"For me, my priority boils down to making sure patients get the best care possible. This requires us to work closely with our peers for the best outcomes. Outside of clinical care, I believe patient care also comes from excellence in education and the use of technology. By teaching the next generation, we can influence and nurture others to maintain – even improve – care, so that each generation can do better. As for technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data are crucial co-pilots that can augment our decision-making and skills to make good doctors, even better ones."
Dr Lee graduated from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore in 2013 and was enrolled on the Dean's List for his performance in the final MBBS examination. He joined the General Surgery Residency Programme at the National University Health System in 2013 and obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2015, and the Master of Medicine (Surgery) from the National University of Singapore in 2019.
Upon completion of his Residency Training in 2020, he obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and was accredited as a Specialist in General Surgery by the Singapore Specialist Accreditation Board.
Dr Lee has a sub-specialty
interest in Endocrine and Minimally Invasive Surgery and joined the Department
of Surgery in AH, as well as the Division of General Surgery (Endocrine &
Thyroid Surgery) in 2022 in the Department of Surgery, NUH. He has a keen
interest in advancing minimally invasive surgical techniques for Thyroid
Surgery.
Improving patient care through educating the next generation
Apart from clinical work, Dr Lee is extensively involved in both Undergraduate Medical Education at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS as well as Post Graduate Medical Education for the General Surgery Residency. He serves actively as the Phase III Surgery Posting Director, as well as part of the Final MBBS Assessment Committee for the Surgery Track. He also currently leads the Undergraduate Surgical Programme as well as the Post Graduate General Surgery Residency Programme at Alexandra Hospital.
Leveraging AI and big data to improve care
Dr Lee has a special interest in Healthcare Informatics and AI. He believes advancements in technology will optimise the interface between medicine and surgery for better outcomes, especially for complex cases. This does not only allow doctors to make better decisions, but also improves their ability to focus on patient care.
He anchors the NEGMR GO-Live for the Department of Surgery in Alexandra Hospital as well as spearheads multiple technology-related projects in the Group Technology Office with applications in the clinical and medical education spheres. He is currently the Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer for the Technology Office, NUHS.
1. Soh G, Lee JWK, Boon OH, Boon TW, Parameswaran R , Yuan NK. Experience of Intraoperative Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve monitoring in a Single Center - Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Electromyographic Data. World J Endoc Surg 2017;9(1):1-6
2. Lee JWK, Kow AWC, Iyer SG. Letter in Response to: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus percutaneous catheter drainage for acute cholecystitis In high risk patients (CHOCOLATE): Multicenter randomized clinical trial by Loozen and colleagues. BMJ 2018;363:k3965/rr-2 (IF 30.2)
3. Chan PMY, Kuah S, Lee JWK, Lee CH, Phua JKS, Chen JJC, et al. Factors Predicting Locoregional Recurrence after Wide Local Excision – Experience from a Tertiary Centre. Clin Surg. 2019; 4: 2382 (IF 1.8)
4. Prajwala S Prakash, James Wai Kit Lee, Siau Wei Tang, Philip Tsau Choong Iau, A rare case report of recurrent metastatic breast cancer mimicking primary pancreatic cancer, International Journal of Surgery Case Reports,Volume 77,2020,Pages 446-449,ISSN 2210-2612, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijscr.2020.10.082. (SJR 0.233)
5. Aw AEY, Lee JWK, Tay KV. Primary Peritonitis Secondary to Streptococcus pyogenes in a Young Female Adult—A Case Report and Literature Review. Infectious Disease Reports. 2021; 13(1):26-32. https://doi.org/10.3390/idr13010005 (IF 2.73)
6. Yit Cheung Dylen Mun, James Wai Kit Lee, Yi Ting Lim, Tharun Ragupathi, Jing Yu Ng, Frances Lim, Ridzuan Farouk & Choon Seng Chong (2021) Transverse Colostomy Differs in Outcomes Compared to Sigmoid Colostomy: A Cohort Analysis, Journal of Investigative Surgery, DOI: 10.1080/08941939.2021.1956025
7. Tan LRL, Joel LWL, Lee JWK, et al. Challenges in the Management of Parathyroid Cyst: A Mini-review. World J Endoc Surg 2021;13(1):20–23.
8. Wijerathne S, Wai L, Lee J, Loh C, Malik S, Lomanto D. Feasibility of modified-TEP technique for large inguinoscrotal and large femoral hernia and its advantages. Hernia. 2021 Oct 2. doi: 10.1007/s10029-021- 02505-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34599718.
9. J.W.K. Lee, Sarah S. Tang, J.L. Ong, H.B. Oh, Bettina Lieske, Perianal endometriosis case report: An unusual cause of perianal pain, Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Medicine, 2021, ISSN 2667-1646, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gocm.2021.10.002.
10. Louis Wai, Sujith Wijerathne, Lydia Liew, Shree Venkatesan, James Lee, Clement Loh, Davide Lomanto, Novel local anaesthesia technique ‘NATURE’ (Nerves And Transversalis-fascia Using Ropivacaine) to improve outcomes during endo-laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, Asian Journal of Surgery, 2021. Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asjsur.2021.10.001.