Dr Arun Kumar KALIYA PERUMAL

 

 
Research Assistant Professor
Email: arunkumar.kp@ntu.edu.sg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-kumar-kaliya-perumal-0186a3225/
Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Disease Modelling and Genetics - Nanyang Technological University, Singapore [2024]
Master of Surgery (MS), Orthopaedic Surgery - Annamalai University, India [2012]
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) - Bharath University, India [2009]

Biography

Arun-Kumar Kaliya-Perumal is an orthopaedic surgeon with international fellowship training in complex spine surgery. After completing his orthopaedic residency in India, he developed a strong interest in spine surgery and undertook clinical fellowships at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan and Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. Dr Kaliya-Perumal also obtained a PhD in disease modelling and genetics from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he focused on the mechanisms underlying injury-induced heterotopic ossification and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the disorder.

Currently, he serves as a Research Assistant Professor at R3 Institute Singapore, where he focuses on translational research in musculoskeletal health, aiming to enhance health span in the elderly. With over 10 years of clinical experience, he has built a robust portfolio that includes over 100 publications, encompassing clinical and translational research articles as well as book chapters. He is strongly committed to advancing research and innovation and has a keen interest in teaching and mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals.

 

​​Academic & Professional Experience

Professional Experience

  • Clinical Fellow in Spine Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore [2018 – 2019]
  • Clinical Associate Professor and Consultant Spine Surgeon, Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Tamil Nadu, India [2017 – 2018]
  • Clinical Fellow in Spine Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan [2016 – 2017]
  • Clinical Assistant Professor and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Tamil Nadu, India [2012 – 2016]

 Attachments

  • Visiting Researcher (Orthopaedic Research) - Harvard Medical School & Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA [2023]
  • Visiting International Fellow (Spine) - Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan [2014]
  • Observer (Spine) - Singapore General Hospital, Singapore [2014]
  • Clinical Attachment (Spine) - Island Hospital, Penang, Malaysia [2013]
  • Clinical Attachment (Orthopaedic Surgery) - Penang Adventist Hospital, Penang, Malaysia [2013]

 Academic Roles

  • Topic Editor – Journal of Visualized Experiments [2024 - Present]
  • Editorial Board Member – AME Surgical Journal [2024 - 2026]
  • Editorial Board Member – STRIDES, The Research Newsletter of LKCMedicine [2021 – 2022] 

Leadership Roles

  • Executive Committee Member, LKCMedicine Early Researcher Network [2024 – 2025]
  • Vice-President (Academic), NTU Graduate Students’ Association, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore [2022 – 2023]
  • President, Graduate Students’ Club, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore [2021 – 2022]

 

​​​​​Research Interest
  • Musculoskeletal biology
  • In vitro and in vivo disease modelling and mechanisms
  • Sensor- and computer vision-based assessments of functional ability
  • Osteoporosis and sarcopenia interventions for the elderly
  • Minimally invasive and technology-assisted spine surgery

 

​​​Project

Future Health Technologies (FHT2) – A Singapore–Swiss initiative developing scalable, cost-effective, technology-driven healthcare solutions to improve functional ability. 

  • Development of patient-derived 3D bone models for osteoporosis research and personalised drug screening. 
  • Deep functional phenotyping of older adults with fragility fractures to better understand fall and fracture risk.
Knee laxity and biomechanics – Investigation of knee laxity and its relationship with joint function and clinical outcomes post total knee replacement.

 

Publication

Full list of publications can be accessed at https://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=neXBk28AAAAJ&hl=en  

  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Tan BY. From screening to action: Overcoming challenges in musculoskeletal care. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2026;55(1):38-41.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Cruz Gonzalez P, Sidarta A, Campolo D. Allure of human-like machines in healthcare. BMJ Innovations 2026; 12(4):285-288.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Roberts O, Tan BY. Systemic disconnects in musculoskeletal healthcare across the care continuum. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2025;54(9):585-587.13.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Sidarta A. Healthcare reimagined: Carebots from hospital to home. Public Health. 2025;248:105920.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Celik C, Carney TJ, Harris MP, Ingham PW. Genetic regulation of injury induced heterotopic ossification in adult zebrafish. Dis Model Mech. 2024;17(5):dmm050724. 
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Tan M, Nolan CP, Oh JYL. Post-surgical thoracic spinal cord herniation following an unrepaired dural defect: a rare complication. Br J Neurosurg. 2023;37(4):791-794.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Soh TLT, Tan M, Oh JY. Early Postoperative Loss of Disc Height Following Transforaminal and Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Radiographic Analysis. Asian Spine J. 2022 Aug;16(4):471-477.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Ingham PW. Musculoskeletal regeneration: A zebrafish perspective. Biochimie. 2022;196:171-81.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Soh TLT, Tan M, Oh JYL. Factors Influencing Early Disc Height Loss Following Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion. Asian Spine J. 2020;14(5):601-7.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Carney TJ, Ingham PW. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: current concepts from bench to bedside. Dis Model Mech. 2020;13(9).
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Soh T, Tan M, Nolan CP, Yu CS, Oh JYL. Spinal Navigation during Orthopedic Residency Training: A Double-Edged Sword? Clin Orthop Surg. 2019;11(2):170-5.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Yeh YC, Niu CC, Chen LH, Chen WJ, Lai PL. Is Convex Derotation Equally Effective as Concave Derotation for Achieving Adequate Correction of Selective Lenke's Type- 1 Scoliosis? Indian J Orthop. 2018;52(4):363-8.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Luo CA, Yeh YC, Tsai YF, Chen MJ, Tsai TT. Reliability of the Michigan State University (MSU) Classification of Lumbar Disc Herniation. Acta Ortop Bras. 2018;26(6):411-4.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Lin TY. Clinical outcomes of percutaneous vertebroplasty for selective single segment dorsolumbar vertebral compression fractures. J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2018;9(Suppl 1):S140-S4.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Yeh YC, Luo CA, Joey-Tan KY. Assessment of Anteroposterior Subpedicular Approach and Oblique Scotty Dog Subpedicular Approach for Selective Nerve Root Block. Clin Orthop Surg. 2017;9(1):71-6.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Lu ML, Luo CA, Tsai TT, Lai PL, Chen LH, et al. Retrospective radiological outcome analysis following teriparatide use in elderly patients undergoing multilevel instrumented lumbar fusion surgery. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(5):e5996.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Charng JR, Niu CC, Tsai TT, Lai PL, Chen LH, et al. Intraoperative electromyographic monitoring to optimize safe lumbar pedicle screw placement - a retrospective analysis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):229.

Book Chapter

  • Lai MC, Deo RZX, Kaliya-Perumal AK, Oh JYL. The management options of adjacent segment disease (ASD). In Book: Textbook of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Springer Nature Singapore 2026; p. 459-473.
  • Kaliya-Perumal AK, Oh JYL. Parathyroid Hormone Therapy in Management of Osteoporosis Before and After Spine Surgery. In Book: Osteoporosis of the Spine. 2021; p. 657-79.

Conference Presentation

  • Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress, Singapore (2026): “Cross-Species Morphological Concordance in a Trauma-Induced Model of Periarticular Heterotopic Ossification” - Best Poster Award 
  • Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress, Singapore (2025): “Neurotrauma Accelerates Fracture Healing in a Regenerative Animal Model” - Best Poster Award 
  • Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress, Singapore (2025): “Identifying Therapeutic Targets for Human Heterotopic Ossification from a Zebrafish Injury Model” - Singapore Young Investigator Award 
  • Annual Conference of the International Zebrafish Society, Kyoto, Japan (2024): “Injury-Induced Heterotopic Ossification: Insights from a Novel Zebrafish Model” - DMM Travel Grant 
  • Annual Meeting of the International Network on Ectopic Calcification (INTEC) Annual Meeting (2024) - Faro, Portugal. Topic: Case studies on debilitating ectopic soft tissue ossifications and calcifications 
  • Singapore Fish Meeting (2024) – Singapore. Topic: Genetic regulation of injury-induced heterotopic ossification in adult zebrafish
  • LKCMedicine Scientific Seminar Series (2020) – Singapore. Topic: Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP): Lessons from an extremely rare debilitating disease
  • 2nd Annual Meeting of the Singapore Spine Society, Singapore (2019): “Factors Influencing Early Cage Subsidence Following Lateral Access Lumbar Interbody Fusion” - Best Poster Award
  • 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Singapore Orthopaedic Association (2018) – Singapore. Topic: Spinal navigation to facilitate hassle-free rod placement – Technical description
  • 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Singapore Orthopaedic Association (2018) – Singapore. Topic: Isolated subjective lower limb weakness – A non-specific manifestation of myelopathy due to cord compression
  • Annual Conference of the Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons of India (2017) - Chennai, India. Topic: The ideal technique for lumbar selective nerve root block
  • Annual Conference of the Taiwan Orthopaedic Association (2016) - Taipei, Taiwan. Topic: Clinical experience with teriparatide for elderly patients following multi-level instrumented lumbar fusion surgery