Assoc Prof Tan received his medical degree from the National University Singapore School of Medicine in 1991 and completed his specialist training in the Department of General Surgery at the Singapore General Hospital. He studied his Ph.D. in the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. He joined the Head and Neck Service at National Cancer Centre Singapore in 2005 and subsequently underwent his Advanced Training in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology in Institute Gustave Roussy, Paris. He specialises in resection of complex head and neck malignancies and has pioneered the development of endoscopic and robotic head and neck & thyroid surgery in Singapore.
As a clinician leader, Assoc Prof Tan excels in articulating compelling visions and establishing strong, sustainable collaborations and partnerships across different departments, disciplines and institutions. He was instrumental in the formation of the Head and Neck SDDC in 2013, the first of its kind in SingHealth, and implemented a new model of care that harnessed the diverse talent and strength of SingHealth institutions. In 2019, he led the integration of the Division of Surgery in SGH and the Division of Surgical Oncology in NCCS to form a unified Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology. This restructuring facilitated the co-elevation of clinical care and academic peaks. In the recent pandemic, He led a cluster-wide team to set up and manage a 3700 bed Community Care Facility at Singapore Expo and D’Resort. The successful execution of this operation within a very short timeline ensured that the capacities of acute hospitals were not overwhelmed in this unprecedented crisis.
Assoc Prof Tan is passionate about Global Health and has established the Global Surgery Programme within the Surgery ACP with a clear vision anchored by strong academic principles. He co-led a Temasek-funded project “Quality Assurance for Healthcare in Sri Lanka” which focused on building capacity and management expertise in the Health system. He has collaborated widely with international partners including Ariadne Lab, Duke Health and regional hospitals. His Global Health project with Duke, titled: ‘Partnership to establish a practice-based network to assess for head and neck cancers using a low-cost portable flexible nasopharyngoscope” won a $3.5M RO1 grant. He has recently initiated a pan-Asia surgical leaders’ network to study the response and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the surgical health system. Aptly named ‘COVID-IMPACTS: COVID-19 IMPact and ACtion Taken in Surgery’, 36 surgical leaders from 25 Asian hospitals in 11 countries have thus far accepted the invitation to participate in this collaboration.
Assoc Prof Tan was the founding Chairman of the Children’s Cancer Foundation (Singapore) and was awarded the Singapore Youth Award to recognise his pivotal role in setting up the charity. He believes in the enabling power of philanthropic donation. In his tenure as the inaugural Director of the Division of Community Outreach and Philanthropy in NCCS (2010-2018), he helped build a sustainable fund-raising model in the Oncology ACP. In the last few years, under his leadership as Academic Chair, the Surgery ACP raised more than $7.8 million for various academic programs including two Surgical Chairs (Colorectal and Urology), several Global Health/Surgery initiatives and the Academic Fund for Nurses, Allied Health Professionals and Administrators.