Delivered by Professor Kenny Sin

Professor Chua’s career spans more than four decades. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with MBBS and Master of Medicine in Surgery. He trained in cardiovascular surgery for 2 years at Mayo Clinic, Rochester and subsequently 6 months at the Children’s Hospital, Boston.  He returned to Singapore in 1992 at a pivotal time in the development of our national cardiac services. He joined what is now the National Heart Centre Singapore and has remained there ever since – due to his unwavering commitment to teach and mentor succeeding generations of cardiovascular surgeons.

Those who worked alongside him in the early years will recall a department and a specialty in transition – clinically, structurally and culturally. Between 1995 and 2007, as Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Professor Chua guided this transition with steadiness. He helped establish subspecialty services, strengthened outcome governance, and supported the growth of multi-disciplinary cardiac team practice.

Clinically, Professor Chua is perhaps best known for his work in valvular heart disease and atrial fibrillation. Long before such practices became embedded in guidelines, his early research demonstrated that mitral valve repair alone was insufficient to reverse long‑standing atrial fibrillation. This work provided the evidence base for combining arrhythmia surgery with valve repair – an approach that has since become standard worldwide.

Over the years, he has contributed to major advances in mitral valve repair, transcatheter valve therapies, and complex cardiac surgery in high‑risk populations. He was part of teams that introduced several first‑in‑Asia procedures which ensured that patients in our region had access to contemporary care.

Beyond the operating theatre, Professor Chua has made significant contributions in clinical research. As Singapore’s Principal Investigator for the National Institutes of Health‑funded STICH Trial, he ensured that Asian patients were represented in what became the largest and most influential cardiac surgery trial in ischemic heart failure. The results of this decade-long landmark study reshaped global understanding of the role of surgical revascularisation in heart failure.

His academic contributions span more than a hundred publications with 3450 citations, from fundamental vascular biology to large clinical trials and translational science.

Education has been an equally enduring pillar of his career. For more than three decades, Professor Chua has taught medical students at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine as well as residents and fellows across multiple institutions in Singapore. During the national transition from an apprenticeship‑based training model to a structured, competency‑based cardiothoracic surgery residency system, he served as Chairman of the Residency Advisory Committee from 2014 to 2018.

Professor Chua received the inaugural SingHealth 2016 Distinguished Senior Clinician Award to recognise clinicians who serve as role models in the public sector. He was conferred the MOH National Outstanding Clinician Award in 2019 for his exemplary contributions to the role of surgery for atrial fibrillation and valve disease, and the advancement of cardiothoracic surgery standards in Singapore. He was inducted into the Hall of Master Academic Clinicians by Duke-NUS and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre in 2023.

Perhaps Professor Chua’s most enduring legacy lies in mentoring surgical fellows from across the region through NHC’s fellowship programs. Many of his former trainees now lead departments, programs, and national services across Singapore and the region. They shape the advancement of cardiovascular surgeries in their home countries. Some have returned as collaborators; others now train their own students and fellows. Long after formal training has concluded, he has continued to offer guidance, perspective, and more importantly, the reassurance of a trusted voice.

In the later chapters of his career, Professor Chua’s commitment to service found renewed expression in global health. As SingHealth Group Director of the International Collaboration Office from 2013-2020, he played a key role in shaping SingHealth’s early institutional approach to global engagement. He was also instrumental in the formation of the SingHealth Duke‑NUS Global Health Institute, helping to define its mission, clinical focus, and emphasis on sustainable capacity building rather than short‑term interventions.

Under his leadership, programs were developed across Asia. He led teams of healthcare professionals in outreach and humanitarian mission projects partnering with organisations such as Temasek Foundation, Singapore International Foundation, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute and various philanthropic sources.

Some of these projects include Burns Program in Bangladesh, Hospital Management & Nursing Training Program in various parts of China – Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Hebei, First Response Emergency Training in Karnataka, India, Disaster Recovery Program in Nepal, Emergency Medical Care & Management Project in Cambodia, Maternal Child Health Project in Bangalore, India.

His most recent involvement was in Papua New Guinea where he helped establish a structured, long‑term approach to cardiac surgery capacity building. Instead of episodic missions, he focused on training surgeons, anaesthetists, perfusionists, nurses, and allied health professionals – building local systems that could stand independently. These healthcare staff were brought over to SingHealth/NHC 10 years ago for training after which they returned home.

In August 2025, Port Moresby General Hospital surgical team led by local cardiac surgeon Dr Noah Tapaua who trained at NHC, successfully performed its first Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery supported by a SingHealth/NHC team led by Professor Chua, marking a major milestone in local cardiac care. This is part of a larger, long-term effort to build a dedicated, sustainable cardiac centre in PNG. These efforts exemplify his belief that global health work should be measured not by what visitors accomplish, but by what local teams are able to sustain after they leave.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a significant health issue in PNG with one of the highest death rates globally, with high prevalence among children due to untreated streptococcal infections. This leads to chronic heart damage and failure. In March 2026, Professor Chua led a SingHealth/NHC team which together with the local team performed open heart surgeries including a complex mitral value replacement, highlighting growing local capability in complex surgeries.

Despite the breadth of these contributions, Professor Chua speaks more readily of teams than of personal achievement, of patients than of procedures, and of learning rather than expertise. His work reflects a strong commitment to advancing cardiovascular surgery, fostering international partnerships and driving global health initiatives. In many ways, this award honours not just a career, but a set of values – quiet excellence, service before self, and responsibility to those who come after.

Congratulations, Professor Chua, on your much deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.