Prof Ho Lai Yun

Professor Ho Lai Yun is the Founding Head of the Department of Neonatology (1986-2004) and is currently Emeritus Consultant, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Clinician Mentor to Department of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine. He pioneered and established many multidisciplinary perinatal programmes in Singapore. He also initiated congenital hypothyroidism screening and neonatal hearing screening in 1990s, which have become national programmes since then.

Prof Ho is also the Founding Head of the then Child Development Unit (CDU), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) (1997-2008) and is presently Senior Consultant and Advisor of the Department of Child Development, KKH. Prof Ho started the CDU as the Development Assessment Clinic at SGH in 1991. He has been the Director, Child Development Programme, Ministry of Health, since 2002.

Prof Ho is an eminent Professor of the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, and is currently the Academic Deputy-Chair, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Program (Paediatric Medicine). He is also Clinical Professor of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (YLL-SoM NUS), and was the Associate Dean, SGH and Outram Campus, YLL-SoM, from 2004 to 2012.

Prof Ho is recognised locally, regionally and internationally as a strong advocate of child welfare and protection, early childhood education and intervention. He has been actively involved in various community projects that addressed social and educational issues, such as child abuse and neglect, bullying in schools, parenting attitudes, pre-school education, and children with special needs. He plays a leading role in building an inclusive, family-focused and community-based early childhood intervention ecosystem in Singapore. He received awards for his works in improving child life and health in the region.;

Prof Ho Lai Yun graduated from The University of Singapore in 1973 and obtained his MMed (Paediatrics) in 1977, admitted as Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore in 1981. He received his training in Neonatology at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada, under a Commonwealth Scholarship in 1981.

He is Fellows of several international medical academies and colleges: The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK), American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, Royal Colleges of Physicians (London, Edinburgh, Ireland, Thailand), Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and Academy of Medicine, Malaysia.

• SingHealth and Singapore General Hospital
  Associate Dean SGH and Outram Campus (2004-2012)
  Chairman, SingHealth Pharmacy and Therapeutics Council
  Member, SGH and Sengkang Hospital Bioethics Committee
  Member, Hospital Organ Transplant Ethics Committee
  Vice-Chairman, SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board Subcommittee A
• Ministry of Health
  Director, Child Development Programme
  Member, Specialists Accreditation Board and Specialists Accreditation Committee
  Joint Committee on Specialist Training (JCST): Co-Chairman (2006-2008). Member since 2005
  Residency Advisory Committee (Paediatrics): Member since 2009, Chairman since 2013
  Senior Consultant, Manpower Standards and Development Division
  Member, Drug Advisory Committee 2006-2017
  Chairman, Sale of Infant Foods Ethics Committee (SIFECS) 1993-2018
  Inter-Ministerial Workgroup on Management of Child Abuse and Neglect, since 1997
  Executive Board Member, Academy of Chinese Medicine, Singapore, since 2015
  National Examiner for Paediatrics, MOH and American Board of Medical Specialists, since 2012
• Singapore Medical Council
  Chairman, Aesthetic Practices Oversight Committee, since 2008
  Panel of Disciplinary Tribunal Chairman, since 2012
  Continuing Medical Education Coordination Committee since 2003
• Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
  Clinical Professor
  Associate Dean (2004-2012)
  M.Med (Paediatrics) Committee, Division of Graduate Medical Studies, since 2005
• Ngee Ann Polytechnic
  Advisory Board, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, since 2011
• Ministry of Social and Family Development
  Inter-Ministerial Workgroup on Child Abuse and Neglect, since 1997
  Chairman, Advisory Panel, Early Intervention Programmes for Infants and Children, since 2012
  Member, Standing Committee on Disability, since 2007
  Member, Enabling Master Plans (2007-2011), (2012-2016), (2017-2021
  Deputy Registrar of Marriages and Licensed Solemniser, since 2009
• National Council of Social Service
  Board Member, 2004-2010
  Service Advisors, Special Education and Early Intervention (2002-06), Disability since 2006
  Co-Chairman, Voluntary Welfare Organisations and Charities Capability Fund (VCF) since 2008
  Social Service Institute, Advisory Committee 2012-15
• Ministry of Home Affairs
  Board of Visiting Justices/Board of Inspection, Singapore Prison Service, since 2010
  Deputy Chairman, Board of Visitors, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force Detention Barrack, since 2016
  Medical Advisory Panel, Singapore Prison Service, since 2016
• Singapore Children’s Society
  Executive Board Member and Life-Member, since 1988
  Vice Chairman, since 2002
• SPD (Former Society for the Physically Disabled)
  Life Member since 2012
  Board Member since 2012, Service Committee Chairman, since 2013
• Academy of Medicine, Singapore
  Master, Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2006-2008
  Advisory Board, Academy of Medicine Deanery, since 2016
• Academy of Chinese Medicine, Singapore
  Executive Board (Appointed by Minister for Health), since 2016
• Other Professional Organisations in Singapore
  Singapore Paediatric Society, President 1987-1991
  Perinatal Society of Singapore, President 1991/92, 1995/96, 2001.01
  Singapore Medical association, Life Member since 2007
  Singapore Medical Alumni Association, Life Member since 2009
• Other Social Service Organisations in Singapore
  Children’s Charities Association, President 2001-2002, 2013-2014
  Singapore Totalisator Board, Member, Social Sub-Committee 2018-
  Club Rainbow, Singapore, Advisory Board since 2001
  Autism Association of Singapore, Life Member since 2010
  Association of Early Childhood Educators, Singapore (AECES), Advisor since 2011

• Singapore Medical Association Credit Award for significant contributions to the medical profession and the advancement of medical education in Singapore. 2017
• National Outstanding Volunteer Award, Ministry of Social and Family Development 2016
• National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award, Ministry of Health 2010
• The Public Service Star (Bintang Bakti Masyarakat, BBM), National Day Award 2010
• Justice of the Peace, Republic of Singapore 2008
• Distinguished Career Award, International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) 2008.
• The Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat PBM) National Day Award 2006
• SingHealth Group CEO Employee Excellence Awards 2006
• Outstanding Paediatrician in Asia Award, Asia-Pacific Pediatric Association 2003
• Ruth Wong Award, Singapore Children’s Society 2002

• Building an Inclusive Early Childhood Intervention Ecosystem in Singapore 1988-2017. 16th Haridas Memorial Lecture, Singapore Paediatric Society 2018. ISBN 978-981-11-7843-6, OCN 104475263.
  
• Follow-up Care and Outcome Evaluation of High-Risk Preterm Infants – a Life-Course Commitment. Ann Acad Med Singapore, 2018;47(2):1-5,
• Signposts in Singapore. In “Signposts for Building Better Behaviour” 2017
• From “Mission Im’Possible” to Development Support Programme. In “The Road Map Towards a more Conducive Preschool Setting for Children with Developmental Needs”. 2016 ISBN 978-981-11-1121-1
• Towards a New Vison and Meritocracy in Singapore. In “Schools and the Social Divide: an Examination of Children’s Self-Concept and Aspirations in Singapore”. Singapore Children’s Society Research Monograph No.11 2016 ISBN 078-981—11-0283-7
• Doing our Part in Protecting our Children in Singapore. In “Changing Public Perceptions of Child Abuse and Neglect in Singapore”. Singapore Children’s Society Research Monograph No.10 2015. ISBN 978-981-09-7036-0
• Mediated Learning Experience: From Theory to Practice in Singapore. In “On a Thinking Journey: A Practical Framework for Mediating Learning”. 2015 ISBN 978-981-09-6888-5
• Breastfeeding: Preserving a Human Instinct (Editorial) Ann Acad Med Singapore 2012; 41(8):323-4
• Raising Children in Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2009;38(2):158-62.
• Child Development Programme in Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2007;36:898
• Neonatology: Then and Now. Paediatrics, Child and Adolescent Health. 2006;46(2)86-8
• The Science of Early Childhood Development and its Implications on Early Interventions. Social Service Journal. 2006;16:2-5
• Protection of Children in Singapore: An Overview. KK Hospital Review 2005;34:301-6
• Perinatal care at the Threshold of Viability: from Principles to Practice. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2003;32:362-75
• Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis. Journal of Applied Clinical Pediatrics 2002;17:10-13
• Counseling of Birth Defects in the Perinatal Period. Journal of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2002;28:20-9
• Changing Trends in Follow-up of High Risk Neonates. Journal of Clinical Pediatrics 2002;20:16-8
• Tissue-limited Mosaicism in Pallister-Killian Sundrome. J Perinatol 2002;22:420-3.
• Two-Year Outcome of Normal-Birth-Weight Infants admitted to a Singapore Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2002;31:199-205.
• The Development of Neonatal Care in Singapore. Singapore Paediatric Journal 2002;44:122-4
• Does Professional and Public Opinion in Child Abuse Differ? An Issue of Cross-Cultural Policy Implementation. Child Abuse Review 2002;11:359-79
• Bronchopulmonary Dusplasia and Chronic Lung Disease of Infancy: Strategies for Prevention and Management. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2002;31:119-31
• Effects of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin on Transfusion Needs in Preterm Infants. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2001;37:352-8 • Feeding of Preterm Infants: Breastfeeding. Medical Progress 2001;28:7-10
• Feeding of Preterm Infants: The Use of Human Milk. Medical Progress 2001;28:13-21
• The Composition of Infant Formulas and its Controversies. Singapore Paediatric Journal 1999;41:181-91
• Singapore’s Experience and Strategies in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect WHO Monograph 1999:26-8
• The Field Testing of Denver Developmental Screening (DDST) Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore 1996;25:200-9