Dr. Kim Guowei

Dr Kim Guowei graduated from National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2007. He completed surgical residency at the National University Hospital (NUH) in 2016, serving as Chief Resident. He was awarded the Healthcare Manpower Development Programme Skills Attachment Award in 2018 and spent a year at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Korea, mastering laparoscopic and robotic surgery for gastric cancer.

With a keen interest in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and education, he served as a Clinical Lecturer for the Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS, from 2014 to 2021, before being appointed as an Assistant Professor in 2021.

Dr Kim has also trained postgraduate doctors in the National University Health System (NUHS) Residency Programme since 2017, serving as Core Faculty and then as Associate Programme Director and finally as Program Director of the NUHS General Surgery Residency Programme, grooming the next generation of surgeons. He was awarded the NUS “Dean’s Excellence Award” for teaching and education in 2017, the “NUS Medicine Fortitude Award” in 2020 for educational contributions during the COVID crisis and the NUH Education Award: GREAT Teacher (Interactive), GREAT Teacher (Didactic) in 2022.

Asst Prof Kim has a strong interest in innovation in surgery, and strongly believes that keeping abreast with advances in technology is quintessential to give Singaporean patients access to the best medical care available.

To this end, he embraces technology such as artificial intelligence and robotics to improve existing techniques to improve patient outcomes. One such example would be the successful performance of robotic telesurgery over a distance of more than 5,000 km between Singapore and Japan in October 2023 (https://youtu.be/BF7N3Pli7gI). He also is an early adopter of new techniques, being part of the team that performed the first Pressurised Intraperitoneal Aerosolised Chemotherapy (PIPAC) procedure in Asia in 2016, conducting several first-in-the-world trials on PIPAC, and was the first in the region to successfully perform mediastinoscopy assisted trans-hiatal esophagectomy (MATHE), for patients in whom conventional esophagectomy approaches are not feasible. Being a keen advanced endoscopist, Dr Kim also performs endoscopic tube and stent insertion, and performs Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) for Achalasia, Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) for Upper Gastrointestinal tumours, Endoscopic Full Thickness Resection (EFTR) for submucosal tumours of the stomach and the first Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) at NUH for bariatric patients.

While in public service, he was also awarded the Esprit de Corps Award (Alexandra Hospital) 2023 for exemplary patient care. He also serves as a proctor and an instructor at local and regional endoscopic and surgical workshops and hospitals, and has been invited to speak at international conferences on robotic surgery, artificial intelligence in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, and on surgical innovation and techniques. Since moving to private practice, Dr Kim still serves as a Visiting Consultant at NUH to continue to contribute to public health care and education.

Advanced Endoscopy (Diagnostic and Therapeutic)

Stomach Cancer Surgery

Esophageal Cancer Surgery

Anti-reflux Surgery

Paraesophageal Hernia Surgery

Treatment of Achalasia

Gallbladder Surgery (Cholecystectomy)

Abdominal and Inguinal Hernia Surgery

Robotic Surgery

Minimally Invasive / Laparoscopic Surgery

Per-oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM)

Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty

Robotic/Laparoscopic – Endoscopic Co-operative Surgery

1. Single-port endo-laparoscopic surgery in combined abdominal procedures; Asian J Endosc Surg. 2013 Aug;6(3):209-13. doi: 10.1111/ases.12037. PMID: 23879412
2. Single-incision laparoscopic hepatic resection in patients with previous hepatic resections: a mini case series. Asian J Endosc Surg. 2014 Jan;7(1):63-6. doi: 10.1111/ases.12072. PMID: 24450347
3. Goal-directed program after sleeve gastrectomy improves weight loss. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2016 Mar-Apr;12(3):518-21. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2015.11.014. PMID: 26944549
4. Is Elective Gastroscopy Prior to Bariatric Surgery in an Asian Cohort Worthwhile? – Obes Surg. 2016 Sep;26(9):2156-60. doi: 10.1007/s11695-016-2060-0. PMID: 26780361
5. Tips and tricks to avoid bile duct injury in SILC: an experience of 500 cases – Surg Endosc. 2016 Nov;30(11):4750-4755. PMID: 26932550
6. Extensive peritoneal lavage after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer (EXPEL): study protocol of an international multicentre randomised controlled trial. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2017 Feb 26;47(2):179-184. doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyw153. PMID: 28173154
7. Totally extra-peritoneal repair for acute incarcerated femoral hernia with intestinal obstruction – Int J Surg Case Rep. 2017;32:16-18. PMID: 28214396
8. The early effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on taste change in a multiethnic Asian cohort. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2017;46(6):254-255. PMID: 28733692
9. Paracaecal hernia: uncommon but important cause of small bowel obstruction successfully managed with laparoscopic surgery. ANZ J Surg. 2017. PMID: 29205731
10. An unfortunate soul: a rare presentation of an uncommon pathology for upper gastrointestinal bleeding. ANZ J Surg. 2017. PMID: 29216681
11. Single-Incision Laparoscopic Transgastric Underrunning and Closure of Cameron Ulcers in Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding – J Gastrointest Surg. 2018 Mar;22(3):553-556. PMID: 29352439
12. Is Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Asian Super Obese a Safe and Effective Procedure? Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2018 May;47(5):177-184. PMID: 29911733
13. Study protocol: phase 1 dose escalating study of Pressurized Intra-Peritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) with oxaliplatin in peritoneal metastasis. Pleura Peritoneum. 2018 Aug 29;3(3):20180118. PMID: 30911663
14. Sleeve Gastrectomy and Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Lead to Comparable Changes in Body Composition in a Multiethnic Asian Population. J Gastrointest Surg. 2019 Mar;23(3):445-450. PMID: 30187324
15. Improvement in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Score Correlates with Weight Loss in Obese Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: a Two-Centre Study from an Asian Cohort. Obes Surg. 2019 Mar;29(3):862-868. doi: 10.1007/s11695-018-3581-5. PMID: 30515622
16. Enhanced recovery versus conventional care in gastric cancer surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. Gastric Cancer. 2019 May;22(3):423-434. PMID: 30805742
17. Pouch Versus No Pouch Following Total gastrectomy – Meta-analysis of Randomized and Non-randomized Studies. Ann Surg. 2019 Jun;269(6):1041-1053. PMID: 31082900
18. Influence of Asian Ethnicities on Short- and Mid-term Outcomes Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Obes Surg. 2019 Jun;29(6):1781-1788. PMID: 30767187
19. Kamikawa Double-Flap Reconstruction After Minimally Invasive Ivor-Lewis Esophagectomy. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019 Jul;108(1):e57-e59. PMID: 30872101
20. 15-year experience of laparoscopic gastrectomy in advanced gastric cancer: analysis on short-term and long-term oncologic outcome. Surg Endosc. 2019 Dec 9. doi: 10.1007/s00464-019-07292-x. PMID: 31820153
21. Follow-up after curative resection for gastric cancer: A survey of surgeons across the Asia-Pacific. Asian J Surg. 2020 Jan;43(1):389-390. PMID: 31677898
22. Laparoscopic Single-Port Transgastric Underrunning of a Dieulafoy Lesion. Videoscopy Vol. 30, No. 1. Published Online:31 Jan 2020 https://doi.org/10.1089/vor.2019.0607
23. Effect of bariatric surgery on glycemic profiles in multiethnic obese nondiabetic Asians. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2020 Mar;16(3):422-430. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2019.11.017. Epub 2019 Dec 3. PMID: 31954632
24. Laparoscopic gastrectomy and metastasectomy for stage IV gastric cancer. Surg Endosc. 2020 Apr 27. doi: 10.1007/s00464-020-07592-7. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32342215
25. Maternal and fetal outcomes of Asian pregnancies after bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2020 Apr;16(4):529-535. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2020.01.017. Epub 2020 Jan 23. PMID: 32085937
26. Metabolic outcomes after revisional bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2020 Jun 6:S1550-7289(20)30310-5. PMID: 32711955
27. Safety, pharmacokinetics and tissue penetration of PIPAC paclitaxel in a swine model. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2020:S0748-7983(20)30556-4. PMID: 32800400
28. PIPAC-OX: A Phase I study of Oxaliplatin-based Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) in Patients with Peritoneal Metastases. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Nov 4:clincanres.2152.2020. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-2152. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33148667
29. Frailty in Elderly Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Gastrectomy. Dig Surg. 2020 Dec. doi:10.1159/000511895 PMID: 33291099
30. Anaesthesia considerations and techniques for Pressurised IntraPeritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC). Pleura Peritoneum. 2020 Nov. PMID: 33575459
31. Extensive peritoneal lavage with saline after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer (EXPEL): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Feb;6(2):120-127. PMID: 33253659
32. Association of metabolic-bariatric surgery with long-term survival in adults with and without diabetes: a one-stage meta-analysis of matched cohort and prospective controlled studies with 174 772 participants. Lancet. 2021 May 15;397(10287):1830-1841. PMID: 33965067
33. Admission discipline and timing of admission may influence outcomes for gastrointestinal bleeding patients. ANZ J Surg. 2021 Sep;91(9):1832-1840. doi: 10.1111/ans.16873. PMID: 33982881
34. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) after peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). Surg Endosc. 2021 Jul 29. doi: 10.1007/s00464-021-08644-2. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34327547
35. 30-Day morbidity and mortality of bariatric metabolic surgery in adolescence during the COVID-19 pandemic – The GENEVA study. Pediatr Obes. 2021 Dec;16(12):e12832. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12832. Epub 2021 Jul 8. PMID: 34240553
36. 30-Day Morbidity and Mortality of Bariatric Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multinational Cohort Study of 7704 Patients from 42 Countries. Obes Surg. 2021 Oct;31(10):4272-4288. doi: 10.1007/s11695-021-05493-9. Epub 2021 Jul 30. PMID: 34328624
37. Induction of gastric cancer by successive oncogenic activation in the corpus. Gastroenterology. 2021 Dec;161(6):1907-1923.e26. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.08.013. Epub 2021 Aug 12. PMID: 34391772
38. Structured Training for Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Residents (STAR Trial)-A Randomized Pilot Study. J Surg Res. 2021 Dec;268:363-370. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.06.073. Epub 2021 Aug 14. PMID: 34399358
39. Single-cell atlas of lineage states, tumor microenvironment and subtype-specific expression programs in gastric cancer. Cancer Discov. 2021 Oct 12:candisc.0683.2021. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0683. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34642171
40. Coronavirus viability in surgical plume and methods for safe disposal: a preclinical model. Br J Surg. 2021 Dec 17;109(1):15-20. doi: 10.1093/bjs/znab385. PMID: 34792098
41. 30-day morbidity and mortality of sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and one anastomosis gastric bypass: a propensity score-matched analysis of the GENEVA data. Int J Obes (Lond). 2021 Dec 15:1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41366-021-01048-1. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34912046
42. Personal motivation, self-regulation barriers and strategies for weight loss in people with overweight and obesity: a thematic framework analysis. Public Health Nutr. 2022. PMID: 35190011
43. Safety of Bariatric Surgery in ≥ 65-Year-Old Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Obes Surg. 2022. PMID: 35513762
44. Effect of BMI on safety of bariatric surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, procedure choice, and safety protocols – An analysis from the GENEVA Study. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2022. PMID: 35718696
45. Outcomes of a Phase II Study of Intraperitoneal Paclitaxel plus Systemic Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin (XELOX) for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022. PMID: 36070113
46. ASO Author Reflections: Combination Intra-Peritoneal and Systemic Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022. PMID: 36192514
47. Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Management of Chyle Leak Following Esophagectomy for Cancers: An International Consensus Statement. Ann Surg Open. 2022. PMID: 36199483
48. ASO Visual Abstract: Outcomes of a Phase II Study of Intraperitoneal Paclitaxel Plus Systemic Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin (XELOX) for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022. PMID: 36207480
49. Outcomes of a Phase II Study of Intraperitoneal Paclitaxel Plus Systemic Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin (XELOX) for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases. Ann Surg Oncol. 2023. PMID: 36564654
50. Essential elements of weight loss apps for a multi-ethnic population with high BMI: a qualitative study with practical recommendations. Transl Behav Med. 2023. PMID: 36689306
51. Gastroscopy after positive screening for faecal immunochemical tests and colonoscopy: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2023. PMID: 36763684
52. Clinical relevance of PD-1 positive CD8 T-cells in gastric cancer. Gastric Cancer. 2023. PMID: 36781556
53. Real-World Validation of a Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Prediction of Polyp Histology in Colonoscopy: A Prospective Multicenter Study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023. PMID: 37040553
54. Single-incision transgastric resection for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors in anatomically challenging locations. Surg Today. 2023. PMID: 37204500
55. Safety outcomes of bariatric surgery in patients with advanced organ disease: the ONWARD study: a prospective cohort study. Int J Surg. 2024. PMID: 37800588
56. A 10-year experience with anastomotic leaks in upper gastrointestinal surgery-Retrospective cohort study. Surgeon. 2024. PMID: 38172002
57. A systematic review and meta-analysis of mediastinoscopy-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy (MATHE). Surg Oncol. 2024. PMID: 38330804
58. IFSO Worldwide Survey 2020-2021: Current Trends for Bariatric and Metabolic Procedures. Obes Surg. 2024. PMID: 38438667

1. Singapore Medical Association (2014 – present)
2. Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh (Nov 2016 – present)
3. President Elect, Executive Committee (EXCO), Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society of Singapore (Member since 2018, Secretary from Jan 2022 – present)
4. Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia Society (Life member 2018)
5. Singapore Coordinator (May 2021 – Present), The Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons Society (TUGS)
6. Upper GI lead, Board member, Robotic Surgery Society of Singapore (RS3) (Board and life member since Jan 2023)
7. Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (2020 – present)