On the evening of 19 May, the Grand Ballroom of Sheraton Towers was abuzz with excitement as friends and colleagues gathered for this year's SMA Annual Dinner. Guests caught up with one another in the plush foyer, partaking in drinks and having fun at the instant photography booth.
Gracing the event was our Guest of Honour, Prof Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health. Other distinguished guests included Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC; Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz, President of the Malaysian Medical Association; and Prof Prakitpunthu Tomtitchong, President of the Medical Association of Thailand.
The dinner commenced with SMA President Dr Ng Chee Kwan delivering his opening address, in which he highlighted some of SMA's recent advocacy efforts (see page 12). Dr Ng ended his speech with a heartfelt affirmation of the Association's tenacity in tackling issues important to the profession.
Conferment of SMA Honorary Membership
This year, the Association was proud to confer the SMA Honorary Membership upon two worthy individuals, Emeritus Prof Kua Ee Heok and Prof Rajmohan Nambiar. The SMA Honorary Membership was instituted in 1969 and is the highest honour that SMA can bestow on persons who are distinguished in public life or who have rendered meritorious service to the medical profession or SMA.
A/Prof Lee Cheng and Prof London Lucien Ooi took to the stage to deliver the citations for Prof Kua and Prof Nambiar, respectively (see page 16 and 18).
Prof Kua Ee Heok, during his appointment as the CEO and medical director of Woodbridge Hospital, spearheaded its rebranding to the Institute of Mental Health to tackle the issue of staff morale and public stigma. He also expanded psychiatric education in Singapore and pioneered Asia's first dementia prevention programme, among his many other accomplishments and contributions to the field of psychiatry.
Prof Rajmohan Nambiar, as head of the surgery departments of Toa Payoh Hospital (then known as Thomson Road General Hospital) and later Singapore General Hospital, led the departments to achieve clinical, educational and research excellence. Prof Nambiar has also been a long-serving member and past president of both the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) and the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.
Prof Kenneth Mak presented the SMA Honorary Membership awards to Prof Kua and Prof Nambiar. Following the presentation, Prof Mak addressed fellow colleagues and friends present and encouraged SMA and the medical profession to continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and care for patients.
Celebrating excellence
During the lulls in the evening's programme, guests were in high spirits as they mingled and caught up with old friends and colleagues. Many also took the opportunity to capture the joys of the evening using the instant photography booth. The booth, sponsored by Artworks Advisory, drew a constant flow of guests who were able to download their photographs instantly for sharing, aside from the physical prints.
As the dinner continued, Dr Chong Yeh Woei, Chairperson of the SMA Charity Fund (SMACF), spoke on the charity's efforts to support needy medical students. Dr Chong's passionate speech inspired some guests to support the charity's good works, and their generosity included a significant donation for which SMACF is very grateful. To find out more about SMACF's efforts in nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals, please visit https://www.smacf.org.sg.
Dr Ng Chee Kwan then introduced the 65th SMA Council before presenting a token of appreciation, on behalf of the Association, to Dr Wong Tien Hua, a long-serving SMA Council member who stepped down this year. Dr Wong had served on the SMA Council since 2004 and was SMA President from 2015 to 2018.
Over the course of the evening, other awards were presented as well to recognise and thank individuals for their hard work and dedication towards the Association, the medical profession and research, and/or the wider community.
SMA Merit Award
The SMA Merit Awards were presented to four recipients who had made significant contributions to SMA and the medical profession, or in social service to the community.
Dr Lam Pin Min is the CEO and director of the Paediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Service at the Eagle Eye Centre, and a visiting senior consultant at the Singapore National Eye Centre. Dr Lam also served as Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport from 2017 to 2020. SMA presented the Merit Award to Dr Lam in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of ophthalmology and his service in the Ministry of Health.
Dr Abdul Razakjr Bin Omar is the founder, CEO, medical director and senior consultant cardiologist of Specialist Care Group. Dr Razakjr served on the SMA Council from 2006 to 2014. He was chairman of the SMA Private Practice Committee and Complaints Committee in 2013 and was also a Specialty Editor for the Singapore Medical Journal (SMJ) from 2014 to 2018. SMA presented the Merit Award to Dr Razakjr in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of cardiology and the SMA.
Adj Prof Poh Kian Keong is the director of research and senior consultant cardiologist at the Department of Cardiology, National University Heart Centre, Singapore Cardiac Society and sits on the board of directors of the American Society of Echocardiography. Prof Poh has also been the SMJ Chief Editor since 2014. SMA presented the Merit Award to Prof Poh in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of cardiology and the SMJ Editorial Board.
Adj A/Prof Tan Tze Lee is a managing partner at The Edinburgh Clinic and the immediate past president of the College of Family Physicians, Singapore. A/Prof Tan was an SMA Council member from 2013 to 2023, and he served as the Deputy Editor of SMA News from 2015 to 2020. He continues to be a member of the SMA News Editorial Board. SMA presented the Merit Award to A/Prof Tan in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of family medicine and the SMA.
SMA Long Service Awards
The SMA Long Service Award serves to appreciate individuals who have contributed their time and services to the SMA Council and committees. A big thank you to all awardees for your hard work and support of the Association!
20 years of service
Dr Tammy Chan Teng Mui: SMA Council (since 2004); Private Practice Committee (since 2004); Fitness to Drive Committee (since 2018); Membership Committee (since 2020); Medik Awas Committee (since 2015); Complaints Committee (2008-2012)
Prof Paul Anantharajah Tambyah: SMJ Editorial Board (2000-2010); Doctors-in-Training (DIT) Committee (since 2009)
A/Prof Cuthbert Teo: SMA Centre for Medical Ethics and Professionalism (CMEP) (since 2004); SMA News Editorial Board (since 2006); SMJ Editorial Board (since 2008)
Dr Wong Tien Hua: SMA Council (2004-2024); SMA President (2015–2018)
Prof Fabian Yap: Complaints Committee (since 2004)
10 years of service
A/Prof Anantham Devanand: SMA Council (since 2013); SMA CMEP (since 2008); SMA Ethics Committee (2007–2020)
Clinical Asst Prof Benny Loo Kai Guo: SMA Council (since 2014); Membership Committee (since 2016); DIT Committee (since 2014)
Dr William Kristanto: Soccer, SMA Sports and Games Committee (since 2012)
Dr Leow Khang Leng: Table Tennis, SMA Sports and Games Committee (since 2012)
Prof Quak Seng Hock: SMJ Editorial Board (since 2014)
A/Prof Darren Tay Keng Jin: SMJ Editorial Board (since 2014)
Dr Valerie Teo Hui Ying: Bowling, SMA Sports and Games Committee (since 2014)
Dr Colin Teo Kok Ann: Basketball, SMA Sports and Games Committee (since 2014)
Staff
Lee Sze Yong: Manager, Council Support, 15 years of service
Sarah Lim: Senior Manager, SMJ, 15 years of service
Priscilla Leong: Assistant Manager, Finance, 5 years of service
Ronnie Cheok: Deputy Manager, SMACF, 5 years of service
Sara Kwok: Executive, SMACF, 5 years of service
SMJ Best Research Paper Award
The SMJ Best Research Paper Award was launched in 2004 to encourage the publication of high quality local and international research papers within the SMJ, and to promote and recognise local and regional researchers for their achievements. The top three research papers of 2023 were selected from 36 original articles published in the SMJ from January to December 2023. SMJ Editor-in-Chief Prof Poh Kian Keong presented the commemorative trophies and certificates to representatives from the following papers.
Published in the February 2023 issue, the award for the paper "Impact of statin use on major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with normal stress myocardial perfusion imaging and elevated coronary artery calcium score" was received by the team's representative, Dr Yew Min Sen.
The next paper that received the award, "Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin: a biochemical marker for acute kidney injury and long-term outcomes in patients presenting to the emergency department", was published in the August 2023 issue. Dr Wee Choon Peng Jeremy received the award on behalf of his team.
Finally, the paper "The haemo-dynamic effects of umbilical cord milking in term infants: a randomised controlled trial" published in the July 2023 issue had its award received by Dr Hasan Energin on behalf of his team.
We congratulate the authors and recipients of the above awards and encourage more quality submissions to SMJ!
Ending the night
The 65th SMA Council would like to thank Prof Kenneth Mak and all guests for taking the time to join us at the 2024 SMA Annual Dinner. Last but not least, we would like to thank our generous sponsors: Art Works Advisory, Mitsubishi Electric, and Summit Planners. We hope that everyone had a wonderful evening with their friends and colleagues, and we look forward to having you with us again at the next Annual Dinner!
What our GOH has to say
"It is imperative for us to continually re-examine how we uphold the long-standing principles of medical ethics while navigating the dynamic landscape of contemporary medical practice. Although technological advancements o even new corporate structures may impact the patient-doctor relationship, the cornerstone of medical practice lies with its professionalism and this should not and must not change.... We should always counsel and act in our patients best interests, ensuring that they have sufficient information to make informed decisions."
Director-General of Health, Prof Kenneth Mak at the SMA Annual Dinner 2024
Lucky draw winners
Dr Tessmin Ooi
87cm x 107cm framed-up official poster of contemporary artist Keith Haring's "Montreux Jazz Festival 1983" worth $2,000 (sponsored by Art Works Advisory)
Mr Jeffrey Law
F&B voucher for Sheraton Towers (arranged by SMA)
The 65th SMA Council with Guest of Honour Prof Kenneth Mak and distinguished guests
20-year Long Service Award recipients with Dr Daniel Lee (from left: Prof Paul Anantharajah Tambyah, Dr Tammy Chan Teng Mui, Dr Wong Tien Hua and Dr Daniel Lee)
10-year Long Service Award recipients with Dr Daniel Lee (from left: Dr William Kristanto, Clinical Asst Prof Benny Loo Kai Guo, Dr Daniel Lee, A/Prof Anantham Devanand and A/Prof Darren Tay Keng Jin)
For more photos from the SMA Annual Dinner, visit https://bit.ly/SMA-AD2024.