Ethics of Deep Brain Stimulation Workshop
Registration is closed
Date: Saturday, 10 May 2025
Time: 8.00am to 3.35pm
Venue: Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Lavender Room, Level 2
About the workshop
This workshop will explore the latest advancements in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for psychiatric conditions and disorders of consciousness, with a strong focus on both innovation and ethical considerations. Through in-depth case studies, we will examine the use of DBS in treating depression, OCD, and anorexia nervosa. Participants will hear from leading experts and pioneers in the field—both from Singapore and abroad—alongside a powerful firsthand account from a patient who has undergone DBS. Our goal is to develop clinically practical and ethically sound guidelines, with the potential to align with the ongoing work of the Academy of Medicine’s College of Psychiatrists in this space.
Who should attend
Neurosurgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists, ethicists, legal scholars, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders
(This workshop is not open to the public)
Programme
| Time | Speaker | Activity |
| 8.00am – 8.30am | Registration | |
| 8.30am – 8.45am | Dr Tor Phern Chern Dr Sumytra Menon |
Welcome and introduction |
| 8.45am – 9.10am | A/P Yeo Tseng Tsai |
Talk 1: Deep Brain Stimulation for psychiatric conditions in Singapore & international overview |
| 9.10am – 9.20am | Jeremy (DBS Patient) | Patient Sharing: I had DBS for treatment-resistant depression! |
| 9.20am – 9.45am | Dr Nathan Shlobin | Talk 2: Ethical issues in DBS |
| 9.45am – 10.10am | Dr Swati Jain |
Talk 3: Ethical implications of using DBS in comatose patients |
| 10.10am – 10.30am | Tea Break | |
| 10.30am – 11.00am |
A/P Yeo Tseng Tsai
|
Fireside Chat: Ethical guidelines for DBS in psychiatry |
| 11.00am – 12.10pm |
Dr Tor Phern Chern |
Case 1: DBS for treatment resistant depression in adult patients
|
| 12.10pm – 1.20pm |
Dr Bhanu Gupta |
Case 2: DBS for treatment of OCD in an adult patient
|
| 1.20pm – 2.10pm | Lunch | |
| 2.10pm – 3.20pm |
Dr Ng Kah Wee |
Case 3: DBS for treatment of anorexia nervosa in a child
|
| 3.20pm – 3.35pm | Closing and Feedback | |
Local Speakers
Specialist Neurosurgery Consultants
Clinical Assoc. Professor
Yeo Tseng Tsai
Senior Consultant
Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, National University Hospital
Clinical Assoc Prof Yeo is a Senior Consultant of the Division of Neurosurgery, National University Hospital, Singapore and the Medical Director of the Singapore Gamma Knife Centre. He underwent his undergraduate medical training in the National University of Singapore and obtained his MBBS in 1985. A/Prof Yeo has been the recipient of numerous research grants over the years and has published widely in the neurosurgical literature in the domains of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, head injury and virtual reality neurosurgery.
Dr Swati Jain
Associate Consultant
Department of Surgery, National University Hospital,
Department of General Surgery, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, and
National University Spine Institute, National University Health System
Dr Swati Jain is an Associate Consultant in the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, National University Hospital. She obtained her medical degree from Duke-NUS Medical School and subsequently completed her neurosurgical residency at the National University Health System in 2021. She was awarded the gold medal for achieving the highest scores in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in the Surgical Neurology Exam 2021. Following this, she undertook a one-year neurotrauma fellowship at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Her clinical expertise encompasses neuro-oncology, skull base tumors, degenerative spine disorders, and neurotrauma. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Christ’s College, University of Cambridge with a focus on understanding language representation in the brain.
Specialist Psychiatry Consultants
Dr Tor Phern Chern
Programme Director & Senior Consultant
Department of Psychological Medicine,
National University Hospital
Dr Tor Phern-Chern completed his medical degree at the National University of Singapore under the Singapore Armed Forces Local Study Award. In his psychiatric career, Phern-Chern distinguished himself by obtaining the Eli-Lily gold medal and the Singapore Psychiatric Association Book Prize. He established the first Neurostimulation services at the Institute of Mental Health (Singapore) and was endowed inaugural Service Head. He is now the inaugural Director of the Centre for Interventional Psychiatry at the National University Hospital of Singapore.
Dr Bhanu Gupta
Senior Consultant
Department of Emergency and Crisis Services
Institute of Mental Health
Dr Bhanu Gupta is a Senior Consultant with the Department of Emergency and Crisis Services at the Institute of Mental Health. He is programme director for the graduate diploma in mental health (GDMH) programme run by IMH and NUS. He graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in India in 2000. He was awarded Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRC Psych) in the United Kingdom in 2006. He has clinical interests in emergency and crisis care as well as in mood and anxiety. Notably, Dr. Gupta established and led the Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) service at IMH, playing a key role in advancing specialized care for individuals with severe and complex OCD in Singapore.
Dr Ng Kah Wee
Senior Consultant
Department of Psychiatry
Singapore General Hospital
Dr Ng Kah Wee is a Senior Consultant with the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Department of Psychiatry, and currently the director of the Eating Disorders programme with SGH. She graduated from the National University of Singapore, with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2004. She subsequently went on and completed the Master of Medicine (Psychiatry) and acquired her Specialist Accreditation. Her area of interest lies in eating disorders and she is involved in caring for patients with general psychiatric conditions as well.
Overseas Speaker
Dr. Nathan Shlobin
Neurosurgery Resident
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dr Nathan Shlobin is a neurosurgery resident at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He graduated with his MD and MBA degrees from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Kellogg School of Management. He is interested in the intersection of neurosurgery, ethics, and global health. Currently, his research focuses on the ethics of deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders and disorders of consciousness and the ethics of innovation.
Continuing Professional Education
| Profession | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| Doctors | .styled-asterisk { font-weight: bold; /* Makes the asterisk bold */ color: black; /* Changes the asterisk color to black */ } Up to 4 non-core CME points (i.e., not MME points) * |
| Nurses | Up to 4 CPE points |
| Pharmacists | Up to 4 CPE points |
*The event is currently awaiting approval on the points.
Venue
Shaw Foundation Alumni House (SFAH) Level 2, Lavender Room, 11 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244
The closest parking is available at NUS Carpark 15, located just across the road from SFAH.
Contact
For more information, you can email Dr Alexa Nord-Bronzyk (alexa.nb@nus.edu.sg)
Registration
Registration is closed.