However, in recent years, studies have demonstrated that a large isocaloric mixed meal may cause a greater postprandial (post meal) thermogenic response as compared to the same food consumed in small portions. In a randomized, open, crossover, single-centered study conducted

by Kahleova et al (2014), it was revealed that the effect of meal frequency i.e. consuming 2 larger meals at breakfast and lunch over having six small meals of the same calories, reduced one’s body weight. Novel weight management strategies should incorporate not only energy and macronutrient content but also consider frequency and timing of food.

If you are exercising for weight loss or for general health and fitness, focus on limiting high fat, high sugar foods, which are calorie-dense, ensuring proper portion sizes and eliminating nutrient deficiencies by including all food groups in your diet.

Remember, food is your fuel but be careful not to sabotage the calorie-burning efforts you have made.

POST-WORKOUT

E dition E

Staff Registrar

Singapore is finally hosting the SEA Games after a long hiatus, and one must also feel the spirit in the air to get more active. To help us, Grace, our dietitian, sheds light on eating for exercise, providing useful tips for fueling and refueling ourselves as we develop and increase our own exercise regime.

The Evening Workout

Many who exercise in the morning are guilty of exercising on an empty stomach.

Low-intensity workouts such as briskwalking, riding a bike, taiji, or light jogging require minimal fuel. Adequate hydration and a small carbohydrate snack would suffice, such as water and a fresh fruit. After your workout, ensure your breakfast is filled with quality carbohydrates and protein such as boiled egg with multi-grain toast or wholegrain cereal or oats with low-fat milk.

ASTER

INTRODUCTION

Thus it should not come as a surprise that our past two newsletters in 2014 were timed to be published and distributed during the Lunar New Year and Hari Raya, in the hope that we could provide timely advice on eating healthily and exercising, even during such festive periods. Our first newsletter for this year coincides with Easter; and here our Sports Trainer, Brandon, will give you some exercises to perform to help burn those calories from feasting on chocolate, Easter eggs, hot cross buns, and cakes.

PRE AND POST WORKOUT

W RKOUT?

The Morning Workout

Dear friends, in November 2014, the McKinsey Global Institute published a comprehensive economic analysis of the global burden of obesity, titled “Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis”. In this report, one segment that caught my interest was the initial chapters on the complex causes of obesity. Did you know that we could consume 35 per cent more calories when we have dinner with a friend than when eating alone? Or that we can consume almost double the amount of calories if we dine in a group of seven people. We humans are social creatures, and we are strongly influenced by social norms and cues, especially in our eating habits.

SNACK IDEAS

WHEN IS A GOOD TIME TO

ISSUE 3 | APRIL 2015

CHO (g)

PRO (g)

Cereal bar x 1 (40g)

29

4

Sport drink x 500ml*

30

---

Banana x 1 large

32

2

Digestive biscuit x 2 pieces Fruit juice x 200ml

46

Banana x 1 medium Soy milk x 200ml

30

8

Fruit salad x 1 cup Low fat yoghurt x 150g

30

13

Flavoured low fat milk x 300ml

33

10

Low fat fruit yoghurt x 150g Cheerios cereal x ½ cup

4

43

7

Pancake x 2 medium Honey x 1 Tablespoon

55

12

Chee Cheong fun x 2 rolls with 1 Tablespoon sauce, no oil

59

Sandwich with cheese/meat/egg filling x 1 (2 slices bread) Pear x 1 medium

41

Fruit smoothie x 250ml (200ml low fat milk + 1 medium banana + 1 Tablespoon honey)

49

9

Red bean pau x 1 Soymilk x 1 cup

49

11

Cornflakes cereal x 1 cup Low-fat milk x 1 cup Banana x 1 medium

51

11

Toast x 2 slices Baked beans x 1 small tin (125g)

52

11

6 17

References:

1. American College of Sports Medicine (2009) Nutrition and Athletic Performance – Joint Position Statement. Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, pp.709-731.

2. American College of Sports Medicine (2009) Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults – Position Stand. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, pp.459-471.

3. American College of Sports Medicine (2007) Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, pp.377-390.

4. Burke, L. and Deakin, V. (2009) Clinical Sports Nutrition, 4th ed., Mc-Graw Hill, Australia.

5. Kahleova, H., Belinova, L., Malinska, H. et al (2014) Eating Two Larger Meals A Day (Breakfast and Lunch) is More Effective than Six Smaller Meals in a Reduced-energy Regimen for Patients with Type 2 Diabes: A Randomised Crossover Study. Diabetologia, 58 (1) pp 205-214.

6. Kleiner, S. (1999) Water: An Essential but Overlooked Nutrient [corrected] [published erratum appears in Journal of American Dietetic Association 1999 Apr; 99(4): 411]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 99(2), pp.200-206.

7. Rosenbloom, C. (2013). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Tips for Fueling Your Workout without Over Doing It. [Online] Available at: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442478740 [Accessed 20 January 2015].

8. Zelman, K. (2013). WedMD. [Online] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/what-eat-before-during-after-exercise [Accessed 20 Jan 2015].

02

FOOD FOR

CROSSWORD

FITNESS Grace Seow Dietitian

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Joanna Tan

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Senior Dietitian

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In March 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) revised the sugar guidelines, dropping the recommendation from 10% of your daily calorie intake to 5% (approximately 6 teaspoons (tsp) or 25g/day).

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Should we eat or not eat before or after exercising? There is no specific answer as it varies individually. Several factors, such as the duration, type of exercise and one’s health conditions play a role on how the body process food. Exercising burns fewer calories than you expect. Having a healthy balanced diet is important for exercise as your muscles rely on the food you eat daily. Carbohydrates, when digested become sugar, is essential as they help to maintain blood glucose levels and replace muscle glycogen (main fuel source for endurance exercise). Healthy food choices, appropriate portion sizes and good hydration will help fuel you to success. Diet, physical activity and incidental activity are crucial in weight loss; but remember, what helped you achieve your goal helps you to maintain it too.

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ISSUE 5 | JULY 2016

I V E

ACROSS 1.

4.

8.

DOWN

What type of fluid is recommended when exercising for less than 30 minutes?

When broken down to sugar is vital for the exercising muscles.

We are influenced by _____ norms and cues in our eating habits

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

ACROSS 1.

The intensity of the exercises can be controlled by varying the _______ applied to the towel.

4.

A runner’s fruit.

You could consume _____ percent more calories when dining with another person than when dining alone.

8.

Thinking

DOWN

What type of fluid is recommended when exercising for less than 30 minutes?

When broken down to sugar is vital for the exercising muscles.

We are influenced by _____ norms and cues in our eating habits

The lat pulldown requires you to stand _____ width apart.

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

Training this can lower the chances of getting lower back pain.

The intensity of the exercises can be controlled by varying the _______ applied to the towel.

INTRODUCTION Dr Darren Leong

ABOUT

A runner’s fruit.

Senior Staff Registrar

You could consume _____ percent more calories when dining with another person than when dining alone.

The lat pulldown requires you to stand _____ width apart.

Training this can lower the chances of getting lower back pain.

Bernardine Low

Senior Clinical Psychologist

Outlined below are some CBT strategies that can help you to get through the challenges of losing weight.

ABOUT

Continued from page 1

While eating is necessary for survival, we also eat for a variety of other reasons; to satisfy our cravings, to celebrate, to connect with people, to cope with stress.

Each of these reasons could tempt you to eat even when you are not physiologically hungry. We call these “diet traps”. Each of these traps are driven by our sabotaging thoughts.

These traps give you a reason to start dieting…… tomorrow.

Food pusher traps: “I would feel bad if I had to turn down her home-made cheese cake”.

Stress traps: “I’m too overwhelmed with work to keep on exercising”.

Emotional eating traps: “I’m upset, I need a chocolate to feel better”.

Psychological traps: “I can’t keep this up”.

Therefore, the key to successful weight loss involves identifying your sabotaging thoughts and learning to respond more effectively to them. For example, if you were caught in an emotional eating trap where you are thinking that you need a chocolate to feel better, an effective response to that situation might be to tell yourself that there are other things that you could do such as listening to music, going for a walk, or talking to a friend that could help you to feel better.

The process of identifying and responding to sabotaging thoughts are the mainstays of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which is based on the concept that your thoughts affect the way you feel and what you do. CBT was first developed by Aaron T. Beck as a therapy for psychological disorders. However, it has since been found to be very effective in helping people with weight loss concerns.

02

1

Create an advantages list to motivate yourself every day.

My Advantages List for losing weight • I’ll be able to fit into my old clothes and feel more confident about myself.

• I will have more energy for my family.

• My diabetes will improve.

• I’ll feel good when I look into the mirror Read this list every morning and whenever you are faced with the urge to go off your meal plans or skip your exercise. Keep this list in your wallet to help keep you motivated throughout the day. Reading these cards focuses your attention on the benefits of weight loss rather than the drawbacks e.g. giving up on ice-cream.

2

Sit down, eat slowly, and focus on what you are eating

When you eat while standing up, you pay less attention to what you are eating. This prevents you from deriving full satisfaction from what you are eating which can in turn cause you to eat more. When you are at home, try to make it a habit to only eat while sitting down at the dining table. This will prevent you from mindlessly consuming additional calories while standing at the refrigerator, pinching food while preparing meals or grabbing a bite as you walk past the kitchen. Also, avoid eating while watching television, reading or using your computer as these distractions can cause you to lose track of how much you are eating.

Why eat slowly? Well, as our brains take about 20 minutes to register that we are full, eating slowly gives you more time to recognise that you are full so that you can stop eating. Here are some ways to slow down your eating: 1. Eat hot food 2. Use smaller utensils and put your utensils down after every spoonful 3. Take sips of water in between bites 4. Chew 10 times and notice the taste and texture of what you are eating before swallowing

3

Give yourself credit each time you practice a skill, make a positive food choice, resisted a craving, or engaged in planned exercise

Giving yourself credit provides acknowledgement for your efforts and strengthens your beliefs about your ability to do what needs to be done to lose weight. Giving yourself credit also helps get you back on track when you meet with a slip. If you’ve been telling yourself “you’ve done well” throughout the week, you are less likely to feel dejected after a slip and be in a better position to say to yourself, “ yes I gave in to that chicken wing at dinner, but I also did 7 other good things this week”.

4

Create “reminder cards” to respond to your sabotaging thoughts

Think about challenges you may face or have faced in the past, and what are some of the sabotaging thoughts that have crossed your mind.

Ask yourself how would you have liked to responded in those situations? Put those responses on a card or in the notes pages on your mobile phone and read them whenever you are faced with challenges.

Create new reminder cards as you go along and review them every day. By re-reading your cards every day, you will become more adept at responding to your sabotaging thoughts.

Food Pusher Trap • Sabotaging thought: Jane would feel disappointed if I turned down her home-made apple pie.

• Helpful response: Jane may feel upset for a while but she’ll probably forget about it tomorrow. If I don’t learn to say “No”, I’ll be piling up on my calories and having to live with the consequences of putting on weight.

5

Weigh yourself daily

Often times, people weigh themselves on a weekly basis.

The problem with weighing on a weekly basis is that when people see the number on the scale go up, they may feel dejected and give up on their efforts, especially if they had stuck to their meal plans the day before. Weighing yourself every day helps you to recognise

that fluctuations in weight is normal and that the number on the scale does not define the person you are. Also, the act of having to step on the scale every day serves as a physical reminder to stick to your eating plans for the day.

6

If you’ve just started on a new diet, you would probably have experienced cravings along the way. It’s important to recognize that while cravings can be uncomfortable, they eventually go away after some time.

Here are some ways in which you can counter your cravings.

1. Label it. “This is just a craving, its feels uncomfortable but it’s not the end of the world”.

2. Imagine the aftermath of giving in.

Think about how bad you would feel about yourself after giving in to your craving, and then ask yourself again if you still want that chocolate bar.

3. Create distance from the food.

Walk away or give the food away to someone else.

4. Consume a no- or low- calorie drink.

Sip warm water or lemon slices in water to help wait out the craving.

5. Distract yourself. Draw up a list of activities you can engage in e.g. call a friend, take a walk, draw, whenever you are faced with a craving.

7

Eat according to a schedule Plan for when you are going to eat every day.

Breakfast between 7.30 - 8.30am Lunch between 11.30 - 1.30pm Afternoon Snack between 3.00 - 3.30pm Dinner between 5.30 - 7.00pm Supper between 8.00 - 8.30pm Having a schedule simplifies the decision about whether to eat or not. When it’s not time to eat, you just don’t eat.

By practicing these strategies regularly, you will gain more confidence in managing the challenges that come with dieting and sustaining weight loss in the long run.

References:

DIETARY TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE

You’ve come to the second half of the year OVERCOMING and upon assessing your BARRIERS TO New Year resolutions, you realize that the goal of starting exercising hasn’t Jonathan Jacob really borne any fruit. You either started then lost the drive to exercise during the festive period early in the year, or you realize that you have yet to start exercising. In this article, I would like to share with you some tips on how you can be motivated to start and continue exercise.

Exercise

WEIGHT LOSS

Exercise Physiologist

Manage your cravings

1. Beck, J. S. The Beck Diet Solution: Train your brain to think like a thin person. Oxmoor house, Alabama (2007).

2. Beck, J. S. & Busis, D. B. The Diet Trap Solution: Train your brain to lose weight and keep it off for good.

HarperCollins, NY (2015).

Ling Ping Sing Principal Dietitian

Most people will agree that “dieting” is not that easy and it is quite difficult for most to follow restrictive “diets” over a long period. Depriving ourselves of certain foods drains our willpower and sometimes may even lead to overeating.

Instead of focusing on “dieting”, a better approach is to adopt a healthy eating habit which can lead to long term successful weight loss. Below are 8 dietary tips which can help you to alter your eating patterns and lead to healthy eating:

Studies on human motivation done during the late 20th century found that if humans experience and satisfy 3 innate psychological needs, optimal function and growth are allowed for. A flow chart would help you understand this better…

Experiences of • Autonomy • Competence • Relatedness

Fosters

• Motivation • Enthusiasm

In the pursuit of a healthier life, we all know that we need to eat healthily, exercise and lose excess weight. Despite knowing these, why do people continue to experience difficulties with losing weight, or were able to lose weight only to gain it all back on again? With the increasing numbers of diet books, slimming products and diet programs in the market, losing weight can be easy at the outset, the challenge comes with keeping the weight off for life.

Results in • Improved performance • Resilience

(Ryan & Deci, 2000)

The first psychological need is autonomy. Autonomy refers to the ability to make your own choices. Gregory was a 43 year old Math Professor in a local University. Not liking the outdoors, Gregory was worried that he would be asked to jog under the hot sun just so that he could meet his weight loss goals. To his surprise, I told Gregory that as long as he manages to clock a certain amount of minutes at a particular intensity; he could exercise in any manner of his choosing. Gregory chose to use the Elliptical machine because he could use it indoors. He happily used the Elliptical machine for an hour a day and after 4 months, successfully shed 6.6kg of weight (weight reduction of 10.3%).

The second psychological need is competence. Competence refers to the need to be effective and good at what you are doing. Grace was a 49 year old mentor to students in a Polytechnic. Every session that Grace had with me was spent finding out how much more she could push herself in a safe way. As I prescribed tougher intensity levels for her every session, she saw it as a personal goal to meet. At the end of every week, she would feel herself get fitter and fitter and she grew in confidence as she became better and more effective at what she was doing. After 5.5 months, Grace successfully shed 7.3kg (weight reduction 10.1%).

The third psychological need is relatedness. Relatedness refers to the desire to have a sense of closeness and belonging to a social group free of blame and judgment. Talia was a 19 year old student who was really shy about her weight issues but desperately sought for a change for the sake of her health. Talia would always be accompanied by her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was fighting fit but he would exercise alongside her at her level of activity. Whenever she felt like giving up, he would offer gentle encouragement in place of snide remarks. I observed that it worked wonders for Talia and so whenever she reported anything positive (be it putting in the effort to exercise, controlling her diet or meeting her goals), she would be met with much praise and encouragement. The social environment which her boyfriend and I set for her was one which she thrived in.

After 6 months, Talia successfully shed 10.4kg (weight reduction 9.2%).

1. DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST

4. USE A SMALLER PLATE

7. KEEP A FOOD DIARY

Research shows eating breakfast helps you control your weight, as it helps to reduce your craving throughout the day. Skipping meals doesn’t help with weight loss; it may also reduce your intake of essential nutrients that are important to maintain your health, and also lead to frequent snacking throughout the day.

Studies show that people who use smaller plates tend to eat smaller portions and are still satisfied. A shift from 12–inch plates to 10–inch plates resulted in a 22% decrease in calorie intake. By using a smaller plate you will gradually get used to eating smaller portions without going hungry. A study also showed that if you eat 10-20% less per meal, our bodies will not sense the difference, and will not have increased craving or portion at the next meal.

By keeping a record of what you eat, when, where and how you feel, you can learn a lot about your eating habits. You can use the Food Diary to give clues to your personal triggers to eating. One study found that people who kept a food diary six days a week loss about twice as much as those who only kept a diary one day a week or less.

5. DON’T STOCK JUNK FOOD,

SMALL CHANGE

STOCK YOUR KITCHEN WITH

A small change can make a big difference.

Do not make major changes to your diet suddenly, but make progressive changes.

Focus on one small change at one time, and go on to make another change when you are getting used to the previous change. By making small changes, you are more likely to stick to it and make it a habit.

Some of the simple and quick breakfast ideas include high protein low fat milkshake, whole meal toast with lean protein filling, Oatmeal with fresh fruit and nuts, High fibre cereal with Low fat yogurt and fresh fruit, noodle soup with extra vegetables.

2. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER It is important to ensure that you drink at least six to eight glasses of water daily (more on hot days or if you are exercising) to prevent dehydration. Insufficient fluid intake may lead to increase food craving and consumption as we may sometimes confuse thirst with hunger.

Choose fluid that is low in calories such as plain water, this will help to reduce the consumption of sweet drink and reduce calorie intake. You may add some fresh fruit or vegetable to your drink to increase palatability.

To avoid temptation, avoid stocking junk food, instead, stock up on healthy snacks.

If you need to snack, portion out the snack servings instead of eating them directly from the container.

3. EAT HIGH-FIBRE FOODS

Shopping when hungry can lead to unhealthy food choices; research shows that the participants who were hungry then to purchase more high-calorie products. Therefore, only go for grocery shopping after meals to prevent buying high calorie food/snacks.

04

Someone offers a muffin IN SUMMARY Choose healthy eating rather than “dieting”. Changing your eating habits is beneficial for long term weight loss and weight maintenance.

You can use simple cues such as using a smaller plate when you eat or adjust your eating habits such as increase the number of chew, to aid in weight loss. Remember to use non- food based reward to celebrate your success at each milestone, so that, you will be motivated to make another small change.

Many of us find it difficult to actually begin exercising. And we also find it harder to continue exercising. These challenges are understandable and may seem insurmountable! Jonathan Jacob, our exercise physiologist, tells us that these challenges can be overcome with the right motivation, in the case studies he presents in this issue.

A common misconception amongst dieters is that in order to lose weight, you just need to watch what you eat. The truth is, another important aspect of successful weight loss involves being able to change the way you think in relation to eating. Most dieters assume that eating is automatic which is why we often hear people say “I just couldn’t control myself, I opened the pack of chips and it’s all gone now!”. On the contrary, eating is not automatic, it is very much within our conscious control. You may not realize it but you do think before you eat. Here’s an example of what could happen when someone offers you a freshly baked muffin:

6. DO NOT SHOP WITH AN

Fiber helps with weight loss as high fibre food can keep you full for longer periods of time, thus reducing hunger and food cravings. Aim to include at least 2 serves of fruits and vegetables each daily, also include at least 3 servings of wholegrain products such as oats, whole meal bread, and brown rice per day.

In summary, here is one tip to start and continue exercise – find a friend or a group of friends who are willing to exercise with you and choose an activity which you enjoy or are good at. Have fun!

8. START WITH ONE

In order to reduce the temptation to order delivery or outside food, stock up healthy convenient food such as frozen vegetables /fish/lean meat, pre-cooked grilled chicken breast, whole-grain pasta / noodles/bread/oats, and fresh fruits and vegetables, so that, you will be able to cook a healthy meal in 10 minutes.

EMPTY STOMACH

IN SUMMARY

03

HEALTHY, CONVENIENT FOODS

In this issue of our weight management newsletter, we have the privilege of hearing from our senior clinical psychologist, Bernardine Low, as she gives her input on the psychological and emotional component to our eating behavior, and what strategies we can employ in order to eat healthily. To build up armament of strategies, Ping Sing, our principal dietitian, gives us 8 key dietary tips for effective weight loss.

Same situation, Different response

Thought: Mmmm, smells and looks good!!!!!

Someone offers a muffin

Make a decision:

You act:

I’ve got to have it!

Thought:

Make a decision:

You act:

Mmmm, smells and looks good!!!!!

No I won’t eat it because I will feel guilty later

Muffin remains intact! You feel proud of yourself! Well done!

As you can see, if you had thought to yourself “the muffin smells so good, I’ve got to have it” then you are going to indulge in the muffin.

However, if you had thought differently, “I really want to eat it but I shouldn’t because I will feel guilty later” then you are more likely to refuse the muffin. Therefore your thoughts can determine whether or not you will eat. The thoughts that influence you to eat unhealthily are what we call “sabotaging thoughts”.

Continued on page 2