Singapore General Hospital; Singapore

Kai Yunn is a Senior Nurse Manager at Singapore General Hospital and a strong advocate for patient- and family-centred care in the acute setting. She co-chairs the SingHealth Nursing Quality Management Council and is a member of both the SingHealth Medication Safety Committee and SingHealth Fall Prevention Workgroup.

Her work focuses on integrating caregivers as essential partners in hospital-based care. She led the development of SGH’s Caregiver Empowerment Programme and has played a key role in initiatives such as the extension of hospital visiting hours and the Safe Mobility initiative, both of which aim to foster collaboration between healthcare teams and families to improve patient outcomes and safety. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Kai Yunn continues to drive quality improvement efforts that are grounded in empathy, systems thinking, and frontline engagement

University of Bradford and National Institute for Health and care Research (NIHR) Patient Safety Research Collaborative; United Kingdom

Speaker bio to follow. 

 

National University Hospital; Singapore

Li Xuan is an experienced healthcare administrator currently serving as a Senior Manager at the Emergency Department at National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore. She first started out managing postgraduate education for clinicians, working on various improvement initiatives for the team.

In her current role, she is exposed to operational risk management, data protection, and mass casualty incident preparedness. She also oversees daily operations and manages a team of 80 service associates and is responsible in preparing the team for hospital audits such as “Ensure afer ystems”. Her efforts have been recognized with some awards, including the National Day Awards Efficiency Medal in 2022.

National University Health System; Singapore

Dr Bhuvana has over two decades of experience in healthcare quality, patient safety, and clinical governance. She currently serves as the Head of the Medical Affairs Department (Clinical Governance) and Casemix Office at the National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore, and as the Deputy Director of the National University Health System (NUHS) Institute of Clinical Quality.

She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Newcastle University, Australia, a Postgraduate Diploma in Hospital Administration, and an MBBS degree from India. Her expertise is further bolstered by certifications as an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Improvement Advisor and Change Leader. Throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of quality improvement, patient safety and accreditation initiatives in healthcare. Her proficiency in teaching and conducting root cause analyses, failure mode effect analysis, and leading transformative change has significantly contributed to enhancing patient care and safety standards. She is particularly passionate about improving healthcare delivery systems and advancing medical education in the field of quality improvement and patient safety.

Since 2018, she has been instrumental in leading the Casemix Office at NUH, where she has spearheaded efforts to improve clinical documentation and Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) coding.

She plays a pivotal role in developing patient safety curricula and teaching medical, nursing, and pharmacy students as part of the Interprofessional Education program on patient safety and quality improvement module as part of the Executive Certificate in Healthcare Improvement at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Her innovative approaches to patient safety and quality improvement education have fostered a culture of continuous improvement among healthcare professionals.

Her contributions to the field have been widely recognized, with her work featured in numerous publications and presented at national and international conferences. Her expertise and dedication have earned her prestigious accolades, including the Singapore National Day Award – Commendation Medal in 2018 for her dedicated service and invaluable contributions to healthcare. and the National Awards (COVID-19) – Commendation Award for her significant role in Singapore’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital; Singapore

Dr. Hwang Chi Hong is a healthcare leader with two decades of experience in quality improvement and quality systems. He currently serves as Advisor, Quality, Innovation and Improvement (QII) at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, National University Health System (NUHS); and Senior Consultant at the Ministry of Health, assigned to the National Improvement Unit, MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT).

As the NUHS Cluster Deployment Lead for the MOH Ensure Safer System (ESS) Programme, Dr. Hwang focuses on establishing and implementing Quality Assurance Frameworks within NUHS institutions. These frameworks aim to achieve high reliability based on Joint Commission International (JCI) Standards and Resources.

During his tenure as Director, QII from 2017 to 2024, he established the JurongHealth Campus Quality Improvement Framework for Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital. It was built on the IHI Model for Improvement and a dosing formula that defined quality roles at each organizational level. The framework led to significant improvements in organization level indicators through various projects facilitated by Dr. Hwang and his QII Team.

His previous roles included Director, Medical Affairs, at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital from March 2010, and Director, Quality Management Office, at National Healthcare Group Polyclinics from 2005.

Dr. Hwang obtained his Master of Medicine (Family Medicine) from the National University of Singapore in 2009 and his Master of Science (Health Care Delivery Science) from Dartmouth College, U.S., in 2014.

Currently, Dr. Hwang is focused on facilitating, training, and mentoring staff and improvement specialists in quality improvement skills and projects across NUHS and MOHT. His key interests lie in Quality Management Systems and Quality Improvement, and he continues to drive advancements in healthcare delivery through these areas of expertise.

Group Chief Medical Informatics Officer, NUHS; Singapore

Dr Lim Er Luen is Group Chief Medical Informatics Officer for NUHS and Senior Consultant, Emergency Medical Department, NUH.

Dr Lim has been active in the medical informatics community, leading and overseeing various IT projects in NUH and the NUHS cluster. This includes the NGEMR project, as well as a number of initiatives in support of HealthierSG. He also has a Masters of Science in Health Informatics from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Dr Lim also has a keen interest in grooming the next generation of clinicians in medical informatics, whether it be the use of IT systems in day-to-day clinical practice, or developing a cadre of medical informaticists and leaders of today and tomorrow.

Singapore General Hospital; Singapore

A/Prof Kwah Li Khim is the Director of Programmes, Health and Social Sciences Cluster at SIT. She holds a part-time appointment with the Chief Allied Health Officer’s Office at the Ministry of Health (MOH), and leads the Clinical Practice Guidelines sub-team, as part of work for the Community Rehabilitation Transformation Workgroup. Khim’s teaching areas include neurological physiotherapy, evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning. Her current MOH and research work focus on bridging the gap between research evidence and clinical practice in rehabilitation, and improving physical activity after stroke.

MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation; Singapore

Dr Bang Chungli is an improvement specialist and public health clinician with the National Improvement Unit at MOHT, Singapore, where he leads the Improvement Insights and Analytics arm of the unit.

Currently, Chungli is leading the National Peritoneal Dialysis Collaborative, a large-scale improvement initiative focused on enhancing community-based care for individuals living with end-stage renal disease. In addition, he leads the value-driven diabetes care initiative with the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (PSQI) Division at the Ministry of Health, aligning his efforts with key national strategies such as the War on Diabetes, the 3 Beyonds, and Healthier SG.

Drawing on his prior experience as a frontline clinical doctor, he brings valuable insights to transformative healthcare solutions. His approach emphasises relationship-centred care, moving beyond traditional paternalistic models to foster a more people-focused and data-driven health system.

Director of Operations, Southcentral Foundation; USA

Gerard Asselin is a Director of Operations in Southcentral Foundation’s Anchorage Native Primary Care Center. In his role, he oversees operations for nine primary care clinics, as well as multiple integrated and community-based programs for Primary Care. Gerard holds a Master’s Degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego. Prior to joining SCF in 2023, Gerard served 25 years with the Anchorage Police Department, where he gained experience as a Crisis Negotiator and a Crisis Intervention Team Member. Gerard is a life-long Alaskan, an SCF customer-owner, and a member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe in Kenai.

 

Vice President, Southcentral Foundation; USA 

Doug Eby is Executive Vice President of Specialty Services for Southcentral Foundation’s Malcolm Baldrige Award-winning Nuka System of Care. Doug is a physician executive who has done extensive work with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and other organizations around the Triple Aim, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Patient Centered Medical Homes, whole system transformation, workforce, cultural competency, health disparities, and other topics. His speaking and consulting includes work across the U.S., Canada, and portions of Europe and the South Pacific. Doug has spent more than 20 years working in support of Alaska Native leadership as they created a very innovative integrated system of care that has significantly improved health outcomes. Doug received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his master’s in public health degree from the University of Hawaii.