Meet Our Speakers

Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis is an Academic General Practitioner (GP) and Academic Director of Primary Care and Family Medicine at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Her research focus is on the development and implementation of technology to inform decision making in general-practice, health services research and the use of data to describe and improve general-practice activity, with a focus on cancer, chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease, and antimicrobial stewardship. She is a contributor and proponent of practice-based research networks and programmes to develop primary care clinician researchers. 

She aims to include primary care professionals and people that attend primary care in the development and implementation of research to ensure it meets the needs of end users and can be translated into practice.

Edel Murphy is a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) specialist, at the University of Galway, Ireland. Edel has been to the forefront of the growth of PPI in Ireland, starting by establishing the first PPI group in primary care research within the HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network in 2015. 

As the National Programme Manager of the first phase of the PPI Ignite Network (2021-2026), Edel played a key role in the development and growth of an energetic, collaborative and innovative Network across Ireland, working with a diverse range of stakeholders nationally and internationally to build a shared voice for PPI in research in Ireland. Currently, Edel is supporting a team within the Irish healthcare system (the Health Service Executive) to embed a partnership approach in the development and ongoing implementation of the first National Diabetes Registry in Ireland. 

Adj A/Prof Danny Soon is Chief Executive Officer at the Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS) and concurrent Executive Director at the Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI). As the inaugural CEO of CRIS, A/Prof Soon has the responsibility of bringing together seven research programmes and platforms under the auspices of CRIS, promulgating synergies and strategies, building corporate functions to service the entire entity.  

A/Prof Soon was previously the Interim Executive Director of Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS) from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2025. A/Prof Soon was previously the Executive Director of Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) in A*STAR. His team in BMRC was responsible for incepting and coordinating efforts and programmes in drug development, precision medicine, medical technology and biomanufacturing. A/Prof Soon also held the role of founding and Acting CEO of the Experimental Biotherapeutics Centre.  

A/Prof Soon has long experience in drug development, having worked at Eli Lilly and Company for 15 years, where he headed up the Lilly-NUS Centre for Clinical Pharmacology (LNUS). As the Managing Director and Principal Investigator, A/Prof Soon had responsibility and oversight for all clinical Phase 1 studies conducted and operations in the unit. Studies conducted included first-in-human studies, biomarker development work, human physiology investigations and pivotal registration PK studies, in neuroscience, diabetes, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular therapeutic areas.

Dr Matthew Cove completed his advanced training in critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where he developed a research focus on organ support and extracorporeal therapies. 

He later relocated to Singapore, where he has established a combined clinical and academic career in critical care. His work centres on the development and translation of novel extracorporeal support strategies, particularly for carbon dioxide removal and respiratory dialysis. He has led multidisciplinary projects spanning bench research, large-animal models, and early clinical applications, supported by national competitive funding. 

In parallel with his research, Dr Cove remains actively involved in clinical service and education, contributing to the care of critically ill patients and the training of junior doctors. His work emphasises bridging engineering and medicine to improve outcomes in intensive care.

Katie manages a stream of research about domestic, family and sexual violence in partnership with 25 victim survivors. These women work as co-researchers and support teaching and training at the University and are part of the WEAVERS lived expertise group. 

Katie brings statewide planning and policy expertise gained from her work in the government to her academic work and is particularly interested in how research can support policy and practice.

Lily Fetter is the Lived Expertise Academic Specialist at the University of Melbourne's Safer Families Centre and a registered midwife. Her work sits at the intersection of clinical care, education, and lived expertise, bringing together professional practice and real-world experience to strengthen responses to domestic, family, and sexual violence. 

Lily is a passionate advocate for embedding lived expertise across healthcare, education, and service systems. She works to build meaningful, ethical, and impactful partnerships that ensure lived experience informs research, policy, education, and practice. She believes systems are most effective when the people they serve are at the centre of every decision. 

Andrea Lim is a passionate community leader and experienced professional dedicated to serving her community. With over 17 years of experience across corporate and public sectors, Andrea brings a wealth of knowledge and a service-oriented approach to all her endeavors. 

Andrea’s commitment to community building shines through her extensive grassroots work in Toa Payoh. For the past eight years, she has served as an active leader on various committees, including the Senior Citizens' Executive Committee (SCEC), the Community Centre Management Committee (CCMC), and the Integration and Naturalisation Committee (INC). Her certifications include being a Certified Grassroots Mediator, a Trained Facilitator, and a recent graduate of the Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP). 

A firm believer that serving others is a path to humility, Andrea extends her contribution as a key community partner and Public Partner for the Health4All@ Toa Payoh study. In this role, she leverages her deep grassroots knowledge to provide valuable insights. Andrea plays a vital role in championing targeted and relevant community health initiatives, bridging the gap between program design and the actual needs of residents to ensure these efforts are truly impactful for the people of Toa Payoh. 

Through her dedication and service, Andrea embodies her personal motto: "It is a blessing to be able to give, and it is only through serving that one learns true humility." 

Evelyn has spent over 20 years supporting multinational companies in organizational change, operating model redesign and process improvement initiatives. Today, she is applying that background in problem-solving and operations to healthcare advocacy and community volunteer work. 

She is currently on a career break to focus on family and personal growth.  As a caregiver for her parents, she supports their daily health needs and navigates the medical system alongside them. This experience has shown her firsthand what patients and families actually go through, particularly for patients like her father living with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, who may not have a voice of their own. 

By combining her professional background and lived experiences, Evelyn focuses on finding practical, human-centered solutions in healthcare. She is dedicated to bringing the patient/caregiver’s perspective to the forefront of patient advocacy. 

Diana is a healthcare consultant and a patient advocate who bridges industry, research and lived experience to improve how evidence is generated and translated into real-world care.  

She is the Co-Founder of Menopause Care Alliance, a non-profit advancing research, education and access to menopause care, and serves as Patient Partner at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine where she collaborates with researchers to co-design studies and translate findings into practice.  

Diana is also Founder of Advocates for Advancing Health, a for-profit Life Sciences and Healthcare consulting firm specializing in market research, RWE and evidence-based implementation strategies.   
   
Together, these roles reflect a single mission: progressing education, access, quality of care, and health outcomes. 

Ai Ling Sim-Devadas is a patient advocate, breast cancer survivor and a patient involvement professional. Committed to grow patient and public involvement (PPI) in Singapore’s healthcare landscape, she is bringing patients’ voices to medical research and education through NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine’s Office of Patient Engagement (OPEN) 

In advocating the patient’s perspective, she is a member of the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE) Consumer Panel, a member (lay representative) of the TRUST Data Access Committee, a member of the PRECISE PPI Advisory Panel and a board member of the Alliance of Patient Organizations Singapore (APOS).  Globally, she serves on the International PPI Network (IPPIN) to bring patient and public involvement perspectives from this region. 

Sook Mei began her career as a pharmacist in Guardian Pharmacy. During those formative years, she was privileged to have managed pharmacies and learnt about retail business. Prior to joining CGH, Sook Mei worked with Zuellig Pharma (Singapore), a pharmaceutical distributor and Reckitt-Benckiser, a pharmaceutical company. 

Outside of work, she serves as a member of the Ethics Review Board of Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and is a volunteer fundraiser for Ambulance Wish Singapore (AWS), a charity which grants last wishes for people with life-limiting conditions.  

Ms Serene Mai is the Deputy Head of Corporate Communications & Outreach at The National Kidney Foundation (NKF), where she drives strategic efforts to shape public understanding and awareness of kidney health in Singapore. With over 18 years of experience in healthcare and community care, she has been instrumental in crafting narratives that drive awareness, inspire behavioural change, and foster greater advocacy around kidney disease prevention and management. She was recognised as one of the NCSS 40-Under-40 leaders in 2024. 

Serene is also a distinguished Patient Advocate with more than 30 years of lived experience with lupus and chronic kidney disease. She has been representing the patient voice for over 13 years across various platforms. A former Council Member of the Lupus Association of Singapore, Serene now leads patient advocacy efforts at NKF. She represents Singapore in the International Society of Nephrology Patient Liaison Advisory Group, serves as a Patient Partner with Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and contributes to A*STAR Singapore Immunology Network in the SLE Patient Advisory Group and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Policy’s Centre for Health Intervention and Policy Evaluation Research (HIPER). 

Serene’s advocacy experience spans internationally with Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) and the International Society of Nephrology (ISN); and locally with the Ministry of Health, National University Health System (NUHS), Centre for Healthcare Innovation, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology, Bayer, and patient organisations like Lupus Association Singapore and Autoimmune Diseases Singapore.  

Living true to her belief of “using sickness for good”, Serene’s commitment to amplifying patient perspectives reflects her vision of a more empathetic, inclusive, and truly patient-centered healthcare system, and building a culture of patient involvement within research and education. 

Annie is a Research Fellow at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, where she works with the Office of Patient Engagement (OPEN). Her work focuses on generating academic evidence and expert input to support the development of Singapore’s National Guidance Document for Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in health research. Through this, she aims to advance meaningful, inclusive, and system-level approaches to patient partnership in research. 

Her research interests include patient and public involvement, implementation science, and health system strengthening, with a particular focus on translating evidence into practice and policy. She is especially interested in designing research that is methodologically rigorous while remaining responsive to the needs of patients, providers, and health systems. Annie has a background in maternal and newborn health, health services research, and public health. 

Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis is an Academic General Practitioner (GP) and Academic Director of Primary Care and Family Medicine at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Her research focus is on the development and implementation of technology to inform decision making in general-practice, health services research and the use of data to describe and improve general-practice activity, with a focus on cancer, chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease, and antimicrobial stewardship. She is a contributor and proponent of practice-based research networks and programmes to develop primary care clinician researchers. 

She aims to include primary care professionals and people that attend primary care in the development and implementation of research to ensure it meets the needs of end users and can be translated into practice. 

Shannon Heo was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2010 and has since become a passionate advocate. She believes that lived experience is a powerful force for change and that patient voice can help shape and improve healthcare. In 2024, together with a few equally passionate MS Warriors, she co-founded the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Singapore (MSSS), where she now serves as President. Through this role, Shannon is dedicated to empowering, educating and advocating for MS Warriors and spreading awareness of the condition.  

Outside of advocacy, Shannon is a full-time veterinarian and proud mother of five (three humans and two cats). 

Raj is an OPEN Voices Patient Partner and trained teacher specializing in Economics and Theory of Knowledge. He is married and a proud parent of two children, one of whom is a child with autism. 

His journey as a parent has inspired him to conduct workshops for parents of children with autism, equipping them with practical strategies and support. He is deeply committed to promoting an inclusive society—one that values and supports caregivers and individuals with disabilities, particularly children with autism. 

To advocate for this cause, he organized the ASIRVATHAM Exhibition, an initiative dedicated to sharing caregivers’ stories and fostering awareness of their well-being. Raj aspires to contribute to this mission through grassroots efforts, collaborating with organizations that share the vision of inclusion.

Phyllis is a dedicated advocate and mother of two whose journey into diabetes advocacy began when her son, now three, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in 2024.  

Transitioning from a successful decade-long corporate career to become a caregiver, she channels her firsthand experiences into support for families navigating similar paths. Through her platform @PhyllingPhyne, Phyllis shares candid insights into daily T1D management from a caregiver’s perspective, fostering a community for families managing chronic health conditions.  

Undaunted by the limited diabetes care options and subsidies in Singapore, she explores medtech options from other countries and constantly seeks funding for diabetes care in Singapore. Cognisant of the long-term financial cost of chronic conditions, she also founded @MightyMoneyMinds— an early childhood financial literacy platform designed to teach parents how to raise money-smart children.  

Today, Phyllis combines her background in finance with her passion for caregiving to champion patient advocacy and guide parents to raise financially savvy kids. 

Sherry has been living with vasculitis, an autoimmune disease, for the past 20 years, and the journey has not been easy for her due to the uncertainty of this chronic condition, which can be debilitating at times. She started Autoimmune Diseases SG as she did not know of anyone else living with an autoimmune disease and wanted to seek people with such conditions. 

She attributes the success of ADSG to being started by someone living with an autoimmune disease who truly understands what it’s like for others in the same situation. A few members bonded through an appreciation project this year and are helping to grow the group. 

She is a member of the OPEN Voices Taskforce, co-creating OPEN Voices, providing critical patient perspective, and is therefore a pioneer OPEN Voices Patient Partner. 

Candy Gan is a two-time TEDx speaker, patient advocate, and co-author of My Name is Adam. I have Type 1 Diabetes – Singapore’s first bilingual children’s picture book that vocalises, localises, and normalises the T1D lived experience. 
 
She leads typeOne.sg with 3 other administrators on a volunteer basis, managing Singapore’s sole community group for everyone living with, or caring for those living with, Type 1 Diabetes. Having lived with T1D for 27 years, she has been a speaker, panellist, and emcee at various health events in Singapore (e.g. Patient Voices Symposium, CHI INNOVATE, Allianz 2nd Global Health Summit). Internationally, she has contributed in various T1D lived experience panels and advocacy groups. 
In the day, she works in public health for NUHS, having begun her career in MOH healthcare services regulations. She obtained her Bachelors and Masters from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). 

 
As a patient partner, Candy has contributed her lived experience to LKC 1st year MBBS students; for NLB’s AI in Healthcare session; and as emcee for the Patient Voices Symposium (2024-25).