As the second Head of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology (1991–2003), he laid the foundations for a culture of research and educational excellence, identified potential in his staff, believed in their ability to contribute to the department and encouraged their growth and development. He was a Head who dealt with matters firmly, fairly, and with kindness.

He is remembered as an eminent immunologist, who gave up incredible opportunities at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia to come back to Singapore, at a time when quality research was hard to come by. He then won the National Science and Technology Award in 1992 for the discovery of a new tissue type antigen called Singapore-2 (HLA-B46) which is associated with people of Chinese descent. The antigen is associated with diseases such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, rheumatoid arthritis, and Grave’s disease. He also served as Director of the WHO Immunology & Training Centre from 1976 to 2006 and helped establish Singapore as a leading centre for tissue typing in the Asian region. Colleagues remember him as a visionary who saw the importance of the Asian phenotype, years before it became a trendy topic. Professor John Wong, Senior Vice-President, NUS said Prof Chan helped him to independently review the proposed National University Medical Institute (NUMI) and propose what has now become Cancer Science Institute (CSI) and Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI). “Only he had the stature to make such a recommendation. I don’t think we would have had the quality of cancer and cardiovascular research that we have now if not for him.”

Prof Chan went further in his service to the NUHS, providing valued service for nasopharyngeal cancer staging.

His staff and students remember a great mentor who inspired generations of researchers who would go on to make major contributions to research and education. Professors Ren Ee Chee and Ooi Eng Eong are two notable proteges of his. Known for challenging his students with the dreaded question, “So what?” when they showed their research findings to him, it was his way of getting them to understand the significance of their work.

Associate Professor Kevin Tan, Head, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, said, “He will also be remembered for his impish sense of humour and practical ways, insisting that meetings be kept brief and to the point, often lasting no more than five minutes. His was a life given in service to science, NUS and the wider community. We owe him more than we ever gave him.”