CN Lee Professorship in Medical Sciences

The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore is proud to launch the CN Lee Professorship in Medical Sciences, named in honour of one of our very own alumnus and renowned heart surgeon. Professor Lee Chuen Neng, or CN as he prefers to be called, is a visionary leader, outstanding mentor, great teacher, master clinician, and a brilliant researcher.

He is a founding leader in the field of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, having set up the Cardiothoracic Surgery department at the National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore upon returning from Mayo clinic, USA in 1985.

He left for private practice in 1992, and returned to NUS and the National University Hospital (NUH) in 2001 to fulfil his desire to build up medical training and research. He was appointed the Chair of Surgery in the National University Health System (NUHS) and Head of Surgery at NUS from 2005-2015, where he established the Advanced Surgery Training Centre.

In his decade at the helm, CN also developed 14 specialty surgery divisions ranging from transplant surgery to neurosurgery, gastrointestinal surgery, reconstructive surgery in NUH. He spearheaded a training and certification programme for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Singapore jointly with the Hong Kong College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

CN also played an instrumental role in the founding of the Institute for Health Technology and the Engineering-in-Medicine Programme for housing bio-engineering programmes, start-ups and spin-offs; and the Centre for Nanomedicine and Medical Sciences (nano-diagnostics and nano-therapeutics) to develop nanomedicines-especially for common diseases with poor diagnostic tools and therapy such as liver disease and Alzheimer’s.

In addition, he served as the founding president of the Asian Society for Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery. He is a member of the Founding Editorial Board of the Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals. He has also been appointed as a visiting Professor to Beijing Medical University and TsingHua University. Furthermore, he is an examiner to the Pakistan College and Bangladesh College of Surgeons and Physicians. Moreover, he is a founder of the Regional Certificate Course in Cardiovascular Perfusion Technology, and Chairman of several medical technology start-ups.

He was recognised for his phenomenal contributions to education with the International Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2012 and The National Clinician Mentor Award in 2015 from the Ministry of Health of Singapore.

Passionate about helping the less fortunate, CN is also on the boards of Extraordinary People for special needs children and Project We Care under the Singapore People’s Association.

We seek your generous support for the endowed CN Lee Professorship in Medical Sciences at NUS Medicine to honour this respected teacher and colleague who has led by example and shaped many cohorts of doctors in Singapore and Asia. We would be open to any amount that you would like to contribute towards this worthy cause. Your gift will enable the School to: 

• Attract world-renowned academics to help build knowledge, inspire students, and spur important discourse to improve the practice of healthcare to serve the population in Singapore and beyond;
• Train the next generation of leaders in medical sciences to tackle emergent healthcare challenges.

Your gift will be eligible for a 250% income tax deduction and may be carried over five years, in accordance with the prevailing government policies and rates at the time of receipt of your gift.

If you need any additional information, please feel free to contact Ms Ng Hwee Koon email: mednhk@nus.edu.sg.