News
April - May 2025
Announcement: Welcome New Leadership
Our primary care and family medicine team continues to grow and we are pleased to announce the appointment of Assistant Professor Sabrina Wong as the new Clinical Director, Primary Care and Family Medicine.
Sabrina brings a wealth of experience to this role serving as Senior Consultant Family Physician and Deputy Director of the Clinical Research Unit at NHG Polyclinics. She is a Consultant at the Department of Primary and Continuing Care at MOH and Chief Examiner of the Family Medicine Examination Committee.
At the same time, we wish to extend our gratitude to Assistant Professor Lee Eng Sing who will be moving on to a new leadership role at the MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT) in the next few months. We thank you A/Prof Lee for his significant contribution to the development of the Singapore Primary Care Research and Knowledge Network (SPARK), formerly known as pcRn, as well as his leadership in driving primary care research.
7 - 9 April: Welcome Back! Visiting Professor Jon Emery from Australia
We were delighted to host Professor Jon Emery from University of Melbourne for a short but fruitful trip. There were various meetings and discussions with institutions, stakeholders and research collaborators on key topics, including cancer screening, population health, AI in medicine and behavioural research. We are excited for the possibilities ahead and looking forward to Professor Emery joining LKCMedicine as a full time faculty in the coming months.
12 April: Primary Care Multimorbidity Seminar Tackles Chronic Disease through Lifestyle Medicine
Led by Assistant Professor Lee Eng Sing, the seminar was hosted by our Primary Care and Family Medicine team, highlighting the rising burden of chronic disease in Singapore's aging population. Associate Professor Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis chaired a panel with GP speakers, Assistant Professor Lee Eng Sing, Dr Ng Lee Beng, Dr Shariffa Syahidah Chisty, Dr Leonard Leng, Ms Marine Chioh, Assistant Director of Primary and Community Care Development Division (Agency for Integrated Care) and Dr Suraj Kumar, Vice President from The College of Family Physicians on integrating lifestyle medicine into primary care. We would like to extend our appreciation to the speakers and panelists for their valuable contributions.
Videos upcoming soon!
WONCA
Asia Pacific 2025, Busan South Korea
Primary
Care Transformation; Implementing High-Value, High-quality Care!
24
- 27 April 2025
Over 1200 participants from 41 countries converged in Busan, South Korea for the WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference. I enjoyed connecting with colleagues and learning about diverse areas including health platforms being developed and implemented in South Korea, including the Kakao Healthcare platform - think Grab for health, values based healthcare and new funding models for primary care, and reflecting on how we support family medicine residents as they gain experience in end-of-life care.
I was also honoured to facilitate a workshop on practice based research networks, with Sam Xin Hui (LKCMedicine), Fitriana Murriya Ekawati (Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia), Aneesa Abdul Rashid (Universiti Putra Malaysia), Hirotomo Yamanashi (Nagasaki University, Japan), Chaisuri Angkurawaranon (Chiang Mai University, Thailand), Karen Tu (University of Toronto, Canada) and Anna Dania, Maastricht University, Netherlands).
Jo-Anne
Manski-Nankervis
Academic
GP and Academic Director, Primary Care and Family Medicine, LKCMedicine
Cancer
in Primary Care Research International (CA-PRI) Conference, Manchester UK
Cancer
Innovation; Cancer inequalities; Interdisciplinary Care
29
- 30 April 2025
Attending Ca-PRI 2025 in Manchester was an eye-opening and enriching experience. Set in a vibrant city with a rich legacy of academic excellence, the conference brought together over 200 GP researchers from around the world, showcasing diverse efforts to strengthen the role of primary care in cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and survivorship. We heard from leading experts across the UK, Netherlands, USA, and Denmark, covering topics such as big data analytics, innovations in cancer screening, and cutting-edge implementation research.
It was especially meaningful to see strong representation from Singapore, with Professor Jon Emery, Professor Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis, Professor Rose Fok, and Ms Nur Diana also in attendance. We shared our research with an international audience, engaged in many insightful conversations, and even found time to explore the city together, including a visit to the stadium of the greatest football club in the world (of course, I’m talking about Manchester United!).
This conference not only broadened my perspective on the evolving role of primary care in cancer care but also deepened my appreciation for the global community dedicated to advancing this field. I left Manchester feeling inspired, connected, and excited to apply these insights to our local context in Singapore.
Dr
Ng Xin Rong
Family
Physician, Associate Consultant, NHGP, Toa Payoh
LKCMedicine
Clinician Scientist Programme
Feb – Mar 2025
26 Feb: Lifestyle Medicine Event at LKCMedicine 26 Feb: Lifestyle Medicine Event at LKCMedicine 
Hosted by Assistant Prof Lee Eng Sing and Dr Emina Obarcanin from LKCMedicine, Primary Care and Family Medicine and the Singaporean Society of Lifestyle Medicine our recent Lifestyle Medicine event was a great success. The highlight was the session by Prof. Luigi Fontana, MD, PhD, FRACP from University of Sydney, whose insights into lifestyle medicine left attendees motivated to integrate healthier practices into both their personal and professional lives.
The vibrant Ong Tiong Tat & Irene Tan Liang Kheng Auditorium was filled with hundreds of health professionals, scientists, corporate leaders, policymakers, and patients—each united by a shared passion for lifestyle medicine and healthy aging. The lecture by Prof Fontana was followed by engaged and in-depth Q&A session and lively discussions.
Following an insightful introduction by Asst Prof Lee Eng Sing, who provided a comprehensive overview of the local incidence of chronic diseases and the rising concern of multimorbidity in Singapore, Prof Fontana presented groundbreaking research on metabolism, nutrition, exercise, calorie restriction, fasting, the gut microbiome, mental health, insulin resistance, and cardiometabolic risks. His session was a true masterclass in understanding the science behind lifestyle medicine.
The event was not just about learning but also about experiencing the healthy diet in practice. Participants enjoyed a spread of healthy, delicious foods, demonstrating that the food offered can be both healthy and enjoyable—even in social settings. The lecture by Luigi Fontana was a wonderful opportunity for learning, connection and networking.
6 Feb: Introduction to Primary Care Cancer Advisory Group
The Primary Care Cancer Patient Advisory Group recently held its first meeting. Led by Associate Professor Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis, the group comprises 10 cancer survivors who will take on the role of advisors, co-researchers, reviewers, facilitators, and decision-makers to shape study protocols, education projects, and patient engagement in primary care cancer research relating to cancer screening and early detection.
Dec 2024 – Jan 2025
Year End Activity 18 Dec @ Holland Village
PCFM
closed 2024 with an unforgettable team bonding activity, diving into a
thrilling quest that was filled with solving puzzles, uncovering local
treasures and learning about local history in Holland Village
.
We started the morning with a year-end reflection, sharing about experiences
from the past year, how individual contributions made a significant impact and
reminding on the power of teamwork. The experiences we had will no doubt
strengthen our collaboration and teamwork for an even more successful year
ahead.
Oct - Nov 2024
Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress 2024: Adding 15 million years of health life
SHBC
was held on 10-11 October this year with PCFM making a number of contributions,
including Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis as a panellist in the Adding Life to Years
by Integrating Health and Social Care plenary, the SPARK booth promoting
primary care research opportunities, our Visiting Professor Jon Emery
presenting on the application of polygenic risk scores to tailor cancer
screening in primary care and Lee Eng Sing presenting a poster on primary care
research recruitment. Primary care research and translation also shone with
presentations from many of our NHGP colleagues including Sabrina Wong, Tang
Wern Ee, Ben Lam and award winners Quek Jing Sheng, Ng Xinyao, Sze Kai Ping,
Koh Jan Ming Ian, Chen Tongyuan and Julia Zhu Xiaoli.
On 12th of October the Primary Care Academy GP Symposium was hosted at LKCMedicine and was dedicated to advancing primary care practices in line with Healthier SG initiatives. The Primary Care Family Medicine Research Programme shared about SPARK (Singapore Primary Care Research and Knowledge) Network in a booth at the event. The event "Continuum of Care: Paving Pathways for a Healthier Community" had approximately 150 attendees.
Visiting Professor, Jon Emery
7-9 Oct: University of Melbourne Professor of Primary Care Cancer and LKCMedicine Visiting Professor Jon Emery provided important insights into cancer screening and risk stratification during his visit. He presented on this topic at SHBC 2024. Prof Emery will continue to assist with the development of LKCMedicine’s cancer prevention and early cancer detection programme.
Project
Soundkeeper Official Launch
16 Oct: The SoundKeepers Programme was officially launched with a media event. Soundkeepers is a three-year research study to develop an AI tool using voice biomarkers to detect early signs of depression (subsyndromal depression) in seniors and a community intervention programme to manage the condition outside healthcare settings. The study is led by LKCMedicine Primary Care Family Medicine Research Programme in collaboration with six partners: College of Computing and Data Science (CCDS) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, National Healthcare Group Polyclinics and Institute of Mental Health, Fei Yue Community Services, Club HEAL and Lien Foundation. Click here for article.
Art
and Science of Medicine Festival 2024
19 Oct: LKCMedicine held its second Art & Science of Medicine Festival at Kampung Admiralty with the theme of “Connecting Medicine, Health & Life.” PCFM collaborated with OPEN, the Office for Patient Engagement, to engage the community and explore what would make it easier for Singaporeans to engage in cancer screening programmes. These insights will shape our developing Primary Care Cancer research theme.
Aug - Sept 2024
World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) 21-24 Aug 2024
Past, present and future: The important role of practice-based research network in generating and facilitating research
Type: Oral Presentation
Presentation Author: Associate Professor Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis
Introducing Riley” Your Personalized Evidence-Based Medicine Information Literacy Chatbot
Type: Workshop
Presenting Author: Asst Prof Lee Eng Sing and Ms Rebecca Lavanie David, Senior Medical Librarian, LKCMedicine
Engaging General Practitioners in Primary Care Research in Singapore: Lessons Learnt from the HOPE CVD-GP Research Project
Type: Poster Presentation
Presenting Author: Ms Sam Xin Hui, Research Fellow, LKCMedicine
Click here: (164) WONCA-APR-2024-PPT-ePoster 23-Aug-24
Understanding Singapore Health Professionals’ Career Planning and Development Behaviours
Type: Poster Presentation
Presenting Author: Ms Leong Li Zi, Research Assistant, LKCMedicine
Click here: WONCA-APR-2024-PPT-ePoster_WDARF Study_v1.2_2024-08-20
April - May 2024
April – May 2024
Primary Care OPEN Patient and Public Engagement
27 April 2024: In collaboration with OPEN, LKCMedicine’s Primary Care and Family Medicine unit hosted 19 patients and carers to explore their experiences of chronic disease and cancer screening in primary care. This event is the first in a series of sessions that aims to co-design pathways to optimise patient experience and increase screening rates in Singapore.
PCFM hosted Visiting Professor, Sir Aziz Sheikh
9 – 16 May 2024: PCFM was delighted to host Prof Sir Aziz Sheikh, Professor of Primary Care Research and Development at Usher Institute in Edinburgh and incoming Nuffield Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences at University of Oxford. Prof Sheikh gave an inspiring lecture at LKCMedicine’s inaugural EXCEL seminar, highlighting the power of collaboration in driving research with translational outcomes. He presented on the future of primary care research, contributed to a data workshop with LKC, NHG and NHGP participants and provided mentoring to our medical students and research staff. As one of the most successful primary care researchers internationally, Prof Sheikh’s guidance will aid in the growing research primary care portfolio at LKC.
PCFM hosted Visiting Professor, Sir Aziz Sheikh
17 May 2024: LKCMed and NHGP hosted the management team of AstraZeneca Asia on 17 May. The team visited Kallang Polyclinic (hosted by Dr Valerie Teo) to understand the patient journey and how team-based care work in the polyclinic setting. The team were then reintroduced to the research work on National Precision Medicine and SG100K (Prof John Chambers), Hepatobiliary-Gut Dysfunction Research Programme (A/Prof Yusuf Ali), Primary Care Research Network (A/Prof Jo-Anne Manski Nankervis), Office of patient engagement (Ms Ai Ling Sim-Devadas) and current collaborations e.g., COPD prevalence and home spirometry study and multimorbidity education seminar.