Profile
Dr Varsha’s main interest in newborn medicine includes the Intensive care of extremely preterm infants, low birth weight infants, infants with chronic medical conditions and follow-up care of high risk infants. She has wide experience in follow up of Well Baby for growth, development, immunization and common ailments in children.
Dr. Varsha’s sub-specialty interests include Developmental problems in pre-school children with speech and language delay, Autism, Global developmental delay, ADHD, behavioral problems, Cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Dr Varsha is specialized follow up all normal newborns as well as high risk premature infants at birth till 18 years age. She is one of the senior visiting Developmental Pediatrician at the Department of Child Development, K K Hospital since 2003.
Dr. Varsha Atul Shah is a strong proponent of breastfeeding, and she is member of committee to improve breastfeeding rate and become accredited as Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). She had done HMDP for BFHI and neonatal problems at Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, in March 2013. Dr. Varsha has done lots of work on Clinical Process Improvement and quality improvement projects, has won many National and international awards. She is instructor for advanced resuscitation course, Neonatal resuscitation course, EPIC (CPIP) course and communication skill for residents’ course.
Dr. Varsha is a strong proponent of education. She is Adj Assistant Professor, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, LKC School of Medicine, NTU.. She is appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School. She has won teaching excellence award, NUS, for her contribution to educating young doctors
Education
Dr Varsha Atul Shah, obtained MRCP (Paediatrics, London UK) in 1998, admitted as Fellow of the Academy of Medicine (FAMS), Singapore in 2006. She graduated MBBS, from the University of Bombay, Seth G.S. Medical College, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, in 1988, obtained Diploma in Child Health (DCH) in 1989, obtained her M.D, (Pediatrics) in 1990
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Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships
- Visiting Consultant, Child Development Unit K K Hospital since 2003
- Assistant Professor , National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine since 1998
- Assistant Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
- Member of Singapore Paediatric Society 1998
- Member for Fellowship and associate member of Academy of Medicine (FAMS)
- Member of Royal College Of Paediatrics and Child Health 1998
- Executive committee member for Singapore Paediatric Society 2007
- Instructor, Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS) Course since 1998
- Facilitator, coordinator, instructor CPIP faculty
- Instructor, Singapore Neonatal Resuscitation Course, Since 2010
- Executive Committee member, Treasurer of Chapter of College of Paediatrics and child health(CPCHS), since 2014
- Standing committee member of Academy of Medicine since 2014
- Committee member, SIFECS
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Awards
- Jan 2001: Was invited and volunteered, in the capacity of Paediatrician on a medical relief mission organized and sent by the Singapore International Foundation to Bhuj/Gujarat for two weeks, after the massive earthquake in India, on 26 January 2001. Received medal from Singapore International Foundation
- Jan 2001: Was invited by Government of Singapore to participate as one of the 36 pledge-takers at Singapore’s 36th National Day Parade on 9 Aug 2001. Was also selected as one of the five pledge-takers to present a “People’s Signature Book” to the President of Singapore, Mr S.R.Nathan, at the parade and received medal from Government of Singapore,
- 2004, 2012, 2013: Service from Heart award from SGH, Singheath Quality Service Award:
- Aug 2004: EXSA Excellent Service Award, Silver, from SHATEC,
- Jan 2007: Best CPIP Project Award, Singhealth' 2006 for CPIP project on ‘Reducing incidence of hypothermia in newborn babies by 60% in 6 months’ time’,
- 2009: Best poster award at Annual Scientific meeting, SGH
- June 2010: Star award winner at in-house Team Excellence Symposium, IQC (TE-IQC) Assessment at SGH and MOH Clinical quality Poster Competition, Merit award for QI project on ‘ To increase the number of well newborns who have the first latch and bonding within an hour of birth in labour and post- natal ward by 50% within 6 months”
- Oct 2010: MOH Clinical quality Poster Competition, Merit award for QI project on ‘ To increase the number of well newborns who have the first latch and bonding within an hour of birth in labour and post- natal ward by 50% within 6 months”
- August 2010: Long service award by SGH
- Oct 2010: Dean’s award for teaching excellence by NUS
- Sept 2011: Distinguished award at International Convention on QC Circles 2011-Yokohoma for QI project on ‘ To increase the number of well newborns who have the first latch and bonding within an hour of birth in labour and post- natal ward by 50% within 6 months”
- April 2012: Singhealth Quality Service Award, Silver.
- Feb 2013: Service from the heart award, SGH
- Nov 2014: Dean’s award for Teaching Excellence, Yong Loo Lin University, NUS
- April 2015: Service from heart award
- 2016: Best Epic project award, Gold 2016
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Publications
- Mar 2002: Shah V A, Chan D K l, Ho l Y. Aplasia cutis congenita in a premature infant, a case report
Published in Singapore Paediatric Journal Vol.44; No.1, Mar 02. - May 2003: Shah V A, Chong C Y, Chan K P, W Ng, A E Ling. Clinical characteristics of an outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Singapore, original paper published in Annals Academy of medicine. Vol 32; No.3, May 2003.
- June 2003: Chong C Y, Chan K P, Shah V A, Hand Foot and Mouth disease in Singapore: a comparison of fatal and non-fatal cases, published in Acta Paediat 92;1-8. 2003.
- March 2005: Shah VA, Yeo C L, Y Ling, Ho L Y. ‘Incidence, risk factors of retinopathy on prematurity among VLBW infants in Singapore: published in Ann Acad Med Singapore 2005; 34:169-78
- March 2006: WB Lian, S Ho, CL Yeo, DKL Chan, SHT Choo, Shah VA, Pilot Study on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KNAP) Survey of Preschool Teachers on Childhood Developmental and Behavioral Disorders, LY Ho, Paediatrics and Child Health March 2006 Vol 1 No 1; 33-41.
- August 2006: Shah VA, Wang F S, Lam J S. ‘Neonatal pain response to heel-prick versus venepuncture for blood sampling’, published in Paediatrics, Child and Adolescent Health 2006, Vol 46, No. 2.
- May 2007: Shah VA, Yeo CL. ‘Massive acute haemolysis and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase –deficient preterm triplets’ published in Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 43 (2207) 424-426
- Dec 2007: Shah VA, Yeo CL. ‘To compare predictive value of Day 3 & 4 pre-phototherapy total serum bilirubin in prediction significant hyperbilirubinaemia in G6PD deficient newborn’ published in Ann Acad Med Singapore, 2007; 36:1003-9
- Oct 2007: WB Lian, S Ho, CL Yeo, DKL Chan, SHT Choo, Shah VA, LY Ho, Preschool Teachers’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Childhood Developmental and Behavioral Disorders in Singapore, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Published article online: 10-Oct-2007;44(4): 187-194
- Jan 2011: Loke YY, Shah VA, Maintaining optimal oxygen saturation in premature infants, The Permanente Journal /winter 2011/Volume 15 No.1
- July 2012: Lian W B, Selina Ho, Sylvia Choo, Shah V A, C L Yeo, DKL Chan, L Y Ho,
- Children with developmental and behavioral concerns in Singapore, Singapore Med J. 2012 Jul; 53(7):439-45.
- July 2012: Writer of book “Empowering parents of premature babies” by SGH, Dept. of Neonatal and Devt medicine and SingHealth academy.
- Sept 2014: Hepatic Calcification as Complication of Umbilical Venous Catheterization in Singapore General Hospital". Published in Neonatology Today
- March 2015: Incidence, risk factors and short term neonatal outcome of Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in very low birth weight infants (VLBW) over 12 years, Neonatology Today
- June 2015: Case Report: Digital ischemia following inadvertent arterial cannulation during PICC line insertion in very low birth weight, Singapore Med J 2015; 56(8): 482-483 doi: 10.11622/smedj.2015125
- Oct 2015: Antenatal and Perinatal Risk Factors for High Grade Intraventricular Hemorrhage: A 10-Year Retrospective Review of Very Low Birth weight Infants in Singapore General Hospital published in Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.
- July 2017: Singapore Neonatal Resuscitation guidelines, 2016, Singapore Med J 2017; 58(7):391-403 doi: 10.11622/smedj.2017066
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