Dr Joel Lau Wen Liang

Dr Lau Wen Liang, Joel is a Consultant in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the National Cancer Centre, Singapore. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, Singapore) from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS). He subsequently commenced his General Surgery Residency within the National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore. He obtained his postgraduate qualifications from the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh (MRCS, Edinburgh) and the Master of Medicine (Surgery) from NUS. Following the completion of his specialist training, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS, Edinburgh). He is accredited as a Specialist in General Surgery by the Singapore Specialist Accreditation Board.

With a subspecialty interest in Endocrine and Head and Neck Surgery, Dr Lau trained in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at SGH prior to starting his practice as an Associate Consultant in the Division of Endocrine Surgery at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. To further enhance his expertise, he completed an overseas fellowship in Endocrine Surgery at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Churchill Hospital and John Radcliffe Hospital) from 2024 to 2025.

Dr Lau’s clinical interests lie in the surgical management of thyroid nodules, thyroid cancers, Graves’ disease, parathyroid disorders (hyperparathyroidism) and adrenal nodules including functional adrenal tumours. In addition to his subspecialty work, he is also trained in Acute Care Surgery and General Surgery competencies. He is proficient in laparoscopic inguinal hernia (TEP) surgery and is accredited to perform endoscopic procedures for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

• ​Special Recognition Award for being a Role Model to the Medicine Graduating Class of 2024
• NUH Education Award for Great Teacher (Didactic) & Great Teacher (Interactive) in Academic Year 2022/2023 
• Junior Doctor Teaching Award for outstanding teaching and mentoring of students in Academic Year 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021 & 2021/2022 
• Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence for outstanding teaching and mentoring of students in Academic Year 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024
• Dean’s Honour Roll for Teaching Excellence for outstanding teaching and mentoring of students for three consecutive Academic Years: 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024
• NUHS Teaching Excellence Award for inspiring and igniting the passion for learning in others in Academic Year 2023/2024 
• NUHS Young Clinician Mentor Award for inspiring and igniting the passion for learning in others in Academic Year 2021/2022
• National University of Singapore (NUS) Medicine Fortitude Award for contribution beyond the call of duty towards the education of our medical students during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

1. Lau WLJ, Wu CW, Tang MH, et al. Feasibility of Cricothyroid Muscle Needle Electrode for Monitored Thyroidectomy. Laryngoscope. 2025;135(5):1843-1849. doi:10.1002/lary.32051
2. Lau JWL, Baliga J, Khan F, et al. Perioperative emergency laparotomy pathway for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy: A propensity score matched study. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2024;53(12):713-723. doi:10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2024311
3. Parente A, Verhoeff K, Wang Y, et al. Robotic and Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy for Pheochromocytoma: An International Multicenter Study. Eur Urol Focus. 2024;(Sep 14:S2405-4569(24)00168-8). doi:10.1016/j.euf.2024.09.001
4. Lee WY, Pang XL, Oh HB, Lau JWL, Cheah WK, Tang MH. Can We Do Away With Intra-Operative Parathyroid Hormone for Primary Hyperparathyroidism Patients With Concordant Pre-operative Imaging? J Endocr Surg. 2024;24(2):39. doi:10.16956/jes.2024.24.2.39
5. Soong TK, Ng LJH, Lau JWL, Chong CS, Lee JWK. Teleducation: medical education in the pandemic and beyond. Front Med. 2023;10(November). doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1251732
6. Lau J, Lee J, Mahipal M, et al. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis on outcomes in papillary thyroid cancer revisited: experience from South East Asia. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2022;104(6):465-471. doi:10.1308/rcsann.2021.0224
7. Chandran M, Bilezikian JP, Salleh NM, et al. Hungry bone syndrome following parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism in a developed country in the Asia Pacific. A cohort study. Osteoporos Sarcopenia. 2022;8(1):11-16. doi:10.1016/j.afos.2022.03.004
8. Chandran M, Bilezikian JP, Lau J, et al. The efficacy and safety of cinacalcet in primary hyperparathyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2022;23(3):485-501. doi:10.1007/s11154-021-09694-6
9. Lau JWL, Khoo MJW, Leong XH, et al. Opportunistic upper endoscopy during colonoscopy as a screening strategy for countries with intermediate gastric cancer risk. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;36(4):1081-1087. doi:10.1111/jgh.15290
10. Tan LRL, Joel LWL, Lee JWK, Petersson BF, Parameswaran R. Challenges in the Management of Parathyroid Cyst: A Mini-review. World J Endocr Surg. 2021;13(1):20-23. doi:10.5005/JP-JOURNALS-10002-1312
11. Lau WLJ, Cheah WK, Oh HB. Telemedicine in endocrine surgery in Singapore. ANZ J Surg. 2021;91(11):2550. doi:10.1111/ans.17235
12. Jain S, Lau JWL, Kong CH, Chue KM. Lessons learnt from COVID-19 pandemic: a surgical resident’s perspective. ANZ J Surg. 2020;90(11):2167-2169. doi:10.1111/ans.16341
13. Low TY, Mathews I, Lau JWL, Ngiam KY. Close air support: Enhancing emergency care in the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerg Med J. 2020;37(10):642-643. doi:10.1136/emermed-2020-210148
14. Qiu TY, Lau JWL, Wong O, et al. Preoperative scar perception study comparing “scarless” in the neck endoscopic thyroidectomy with open thyroidectomy: A cross-sectional study. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2020;102(9):737-743. doi:10.1308/RCSANN.2020.0174
15. Lau JWL, Chang HSY, Lee KY, Gwee YX, Lee WQ, Chong CS. Modern-day palliative chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: does colonic resection affect survival? ANZ J Surg. 2018;88(11):E772-E777. doi:10.1111/ans.14726
16. Lau JWL, Chang HSY, Lee KY, Gwee YX, Lee WQ, Chong CS. Survival outcomes following primary tumor resection for patients with incurable metastatic colorectal carcinoma: Experience from a single institution. J Dig Dis. 2018;19(9):550-560. doi:10.1111/1751-2980.12657
17. Lau JW, Yang T, Toe KK, Huang W, Chang SK. Can Robots Accelerate the Learning Curve for Surgical Training? An Analysis of Residents and Medical Students. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2018;47(1):29-35. doi:10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.v47n1p29
18. Ee WWG, Lau WLJ, Yeo W, Von Bing Y, Yue WM. Does minimally invasive surgery have a lower risk of surgical site infections compared with open spinal surgery? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2014;472(6):1718-1724. doi:10.1007/s11999-013-3158-5