NHG

HHT
Assistant Prof Hee Hwan Tak

MBBS(Sing), FRCS(Ed), FRCS(Glas), FAMS(Sing)

Open & Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery


Dr Hee Hwan Tak is a fellowship trained spine surgeon who specializes in degenerative, traumatic, neoplastic, and congenital disorders of the spine, as well as general orthopaedics. His special areas of interests are in surgery for congenital and acquired spinal deformity, minimal access spinal surgery, spinal tumor surgery, cervical spine surgery, and artificial disc replacement surgery.

Dr Hee completed his medical degree at the National University of Singapore in 1990. He obtained his postgraduate degrees in surgery in Royal Collage of Surgeons of Glasgow and Edinburgh in 1995. He underwent his training in Orthopaedic Surgery at the National University Hospital, and completed this in 1999. He joined the National University Hospital in 2000 as an Associate Consultant, and became a Consultant in 2002. He also joined the National University of Singapore as an Assistant Professor in 2002. In 2000, he spent a year on a Clinical Fellowship in Spinal Surgery in the USA, training at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana and the University of Kentucky in Louisville and Lexington. He is currently senior consultant and deputy head of the Division of Spinal Surgery at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National University Hospital.

Dr Hee is also Visiting Consultant for the Scoliosis Clinic, School Health Service at the Health Promotion Board, as well as the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Alexandra Hospital. He is a member of several international spine societies including North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society, International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, and AO Spine International. He is a member of the Asian Association for Dynamic Osteosynthesis, Singapore Orthopaedic Association and the Singapore Medical Association. He is currently president of the Singapore Back Society (2005-2009) and Chairman, AOSpine S'pore chapter (2007-2010). He is also Council member, AOSpine East Asia Board. He was awarded the NUH Star Award in 2004 and 2006 for excellent patient service.Dr Hee is actively involved in the teaching of both undergraduate and postgraduate medical trainees. He has also been invited overseas to many countries to impart and share his knowledge of spinal surgery to his overseas counterparts.

Dr Hee's research interests are in degenerative spinal disease and spinal trauma/spinal cord regeneration, among others. He is currently serving in the advisory editorial board for The Spine Journal, an internationally recognized peer-reviewed scientific journal, as well as The Open Orthopaedic Journal. He is also a reviewer for Annals Academy Medicine Singapore, Singapore Medical Journal, Spine Arthroplasty Society Journal, Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, Supportive Cancer Therapy, and The Spine Journal. His recent publications include:-
  1. Hee HT, Yu ZR, Wong HK. Comparison of segmental pedicle screw instrumentation versus anterior instrumentation in adolescent idiopathic thoracolumbar scoliosis. Spine 2007; 32: 1533-42.
  2. Kulkarni A, Hee HT, Wong HK. Solis cage (PEEK) for anterior cervical fusion: Preliminary radiological results with emphasis on fusion and subsidence. Spine J 2007; 7(2): 205-9.
  3. Hee HT, Khan MS, Goh JC, Wong HK. Insertion torque profile during pedicle screw insertion of the thoracic spine with and without violation of the pedicle wall – comparison between cylindrical and conical designs. Spine 2006; 31: E840-6.
  4. Kulkarni A, Hee HT. Adjacent level discitis after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF): a case report. Eur Spine J 2006;15 Suppl 17: 559-63.
  5. Wong HK, Hee HT, Yu Z, Wong D. Results of thoracoscopic instrumented fusion versus conventional posterior instrumented fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing selective thoracic fusion. Spine 2004 Sep 15; 29(18): 2031-8.
  6. Hee HT, Whitecloud TS 3rd, Myers L. The effect of previous low back surgery on general health status: results from the National Spine Network initial visit survey of patients with low back pain. Spine 2004 Sep 1; 29(17): 1931-7.
  7. Hee HT, Majd ME, Holt RT, Whitecloud TS 3rd, Pienkowski D. Complications of multilevel cervical corpectomies and reconstruction with titanium cages and anterior plating.  J Spinal Disord Tech 2003 Feb; 16(1): 1-8.
  8. Hee HT, Majd ME, Holt RT, Myers L.  Do autologous growth factors enhance transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion? Eur Spine J 2003 Aug; 12(4): 400-7.
  9. Hee HT, Whitecloud TS 3rd, Myers L, Roesch W, Ricciardi JE. Do worker's compensation patients with neck pain have lower SF-36 scores? Eur Spine J 2002 Aug; 11(4): 375-81.
  10. Hee HT, Majd ME, Holt RT, Pienkowski D.  Better treatment of vertebral osteomyelitis using posterior stabilization and titanium mesh cages. J Spinal Disord Tech 2002 Apr; 15(2): 149-56.
  11. Hee HT, Whitecloud TS 3rd, Myers L, Gaynor J, Roesch W, Ricciardi JE.  SF-36 health status of workers compensation cases with spinal disorders. Spine J 2001 May-Jun; 1(3): 176-82.
  12. Hee HT, Castro FP Jr, Majd ME, Holt RT, Myers L.  Anterior/posterior lumbar fusion versus transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: analysis of complications and predictive factors. J Spinal Disord 2001 Dec; 14(6): 533-40.
Dr Hee sees patients at NUH Specialist Outpatient Clinics on Mondays and Wednesdays. He also sees scoliosis patients alternate Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Scoliosis Clinic, Health Promotion Board. To make an appointment to see Dr Hee, please click here.