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Dr Mathew Ronnie

MBBS, MD (Clinical Research, UK), FRCSEd (Gen Surg)

Senior Consultant

Singapore General Hospital

Specialty: Surgery ＆ Surgical Oncology, Colorectal Surgery

Sub-specialties: Colorectal Surgery, Disease of the Anus, Endoscopy, Minimally Invasive Surgery – Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery

Conditions Treated by this Doctor:
Colorectal Cancer, Diseases of the Anus, Endoscopy, Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) in Laparoscopic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Procedures in Colorectal Surgery.

Clinical Appointments

Senior Consultant Colorectal Surgery Singapore General Hospital
Senior Consultant Division of Surgery ＆ Surgical Oncology National Cancer Centre Singapore

Profile

Dr Ronnie Mathew completed his surgical training from United Kingdom (UK), including both Higher Surgical training in General Surgical as well as Specialist Colorectal Surgical training from Yorkshire Deanery, UK. This also included two years of tertiary level training in Colorectal Surgery from Leeds and Sheffield University Teaching Hospitals. He obtained MRCS degrees from two UK Royal Colleges, as well as FRCS Speciality Exit exam in General Surgery with Colorectal Surgery as the declared sub-speciality. He has undertaken dedicated period of clinical research in UK, leading to MD degree. He has maintained Full Registration with General Medical Council (GMC), UK since 2001, and has been on the GMC’s Specialist Surgical Register since 2011.

After completion of above higher surgical specialist training from UK, he undertook various international overseas fellowships in colorectal surgery, including: one year (at dept. of colorectal surgery at SGH), six months (in robotic colorectal & minimally invasive surgery from Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Korea) as well as a brief period as a visiting doctor in Switzerland.

Following these fellowships, he was appointed as a Consultant in General Surgery with special interest in Colorectal Surgery at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK in 2013. This hospital is one of the largest and busiest hospitals in UK, with 1800 beds. The tertiary colorectal unit here consistently comes in top 2 units in the whole of UK for highest volume of colorectal cancer workload, as well as the General Surgery unit being one of the busiest Emergency GI units nationally.

He was among the first of six colorectal surgeons in Europe formally accredited for undertaking robotic colorectal surgery - awarded by the European Association of Robotic Colorectal Surgery. He won the prestigious ‘British Travelling Fellowship to USA’ award in 2015, awarded by Association of Coloproctology Great Britain Ireland, Royal Society of Medicine UK in conjunction with American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery. As part of this award, he undertook brief travelling fellowships in two leading hospitals in USA (Cleveland Clinic, Florida and University of California, Irvine).

Dr Ronnie Mathew is currently a Senior Consultant at department of Colorectal Surgery, SGH. He undertakes comprehensive management of Colon, Rectal and Anal Cancers- both early and advanced cancers, as well various benign Colorectal diseases, Colonoscopic procedures and Proctological conditions. His subspecialist interests are Minimally invasive colorectal surgery (both Robotic and Laparoscopic surgery), Trans-Anal Endoscopic Micro Surgery (TEMS/TEO) and also Proctology. He is member of Robotic Surgery Board at SGH, and holds various other management positions. He is actively involved in teaching and training. He maintains active interest in clinical research as well as Surgical & Medical Health Technology innovation. One of his projects on ‘Artificial intelligence in colorectal cancer risk prediction’ was recently awarded as one of the top 10 most impactful projects at the Singapore National HealthTech Challenge 2018.

He has won numerous clinical research and medical technology awards.

Education

FRCSEd (Gen Surg)
MD (Clinical Research, UK)
MRCS(Glasgow)
MRCS(Edinburgh)
MBBS

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

Professional Organisation Memberships:

Society of Colorectal Surgeons, Singapore
Association of Coloproctology Great Britain & Ireland, UK
European Society of Coloproctology
European Society of Surgical Oncology

Committee Board Member, Singapore General Hospital:

Robotic Surgery committee Board member
Histopathology Tissue Review committee member
Operating Theatre Management Systems
Acute Care Surgery workgroup

Other Management roles

Director of Research, Department of Colorectal Surgery, SGH
Clinical Quality Officer, Department of Colorectal Surgery, SGH
In-charge for SGH Colorectal Surgery Department’s Clinical Research meeting and Journal Club meeting, since March 2019
Chairman and course director for ‘Advanced Colorectal Surgery Masterclass and Hands on Workshop’, Singapore General Hospital and SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation (SIMS), SGH colorectal week, 9 -11 May 2018. Chairman of concurrent Nursing colorectal symposium and workshop conducted at the same period.
Course Director for ‘Haemorrhoidectomy Masterclass and Workshop in Stapling and Energy Therapy’, 28 July 2017, conducted as part of SingHealth Duke-NUS Surgical & Anaesthesia Congress 2017, Singapore General Hospital, 28 July – 6 August 2017

Faculty Roles in Teaching/Training/Mentoring:

Mentor, Singapore General Hospital
Research Mentor, Dukes-NUS
Physician Faculty, General Surgery Residency Programme, Surgery ACP
Colorectal training lead for Urology residents posted to colorectal surgery, Singapore General Hospital.
Training faculty for medical students from Dukes NUS and Yong Loo Lin
Training faculty for resident nurse trainees
Previous faculty for ‘Advanced Colorectal Surgery Masterclass and Hands on Workshop’
Singapore General Hospital and SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation (SIMS), 9 -11 May 2018
Previous faculty for ‘Advanced Laparoscopy Hands-on Cadaveric Workshop’
SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation (SIMS) ,SingHealth Academy, Academia Singapore General Hospital, 21 April 2018
Previous faculty for ‘Haemorrhoidectomy Masterclass and Workshop in Stapling and Energy Therapy’, 28 July 2017, conducted as part of SingHealth Duke-NUS Surgical & Anaesthesia Congress 2017, Singapore General Hospital, 28 July – 6 August 2017
Previous faculty for ‘Colorectal stapling and robotic surgery workshop’, Singapore General Hospital, 18 February 2017
Previous faculty for ‘Advanced Laparoscopic Hands-on Cadaveric Workshop’, Singapore General Hospital, 2016
Previous faculty for ‘Basic Surgical Skills’, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, UK
Previous National Faculty for ‘Trans-anal Endoscopic Workshop’, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, UK
Previous National Faculty for ‘Trans-anal Endoscopic Workshop’, Slough, UK
Previous faculty for ‘Basic Surgical Skills’, Leeds Institute of Minimally Invasive Treatment, St James university Hospital, Leeds, UK

Awards

Clinical Research related Awards & Grants:

1. Award from DataRobot for ‘Artificial Intelligence for Good Program’. Project: ‘AI for Colorectal cancer for risk prediction for recurrence, optimal surveillance and treatment’.

- Principal Investigator role; Award’s equivalent monetary value: S$380K

- This award from DataRobot is from their philanthropic international grant funding programme: ‘AI for Good’. This project was one of the six international award recipients and only one from Asia Pacific to receive this. (Award recipients; four from USA, one from Europe and one from Asia Pacific).

2. Award from SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine (AM) Research Grant Call FY2020, for clinical trial: An open–label randomized controlled trial comparing Hemospray® with conventional treatment to cease bleeding in patients with severe colonic diverticular bleeding

- Co-Investigator role; Awarded 16 January 2020; Award quantum: 50,000 SGD

3. First prize for Best Oral Presentation at SingHealth Duke-NUS Surgical & Anaesthesia Congress 2019, Singapore, 20-21 September 2019

Systematic review and meta-analysis on colorectal cancer findings on colonoscopy after CT confirmed acute diverticulitis

C H Koo, J Chang, R Mathew (final author of this study)

4. SingHealth Foundation (SHF) Research Grant Call 2017

Grant of SGD 50,000 grant amount for 2 year period. Awarded for a clinical research project

Principal Investigator role

5. Best Abstract Award, United European Gastroenterology Week, Madrid, November 2003.

MedTech and Surgical Innovation related Awards & Grants:

1. National Grant award for Innovation

Awarding body: Singapore - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART).

Project: ‘Innovative Surgical Specimen Retrieval Bag in Minimally Invasive Surgery – for smaller wound and improved patient outcomes. A SMART Bag’

Grant quantum S$50,000 (Ignition Grant), Awarded June 2019; Principal Investigator role

2. Grant award for Innovative Clinical Device Development.

Award from ‘Health-Tech Nanyang Technological University - Surgery Academic Clinical Programme’.

Project: ‘Advanced and Innovative Stapler Device for Haemorrhoidectomy’

Grant quantum S$100,000. Awarded May 2019; Principal Investigator role

3. Singapore National Health-Tech Challenge 2018: Award for the ‘Top 10 Most Impactful Projects’. Awarded at National Health IT Summit, Singapore, 17 July 2018.

Project: ‘Artificial Intelligence in Colorectal Cancer: Prediction for Recurrence, Optimal Surveillance and Treatment’. Principal Investigator role

Service related Award:

Silver Award at the Singapore Health Quality Service Award (SHQSA) January 2018

Academic Awards:

1. ‘The 2015 British Travelling Fellow to USA’ awarded by Association of Coloproctology Great Britain & Ireland (ACPGBI), Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) UK, and in conjunction with American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS). Awarded February 2015. Award given to one person every year from Great Britain and Ireland. Award included undertaking Visiting Fellowships at US hospitals (Colorectal departments of Cleveland Clinic, Florida and University of California, Irvine) and invited podium presentation at ASCRS Boston May 2015 annual meeting.

2. Association of Coloproctology Great Britain and Ireland Travelling Fellowship Award to attend and present at Tripartite Colorectal Meeting, Cairns Australia, July 2011.

3. Travel grant award to attend and present at United European Gastroenterology Federation, November 2003

Research Interests

Publications

PUBLICATIONS:

1. Systematic review and meta-analysis on colorectal cancer findings on colonic evaluation after CT-confirmed acute diverticulitis

CH Koo, JHE Chang, NL Syn, I JY Wee, R Mathew

Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. Accepted for publication, 4 February 2020

RE: DCR-D-19-00356R3.D

2. Stenting as a bridge to surgery for obstructed stage IV colorectal cancers – long-term outcomes of a 10-year study

Aik Yong Chok, Hui Jun Lim, Weng Kit Lye, Lasitha B Samarakoon, Jiwei Guo, Choong Leong Tang, Ronnie Mathew

Asian J Endosc Surg. August 2019;1–8. DOI: 10.1111/ases.12747

3. Characterization of a patient-specific T-cell and tumor cell coculture model of immuno-cytotoxicity in colorectal cancer.

Li Y, Gunn NA, Kua L, Lee FY, Koo SL, Chua CW, Tan E, Toh EL, Mathew R, Lee SY, Tan WS.

Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2019 37:15_Suppl, e14178-e14178

4. Use of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) As predictive marker in detecting colorectal anastomotic leaks: Is it reliable?

Chen L, Mathew R.

Diseases of the Colon & Rectum 2019 Jun 1. Abstract. (Vol. 62, No. 6, pp. E223-E224)

5. Stenting as bridge to surgery in obstructed colorectal cancers: Long-term oncological outcomes and patterns of recurrence

Chok A, Lim H, Samarakoon LB, Mathew R.

Diseases of the colon & rectum 2019 Jun 1. Abstract. (Vol. 62, No. 6, pp. E322-E323)

6. Topical haemostatic powder as a novel endoscopic therapy for severe colonic diverticular bleeding

Jia Lin Ng, Musfirah Marican, Ronnie Mathew

ANZ Journal of Surgery. 2019, Volume 89, Issue 3, E56-60

doi: 10.1111/ans.14895. Article ID: ANS14895; Article DOI: 10.1111/ans.14895

7. Bystander CD8+ 1 T cells are abundant and phenotypically distinct in human tumor infiltrates.
Yannick Simoni, Etienne Becht, Michael Fehlings, Chiew Yee Loh, Si-Lin Koo,
Karen Wei Weng Teng, Joe Poh Sheng Yeong, Rahul Nahar, Tong Zhang,
Hassen Kared, Kaibo Duan, Nicholas Ang, Michael Poidinger, Yin Yeng Lee,
Anis Larbi, Alexis J. Khng, Emile Tan,_Cherylin Fu,_Ronnie Mathew,_Melissa Teo, Wan Teck Lim, Chee Keong Toh, Boon Hean Ong, Tina Koh, Axel M, Hillmer, Angela Takano, Tony Kiat Hon Lim, Eng Huat Tan, Weiwei Zhai, Daniel S.W. Tan, Iain Beehuat Tan, Evan W. Newell.

Nature. 2018 May;557(7706):575.

8. RNA-Seq analyses of immune cell-type enrichments in 158 Asian colorectal cancers (CRCs).
Iain BeeHuat Tan, Andrew Nguyen, Charles Joseph Vaske, Christopher Szeto, Yulia Newton, Etienne Becht, Joe Poh Sheng Yeong, Stephen Charles Benz, Saranya Thangaraju, Bram Lim, Danliang Ho, Kiat Hon Tony Lim, Clarinda Wei Ling Chua, Ronnie Mathew, Choong Leong Tang, Evan Newell, Jonathan Göke, Anders Skanderup, Shahrooz Rabizadeh, and Si-Lin Koo

Journal of Clinical Oncology 2018 36:15_suppl, e15597-e15597

9. Literature Data on the Hemorrhoidal Disease Management.

Mathew R, Chen L, Wong M.
Book Chapter In: Ratto C., Parello A., Litta F. (eds) Hemorrhoids. Coloproctology. Springer, Cham. (2018)
Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51989-0_45-1

10. Appendiceal diverticulosis: a harbinger of underlying primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma? - Case Report
J L Ng, S L Wong, R Mathew

J Gastrointest Oncol. 2018 Apr; 9(2): E1–E5.

doi: 10.21037/jgo.2017.08.18

11. Arc of Riolan - Preserving Splenic Flexure Takedown During Anterior Resection: Potentially Critical to Prevent Acute Anastomotic Ischemia. Technical note.
Toh JWT, Mathew R, Kim SH
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum: March 2018 - Volume 61 - Issue 3 - p 411–414
doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000000995

13. Defecating disorders: a common cause of constipation in women. (review article)

N Dimitriou, V Shah, D Stark, R Mathew, AS Miller, JM Yeung

Womens Health (Lond Engl). 2015, 11(4),485-500.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26238417

14. Technique of robotic standard abdominoperineal resection with transabdominal levator ani transection.

R Mathew, SH Kim

Colorectal Disease, Video Publication, 9 July 2014; http://youtu.be/AAvLpNgBQFA

15. Technique of robotic abdominoperineal resection with transabdominal levator ani excision

R Mathew, SW Lee, SH Kim

Clinical Robotic Surgery Association, Video

http://www.clinicalrobotics.com/index.php/8982/washington-2013-technique-of-robotic- abdominoperineal-resection-with-transabdominal-levator-ani-excision/ 9

16. The impact of postoperative complications on long-term quality of life following curative colorectal cancer surgery.

SR Brown, R Mathew, A Keding, H C Marshall, J M Brown, D G Jayne

Annals of Surgery 2013 May;259(5):916-23. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000000407

17. Robotic right hemicolectomy with D3 lymphadenectomy and complete mesocolic excision: technical detail.

R Mathew, SH Kim

OA Robotic Surgery 2013 Jun 01;1(1):6.

18. Robotic intersphincteric resection and coloanal anastomosis: technical detail.

R Mathew, SH Kim

OA Robotic Surgery 2013 Apr; 16;1(1):2

19. Brush cytology for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

R Brouwer, A MacDonald, R Mathew, J Gunn, JR Monson, JE Hartley

Dis Colon Rectum. 2009 Apr; 52(4):598-601.

20. Extra-renal retroperitoneal angiomyolipoma : management of a rare benign tumour.

P Neary, R Mathew, JRT Monson

International Journal of Colorectal Disease.2003; 18:526-8

21. Organophosphate poisoning and incontinence: spinal nerve stimulation may help.

E Smyth, R Mathew, A Gardiner, JRT Monson, GS Duthie

e- publication as Case of the month in British Society of Gastroenterology website,

September 2003

22. Abolish obsequiousness – instill a sense of ownership.

S Enoch, N Haldipur, R Mathew

British Medical Journal, 31 March 2003 (e-version)

23. Calman surgical training for overseas doctors.

N Haldipur, S Enoch, R Mathew

British Medical Journal, 12 March 2003 (e-version)

24. Quality of life following postoperative complications of colorectal cancer surgery.

R Mathew, A Keding, S Brown, H Thorpe, J Brown, D. G. Jayne

Colorectal Disease, Vol 13 (Suppl. s5), July 2011; 11 (Abstract)

25. Nurse colonoscopy is safe and effective.

R. Mathew, M Hughes, P Nastro, A Ramesh, O Iwuagwu, J Hartley, J Monson, G. S. Duthie
Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, April 2004; Vol. 47, No. 4; 605 (Abstract)

26. Laparoscopic sutured rectopexy – long term outcome.

R Mathew, T M Lim, A N Ramesh, J E Hartley, G S Duthie, J R T Monson

Colorectal Disease, 2003; 5 (Suppl. 2), 15 (Abstract)

27. Increased diagnostic accuracy of combination of brush cytology and forceps biopsy in rectal neoplasm.
R Mathew, W Young, P Nastro, A MacDonald, J Hartley, GS Duthie, PWR Lee, JRT Monson
British Journal of Surgery, Vol 90, June 2003; 136 - 7 (Abstract)

28. Assessment of complications following closure of Loop Ileostomy.
R Mathew, B Ray, JE Hartley, BJ Wilken, PWR Lee, GS Duthie, JRT Monson
Colorectal Disease, 5 (Suppl. 1), July 2003; 25 (Abstract)

29. Combination of brush cytology and biopsy improves diagnostic accuracy of rectal neoplasm.

R Mathew, W Young, P Nastro, A MacDonald, J Hartley, GS Duthie, PWR Lee, JRT Monson

Colorectal Disease, 5 (Suppl. 1), July 2003; 45 (Abstract)

30. Assessment of outcome following Delorme's operation for full thickness rectal prolapse.
R Mathew, TM Lim, AN Ramesh, JE Hartley, PWR Lee, JRT Monson, GS Duthie
Colorectal Disease, 5 (suppl 2), October 2003;14 (Abstract)

31. Multi-institutional prospective validation of artificial neural networks in predicting axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients.

A Ramesh, C Kambhampati, R Mathew, D Beral, JRT Monson, PJ Drew

Clinical Oncology, Vol 15, September 2003; S15-16 (Abstract)

Presentations: Over 50 national and international presentations (including invited lectures, oral, poster and video presentations

Current Research interests: