Published16 Dec 2021

How would you introduce yourself?

I’m a friend/community partner/counsellor/doctor to the geriatric population and foreign workers in Little India.

What motivated you to practice medicine?

I was sickly when young and Dr Phua Kong Boo (who was then a young MO) nursed me back to health. As my mother had always been gushing about how inspiring Dr Phua is, I was deeply impacted, grounding my conviction to become a doctor just like him.

What's your specialty and why did you choose it?

I initially started off as a Paediatrics trainee but was later called by God to pursue Family Medicine instead. I enjoy serving people across the full life spectrum as it truly fulfils the needs on the ground.

What does your typical day look like?

My daily engagements involve elderly or foreign workers who seek medical attention but bring more than their medical problems to the table. I am challenged to seek innovative and appropriate ways to provide help or solutions to them whilst considering their antecedent psychosocial circumstances as well.

What are your goals for the future?

I hope to continue teaching the YLLSOM and Duke NUS undergraduates and provide holistic care for the ageing population in Singapore, myself included.

Have you found anything particularly helpful in your journey to where you are today?

It is important to be humble and bold to acknowledge any lack of understanding and seek insight from others so as to bridge any knowledge gap, to continually work towards caring for my patients better.

What was your favourite and least favourite subject in school?

Physiology was my favourite as it demonstrates God’s design in how the human body normally functions, involving the various multiple processes to sustain life. There was never a least favourite subject for me as there is simply too much to learn and understand about the human body and mind.

What do you recommend students entering medical school?

Be open minded and engage in all the specialities and experiences medical school has to offer. Learn as much as you can through other people’s experiences and integrate the knowledge to apply in your own practice. Finally, remember to consider coaching and teaching other junior doctors in the future to strengthen and build up others.

What do you do for fun?

I cook for my family as during this season, we are unable to travel, thus, we try to simulate being overseas by partaking different cuisines to imagine and experience specific countries through food as our weekend bonding time.