Research
Being a University-affiliated Orthopaedic Surgery Department, our surgeons are at the cutting edge of research and surgical techniques. All of our orthopaedic surgical consultants are well-published in the international medical journals and each of them devote a portion of their time to both clinical and basic science research. Our current emphasis is on translational research where we aim to bring our findings from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside in the form of novel and useful therapies. This is achieved through collaborations with many agencies and departments both locally and internationally. Some highlights of these collaborations include:

1. Three separate musculoskeletal oncology projects - 1. The limb salvage surgery patient at home - a systematic cross-sectional survey of patients with musculoskeletal malignancies in remission (NMRC Grant). 2. Preventing local recurrence in the musculoskeletal oncology patient using cryosurgery (HSDP Grant). 3. Physiologic parameters in the milieu of solid tumors have the potential to indicate their sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents (ARF Grant)- PI Assistant Professor Suresh Nathan.
2. World's first human trial repairing large cartilage lesions in the human knee using microfracture and injectable mesenchymal stem cell therapy (NHG-SIG Grant)- PIs Dr Kevin Lee/ A/P James Hui. Dr Lee has recently been awarded the 2009 NHG-SIG 2 Grant to further investigate this technique in the next project "A Multi-center Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating a Novel Minimally-invasive Technique of Cartilage Repair in the Human Knee Using Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Hyaluronic Acid".
3. Biomimetic 3D nanofibrous scaffold/MSCs composites for bonegraft applications - project with NUS Bioengineering Department and Stanford University (NMRC Grant)- Co-PIs Associate Professor Casey Chan, Dr Kevin Lee.
4. Cross-Faculty Research Group specializing in the development of new and improved bioactive implant materials, and their interactions with bone and stem cells- PI Assistant Professor Wilson Wang.

Education
The Department is responsible for the training of both undergraduate medical students, basic and advanced surgical trainees. Our department is at the forefront of advanced surgical techniques and we have the largest Singaporean series of patients who have undergone thoracoscopic "keyhole" scoliosis surgery, hip surface replacement, advanced cartilage repair using autologous cartilage implantation or mesenchymal stem cells, and artificial spinal disc replacement. This has attracted regional and international fellows who are seeking subspeciality training in their respective areas of interest to train with us and we have had a long and successful history of having trained international surgeons in the areas of Spine, Joint Replacements, Paediatric Orthopaedics, Trauma and Sports. We have also recently started a well-subscribed musculoskeletal oncology fellowship for international fellows with the aim of improving care in this area in the region.

Read more about our fellowship programme

We also frequently conduct workshops and courses to impart advanced surgical techniques to both local and international surgeons and some of these recent courses include:

1. The Division of Spinal Surgery successfully completed a course on Artificial Disc Replacement for cervical and lumbar disc disease
2. The Division of Adult Reconstruction conducted Singapore's first cadaveric Hip Surface Replacement Course in the NUH STAR laboratory
3. Adolescent Spinal deformity Course conducted by the Division of Spinal Surgery
4. Asia's first International Cartilage Repair Society Surgical Skills Course

Photos of past courses

The department is also active in the continuing medical education (CME) of our Family Physician partners and we frequently conduct CME lectures and updates for them. We recently completed the 6th in a series of cadaveric workshops for local GPs on office procedures and suturing and also recently hosted a GP Symposium entitled "Non-operative management of Osteoarthritis".

Finally, we are also conduct frequent public symposiums on various topics related to bones and joints to empower our community with the knowledge to lead an active and healthy life. For an updated list of upcoming educational activities, please click here.