On 5 April 2024, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) announced the establishment of a professorship in honour of renowned heart surgeon Professor Lee Chuen Neng, who is internationally and nationally acclaimed for his medical teaching and mentorship. The launch of the professorship celebrated Prof Lee for his dedication to exploring new frontiers of medical discoveries.
The Abu Rauff Professor in Surgery in the Department of Surgery at NUS Medicine, Prof Lee is also Emeritus Consultant from the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS). A leader and surgeon who founded the four subspecialty divisions of adult cardiac, vascular, thoracic, and congenital heart surgery at NUS Medicine, the National University Hospital (NUH) and the National University Health System (NUHS) in 1985, Prof Lee established a foundation that paved the way for generations of surgeons in the field. Prof Lee said, “In medicine, innovation is a duty we owe to our patients—both in the present and future. We achieve true and lasting impact when we pioneer new methods and drive their widespread adoption. By sharing our knowledge and embracing new approaches, we multiply the impact of our expertise—enabling us to save far more lives than we ever thought possible.”