Bio
At an early age, I have been exposed to a unique perspective on how health may be viewed. When I was eleven years old, my father, a retired botany professor, started a complementary and alternative medicine center for cancer patients based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy in Malaysia. I would help my parents at this center, and in the process gained exposure to management of cancer as a chronic illness. Although I did not view it in these particular terms, I remember observing the physiological, psychological, and social impact of chronic illness on the patient and their caregivers, and how factors such as attitudes, perception of control, coping styles, hope, and spirituality play a role in the adjustment process. The connection between the mind and the body is an idea ingrained in me, as holistic healing, a basic tenet of most eastern philosophies, calls for treatment addressing both physical and mental health. This point of view continues to fuel my clinical and research interest in health psychology research today.
My research and clinical expertise is in the area of psycho-oncology and behavioral pain management. I obtained doctorate-level training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Houston based on a scientist-practitioner model. For my mandatory American Psychological Association (APA) internship, I matched to Duke University Medical Center’s Pain/Cancer track. After graduation, I accepted a 2.5-year postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center where I held joint appointments in the departments of Behavioral Science and Reconstructive Surgery. I joined Duke-NUS in March 2015 to work within the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, where I am establishing my research agenda in the areas of psycho-oncology. My research interests has been focused on:(i) understanding how psychological factors influence symptom burden and quality of life of patients, and (ii) investigating behavioral/ psychological interventions that aim to increase self-management of chronic illness by patients. All my peer-reviewed publications to date have been on these topics.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
University of Houston, United States
Master of Science (Clinical Psychology)
Leiden University, Netherlands
Bachelor of Science in Business
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States