Deputy Director (Research) & Senior Consultant
Department of Haematology-Oncology
National University Cancer Institute, Singapore
Adjunct Professor
Department of Pharmacology & Medicine
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Group Chief Physician Leadership & Organisational Development Officer
National University Health System
Director
Investigational Medicine Unit
National University Health System
Deputy Director
Cancer Science Institute of Singapore
National University of Singapore
“For his outstanding and pioneering contributions in cancer pharmacology
and drug development, bringing hope to cancer patients
through promising experimental treatments.”
Adjunct Professor Goh Boon Cher is an internationally renowned and experienced cancer pharmacologist and Phase I clinical trial expert who is highly regarded in the field of drug development. He regularly provides consultancy to early drug pipeline research teams from the pharmaceutical industry and is a key opinion leader in the development of these drugs.
Following a successful research fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology and Phase I clinical trials at the University of Chicago, Adj Prof Goh saw the value of establishing a clinical trial unit at the National University Hospital (NUH). Upon his return to Singapore in 1999, he started a clinical trial unit in the Department of Haematology-Oncology at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS). Through his dedication and efforts, the facility has established itself as a world-class clinical trial unit that offers state-of-the-art molecular profiling to select the most suitable patients for clinical trials. This infrastructure has enabled the National University Health System to cultivate many productive collaborations with international pharmaceutical companies and numerous therapeutic trials. Some of the trials led by Adj Prof Goh are the first in the world, for instance, the first-in-man development of Singapore’s first cancer drug, SB939, a histone deacetylase inhibitor.
Adj Prof Goh is well recognised as an expert in head and neck cancer, particularly for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), one of the most prevalent head and neck cancers in Singapore. He is currently leading efforts at NCIS to translate laboratory discoveries to clinical trials in nasopharyngeal cancer, a type of cancer which is endemic and difficult to treat, and is in urgent need of new treatment options.
Adj Prof Goh has been studying anti-VEGF therapy and immunotherapy in NPC, and has presented some of this work as well as a published study investigating nivolumab. These have led to promising leads in evolving the way that NPC is being treated, with the potential to revolutionise the care of this disease. He has also pioneered the application of anti-angiogenic drugs in modifying the NPC tumour micro-environment, enhancing drug permeability and the trafficking of immune cells into the core of the tumour. This work was the result of a completed four-arm clinical trial that has since been twice presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The presentation will be transcribed into a manuscript this year, and will serve to guide future research in this promising area of study.
In the field of molecular diagnostics, Adj Prof Goh has spearheaded work in the development of a panel of proteins from plasma particles called exosomes that is being evaluated for early diagnosis of lung cancer. This work is currently filed for patent as intellectual property.
As a prominent clinician scientist, Adj Prof Goh has also been dedicated to the mentoring and nurturing of the next generation of basic and clinician scientists through the years, both in formal structures initiated by the Ministry of Health as well as within his own personal capacity, providing invaluable research opportunities, supervision and career guidance to many currently successful researchers.
With his wealth of research achievements, Adj Prof Goh has published 190 peer-review articles to date and is a regular keynote speaker at national and international conferences and workshops. He is also frequently invited to contribute on the editorial boards of prestigious journals of oncology and clinical pharmacology. He is currently serving on the editorial board of Annals of Oncology, the official journal of the European Society of Medical Oncology. He has also written a book chapter on “Pharmacogenomics” in “De Vita, Hellman and Rosenber (editors) Principles and Practice of Oncology 7th Edition, 2005”, a highly regarded reference publication in the field of oncology.
For his outstanding and pioneering contributions in cancer pharmacology and drug development, bringing hope to cancer patients through promising experimental treatments, Adj Prof Goh is awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award 2019.
NATIONAL OUTSTANDING CLINICIAN MENTOR AWARD 2019
Professor London Lucien Ooi Peng Jin
Senior Consultant
Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary and Transplant Surgery
Singapore General Hospital
Professor
Surgery Academic Clinical Programme
SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Programme
Associate Dean (Recruitment, Admissions, Financial Aid) & Professor
Duke-NUS Medical School
Professor
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
“For his inspiring leadership in grooming successive generations of surgeons who became leaders in their own right, and passing on strong mentoring values of generosity, collegiality and patience.”
In his illustrious career of more than three decades, Professor London Lucien Ooi Peng Jin has worn many hats. Currently Senior Consultant at both the Department of Hepato-pancreato-biliary and Transplant Surgery at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), and the Division of Surgical Oncology at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Prof Ooi has excelled in varied roles. He is a surgeon, researcher, administrator and teacher, and importantly, a mentor to successive generations of surgeons and clinicians, many of whom bear witness to his generous and inspiring leadership.
He has been imparting knowledge and skills, as well as strong values of generosity and collegiality to young clinicians and other healthcare professionals throughout his career. During his term as the Chairman of SGH’s Division of Surgery between 2006 and 2015, Prof Ooi was actively involved the mentorship of potential leaders for the 16 clinical departments in his division. Most of his leadership mentees went on to head departments and divisions – who have, in turn, gone on to mentor others.
During that time, he was also instrumental in bringing together the several surgical departments and services to function as a family. Prof Ooi’s strong and inspiring leadership allowed him to successfully galvanise the surgeons, nurses, technicians and administrative staff to give their best to improve patient care and train the next generation of surgeons in the best tradition.
Prof Ooi saw the growing importance of technology and the use of high-tech imaging, robotics-assisted devices to enhance operating procedures. Prof Ooi also saw the possibilities of technology in teaching, and took an important role in designing and building the skills simulation laboratories at the Academia. He engaged industry players to provide top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art instruments and operating theatre systems to enable training the next generation of clinicians and healthcare professionals.
Prof Ooi was also instrumental in establishing entities like SingHealth Transplant, which incorporated nine transplant programmes and served as a platform for developing and mentoring clinicians in leadership roles in transplantation; and the SingHealth Tissue Repository which provided a powerful resource for clinician researchers.
More recently, as Chairman of Surgery Academic Clinical Programme, he established new roles and appointments in academic medicine to allow clinicians to embrace academic leadership in research and training. He continues to mentor clinician leaders in higher leadership appointments.
Prof Ooi holds several appointments that allow him to shape the evolution of surgical training and assessments for generations of general surgeons in Singapore. These include Chairman of the Joint Committee on Specialist Training General Surgery Exit Examinations Committee (since 2016), Chief Examiner of the American Board of Surgeons Singapore Board MCQ Examinations (since 2014), Chief Examiner of the Joint Specialties Fellowship Conjoint Exit Examination in GS with the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (since 2007).
Prof Ooi continues to be highly sought after by trainees for pre-examination tutoring, and with his characteristic collegial manner, patience and kindness, Prof Ooi never fails to oblige these trainees when they need his guidance. Prof Ooi is a true academic surgeon – someone who excels in clinical expertise, research, teaching and administration, and combines all in order to be a mentor extraordinaire in all these areas.
For his inspiring leadership in grooming successive generations of surgeons who became leaders in their own right, and passing on strong mentoring values of generosity, collegiality and patience, Prof London Ooi is awarded the 2019 National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award.