Professor Roger Ho completed his medical degree (MBBS) and higher research degree (MD) at University of Hong Kong and did his basic and advanced Psychiatry training at National University of Singapore. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK), Royal College of Physicians (Canada), Academy of Medicine (Singapore) and Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh).
He currently works as a Professor and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the Department of Psychological Medicine, NUS and NUH. His clinical expertise covers all aspects of adult psychiatry, such as adult ADHD, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. He conducts research and specializes in Adult ADHD assessment based on clinical interview, questionnaires and assessment of the frontal lobe function using the functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS). He also provides services to the elderly who prefer to speak Cantonese.
Prof Ho is involved in multiple research endeavours, which primarily aim to study the interface between psychiatry and medicine. His earlier research involved elucidating psychiatric symptoms associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. He also serves as a Clinical Lead in the Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Group, Institute of Health and Technology (iHeathtech) at National University of Singapore. His recent research extended to study the effects of antidepressants on the immune system in animal, as well as the application of technology in clinical services and research, including functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) assessing depression, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder and adult ADHD. He also continues to be involved in publications related to his earlier research interests. He is one of the pioneer researchers who published papers related to mental health during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic. He is the author or co-author of more than 500 articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He is an Associate Editor and editorial board member for various prestigious international journals including Comprehensive Psychiatry, Scientific Reports and BJPsych Advances. In 2021, he was identified by the Web of Science as one of the most highly cited researchers in the world.
Prof Ho is extensively involved in medical education. He disseminated psychiatric knowledge through publications of academic books with global influence. The most recent example is the co-authorship and publication of a postgraduate textbook, Revision Notes in Psychiatry (3rd edition), CRC Press 2013 and this book has been one of the most commonly used reference texts since 1998 by psychiatric trainees in Commonwealth countries.
Professional Education
MBBS, University of Hong Kong
MD, University of Hong Kong
Diploma of Psychological Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy, National University of Singapore
MMed in Psychiatry, National University of Singapore
Diploma of Clinical Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
Fellow, Royal College of Psychiatrists, United Kingdom
Fellow, Royal College of Physicians, Canada
1. Y Lu, CS Ho, RS McIntyre, W Wang, RC Ho. Effects of vortioxetine and fluoxetine on the level of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF) in the hippocampus of chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depressive rats. Brain Research Bulletin 2018; 142:1-7. [IF – 3.440]
2. Y Lu, CS Ho, RS McIntyre, W Wang, RC Ho. Agomelatine-induced modulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the rat hippocampus. Life Sciences 2018; 210:177-184. [IF – 3.647]
3. SF Husain, R Yu, TB Tang, WW Tam, B Tran, TT Quek, SH Hwang, CW Chang, CS Ho, RC Ho. Validating a functional near-infrared spectroscopy diagnostic paradigm for Major Depressive Disorder. Scientific Reports 2020; 10(1): 9740. [IF – 3.998]
4. SF Husain, SK Ong, L Cuizhen, B Tran, RC Ho, CS Ho. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy during a decision-making task in patients with major depressive disorder. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2020. PMID: 33300367. [IF 4.657]
5. SF Husain, TB Tang, R Yu, WW Tam, B Tran, TT Quek, SH Hwang, CW Chang, CS Ho, RC Ho. Cortical haemodynamic response measured by functional near infrared spectroscopy during a verbal fluency task in patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder. EBioMedicine. 2020; 51:102586. [IF 5.736]
6. Li Z, McIntyre RS, Husain SF, Ho R, Tran BX, Nguyen HT, Soo SC, Ho CS, Chen N. Identifying neuroimaging biomarkers of major depressive disorder from cortical hemodynamic responses using machine learning approaches. EBioMedicine. 2022 May;79:104027. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104027. Epub 2022 Apr 28. PMID: 35490557; PMCID: PMC9062667. [IF = 11.2]
7. McIntyre RS, Rosenblat JD, Nemeroff CB, Sanacora G, Murrough JW, Berk M, Brietzke E, Dodd S, Gorwood P, Ho R, Iosifescu DV, Lopez Jaramillo C, Kasper S, Kratiuk K, Lee JG, Lee Y, Lui LMW, Mansur RB, Papakostas GI, Subramaniapillai M, Thase M, Vieta E, Young AH, Zarate CA Jr, Stahl S. Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation. Am J Psychiatry. 2021 May 1;178(5):383-399. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20081251. Epub 2021 Mar 17. PMID: 33726522. [IF = 19.25]
8. Mckenzie A, Meshkat S, Lui LMW, Ho R, Di Vincenzo JD, Ceban F, Cao B, McIntyre RS. The effects of psychostimulants on cognitive functions in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review. J Psychiatr Res. 2022 May;149:252-259. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.018. Epub 2022 Mar 11. PMID: 35303614. [IF = 5.25]
9. Wang C, Pan R, Wan X, Tan Y, Xu L, McIntyre RS, Choo FN, Tran B, Ho R, Sharma VK, Ho C. A longitudinal study on the mental health of general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Jul;87:40-48. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.028. Epub 2020 Apr 13. PMID: 32298802; PMCID: PMC7153528. [IF = 19.23]
10. Ceban F, Nogo D, Carvalho IP, Lee Y, Nasri F, Xiong J, Lui LMW, Subramaniapillai M, Gill H, Liu RN, Joseph P, Teopiz KM, Cao B, Mansur RB, Lin K, Rosenblat JD, Ho RC, McIntyre RS. Association Between Mood Disorders and Risk of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 Oct 1;78(10):1079-1091. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.1818. PMID: 34319365; PMCID: PMC8319830. [IF = 25.94]