NUS Hong Leong Professorship in Ophthalmology - Professor Peter Dolman

The Hong Leong Professorship in Ophthalmology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) was established in February 2000 through a donation from Hong Leong Group, Singapore. The income generated from the professorship fund is meant to engage eminent professors to share their expertise and experience, with particular emphasis given to contributions and insights they can offer to Singapore and its ever-growing regional and international role. It is envisaged that they will co-operate in research and education with other faculty members.

This year’s Hong Leong Professorship expert is Professor Peter J Dolman. Professor Dolman is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada and is on active staff at five hospitals. He is the director of ophthalmology fellowship programs at UBC, division head of oculoplastics and orbit, and a past president of the BC Society of Eye Physicians and the Canadian Society of Oculoplastics and Reconstructive Surgeons. He is the past- president of the International Thyroid Eye Disease Society and a member of the Orbit Society. He has supervised 50 international oculoplastics fellows, has delivered over 300 invited lectures, and published 30 chapters and over 90 journal articles. He recently co-edited a textbook on diseases of the orbit and ocular adnexa with Aaron Fay which was published in February 2017. He has volunteered as a surgeon or lecturer in over 35 developing nations and has received several departmental and hospital research and teaching awards, the ASOPRS research award (2007) and the Queen Elizabeth Gold Medal for community service.

He has numerous research contributions, including: Classification and Evaluation of Thyroid orbitopathy, Importance of radiotherapy in management of TED, Refinement of tear duct surgery from an endonasal approach, Proof of need for stenting in endonasal lacrimal surgery, New simplified but effective surgical techniques for frontalis sling and epiblepharon surgery, Modification of porous implants for orbito-facial reconstruction, New methods of treatment for facial nerve palsy and more.

Professor Dolman visited Singapore in February 2019 as part of the Hong Leong Professorship and was a key faculty of the ITEDS (International Thyroid Eye Disease Society) symposium that was held in Asia for the first time. He visited National University Hospital (NUH) as a visiting expert on 18th and 19th February 2019.

He gave residents, fellows as well as Ophthalmology and ENT consultants from NUH and other institutions comprehensive lectures on “Orbital lymphoproliferative disorders”, “Orbital cellulitis and its management” and “Non-endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy”. There were also interactive case discussions on challenging thyroid eye disease and ophthalmic oncology cases.

As past president of ITEDS, Prof Dolman played an important part at the ITEDS congress (20th -23rd February 2019) held in Singapore

and gave several lectures including: Clinical assessment of patients with TED; The role of radiotherapy for TED; Quality of life in patients with TED; Combined orbital radiotherapy and IV methylprednisolone in the management of TED and the Hong Leong Professorship Special Lecture on Dysthyroid Optic Neuropathy : Evaluation and Management.

He will be visiting Singapore again as part of the Hong Leong Professorship series from 8th May -16th May 2019 to be part of the faculty for our NUH Eyelid and Oculofacial Symposium. The visit will be coordinated with a national CME and lectures to Ophthalmology residents, as well as discussions on future research collaborations with various institutions in Singapore, including Endocrinologists and Oculoplastic surgeons. We look forward to welcoming Prof Dolman to NUH and Singapore again!