Dr Koh Chi-Siong Dean

Dr Dean Koh is a general surgeon practising at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Parkway East Hospital, Singapore. Dr Koh provides specialised care in the treatment of colon and anorectal cancers, inflammatory bowel disease as well as benign colon and anorectal disorders.

A surgeon with 20 years of experience in the field, Dr Koh’s clinical interests include laparoscopic colorectal surgery, robotic surgery, anorectal physiology, endoanal and endorectal ultrasonography.

Following his graduation from the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, Dr Koh completed his basic training and went on to specialise in general surgery, becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow. In 2003, through the Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) Award, he matched in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Colorectal Residency programme and undertook subspeciality training in colon and rectal surgery at the Ferguson Clinic at the Michigan State University. There, he completed the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery fellowship training programme. He also received formal training in laparoscopic colorectal surgery. That same year, he was admitted as a Fellow to the Academy of Medicine Singapore (Surgery).

Prior to establishing his private practice, Dr Koh was a senior consultant at the Division of Colorectal Surgery in the Department of General Surgery at National University Hospital. During his tenure, he served as the director for the Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit at the Division. He was also the programme director for the postgraduate colorectal training programme. With the advent of robotic technology, Dr Koh has also been performing robotic assisted colorectal resections since 2008 and is one of the few Singaporean colorectal surgeons listed on the Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci surgeon locator. He is also currently a visiting professor at the Research Institute against Digestive Cancer (IRCAD France) – ShowChwan Health Care System Asian Institute of TeleSurgery in Taiwan and the Research Institute against Digestive Cancer – European Institute of TeleSurgery (IRCAD-EITS) in Strasbourg, France.

Dr Koh’s dedication to the field goes beyond the clinic and his patients. He is a past president of the Society of Colorectal Surgeons of Singapore and a council member in the College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore. He is also a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Society of Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia.

Teaching is also a passion of Dr Koh. As an adjunct associate professor in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Dr Koh is involved in the moulding of future generations of doctors, and was also the director of Undergraduate Surgery in the Department of Surgery in the school.

Dr Koh has authored more than 50 publications and book chapters spanning a wide range of colon and anorectal conditions. His key publications involve laparoscopic and robotic colorectal surgery. He is also an invited reviewer for the Singapore Medical Journal, Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore, the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, the Yonsei Medical Journal and the British Journal of Surgery. He serves as one of the appointed state experts in colorectal surgery.