Education & Research

Education

The SGH Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery is the largest training unit for plastic surgery in Singapore. We are an academic unit with a hugely active role in SingHealth Residency, and with strong affiliations with the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine as well as the Duke-NUS Medical School. The department’s teaching program consists of regular morning teaching sessions, journal clubs and tumor boards.

The SingHealth and SGH plastic surgery residency program is a very competitive and accepts applicants who are motivated, work well in a team and eager to learn. The residency is an intensive 6-year progressive program encompassing training in the general surgical competencies for the first 2 years, followed by 4 years of structured plastic surgical training in the different subspecialties. Trainees with an interest in research are given adequate time and support to pursue these particular areas.

For those who have completed their general plastic surgery training, the department offers a route to advanced fellowships in head and neck surgery, breast surgery as well as reconstructive microsurgery. Plastic surgeons with the department are given the opportunity for further training overseas if desired.

We are open year-round to receiving medical students who have completed their pre-clinical training, as well as observers and visitors on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the department secretary for more information.

In addition to the regular and in-house teaching programs, we organize yearly basic and advanced courses in plastic surgery which are open to local, regional and international participants.

Research

The SGH Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery has a strong basic science and clinical research program which has produced numerous publications, presentations, national grants and awards through the years. We also collaborate extensively with various local and international institutes, and welcome researchers with a passion for making a difference in the lives of patients.

We strongly believe that medicine and surgery is built on firm basic foundations. To this end, our doctors and staff conduct numerous basic science experiments encompassing various aspects of surgery, including tissue engineering, transplant immunology and anatomical dissections. In addition, our regionally renowned skin bank, led by Dr Alvin Chua, has developed various techniques in skin and tissue regeneration and expansion.

Surgical knowledge and techniques have improved exponentially through the centuries, and there is increasing evidence-based clinical practice which guides our progress. The department’s consultants, residents and medical students actively research, audit and publish surgeons’ results, contributing to advancements in the field of plastic surgery. The recently developed comprehensive reconstructive and burns prospective research database aims to improve surgical quality and patient outcomes for future generations.