Dr. Leong Jern-Lin

Otorhinolaryngology / Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgery

Credentials	MBBS (Singapore), FRCS (Glasg)
Language	English, Mandarin Chinese, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia, Hokkien Dialect, Cantonese Dialect, Teochew Dialect
Background	Dr Leong is a Consultant Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon and Director of Sinus and Allergy Services in Ascent Ear Nose Throat Specialist Group. Dr Leong is the first and only Singaporean doctor to be trained in Rhinology and Allergy in the world renowned Cleveland Clinic, USA. The fellowship director was Dr Martin J. Citardi, an international authority in Rhinology. He also pioneered the Immunotherapy treatment in the Singapore General Hospital in 2006. He is internationally recognized for his surgical expertise and academic contributions particularly in the fields of Nasal Allergy, Rhinology and Nasopharyngeal Cancer (NPC) screening. Dr Leong is a leader in the use of minimally invasive endoscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of Sinusitis (FESS) and resection of nasal/anterior skull base tumours. He is also well known in the use of image guided surgery (IGS) and advanced endoscopic work such as Cerebrospinal (CSF) leak repair and trans-sphenoidal pituitary surgery. He is trained to treat Nasal Allergy using both subcutaneous & sublingual immunotherapy. His other interests include Paediatric ENT allergy/ diseases and general ENT diseases. He has a keen interest in research and was awarded the Singapore Cancer Society Overseas Fellowship in 1999. He researched on the effects of Radiation on Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma under the tutelage of Prof Randal Weber and Prof Ruth Muschel from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr Leong is keen in academic teaching. He travels widely internationally to conduct courses in FESS surgeries. These places include Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and others. He is also the Director of the very successful inaugural International Basic Allergy Course, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy in Singapore in July 2010.
Achievements	Dr Leong obtained his medical degree from the National University of Singapore in 1994. He completed his Fellowship examinations in Otolaryngology from the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Glasgow 2000. He was awarded the Fellowship of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) in 2007. The ARS is the world’s largest physician organization whose mission focuses upon the medical and surgical treatment of patients with diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses. In 2005, Dr Leong received the Singhealth Health Manpower Development Programme award from the Ministry of Health to be trained in Rhinology and Allergy. He was the first Singaporean doctor to be accepted into this prestigious one-year hands-on fellowship programme at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. The fellowship director was Professor Martin J. Citardi, and Co-Director Professor Pete Batra, both of whom are international authorities in Rhinology. Professor Citardi is currently the chairman of the department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck surgery, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, USA. Since his return to the Singapore General Hospital in 2005, Dr Leong has pioneered the usage of Image-guided surgery in ENT, especially in functional endoscopic sinus surgeries (FESS) and minimally invasive endoscopic surgeries of sinonasal and skull base tumours. He was in the evaluation committee for the setting up of the Khoo Teck Puat Neuro-Navigation Integrated Operating Suites, which is the world’s first state-of-the-art digitally-integrated neuroscience centre. Dr Leong always had a keen interest in both basic and clinical science research and was awarded the Singapore Cancer Society Overseas Fellowship in 1999. He researched on the effects of Radiation on Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma under the tutelage of Professor Randal Weber and Professor Ruth Muschel from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA from 1999 to 2000. He was the first ENT resident in the Singapore Otolaryngology residency programme to be granted this unique research opportunity as part of the residency programme. Dr Leong’s academic achievements were affirmed by being the only Singaporean ENT doctor to have won prizes at the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Annual Meeting, 2003 (Poster, 3rd place) and the American Rhinologic Society, 2005 (Poster, 1st place). (Pg 49) Dr Leong had also published extensively in both local and international peer reviewed journals. He had also authored in book chapters of Head and Neck Surgery and Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. He is the principal investigator for over 9 research projects and was awarded the prestigious Health Services Development Programme grant (over $700,000) in 2006 from the Ministry of Health to study the use of Computed Tomography/Magnetic resonance imaging (CTMR) fusion scans in minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery. He was also the lead investigator in the study of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma screening using Narrow Band Imaging. Other research areas include the skin prick tests and immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis. Dr Leong is also an appointed reviewer for both the Singapore Medical Journal and Respirology.

Credentials

MBBS (Singapore), FRCS (Glasg)

Language

English, Mandarin Chinese, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia, Hokkien Dialect, Cantonese Dialect, Teochew Dialect

Background

Dr Leong is a Consultant Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon and Director of Sinus and Allergy Services in Ascent Ear Nose Throat Specialist Group.

Dr Leong is the first and only Singaporean doctor to be trained in Rhinology and Allergy in the world renowned Cleveland Clinic, USA. The fellowship director was Dr Martin J. Citardi, an international authority in Rhinology. He also pioneered the Immunotherapy treatment in the Singapore General Hospital in 2006.

He is internationally recognized for his surgical expertise and academic contributions particularly in the fields of Nasal Allergy, Rhinology and Nasopharyngeal Cancer (NPC) screening. Dr Leong is a leader in the use of minimally invasive
endoscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of Sinusitis (FESS) and resection of nasal/anterior skull base tumours. He is also well known in the use of image guided surgery (IGS) and advanced endoscopic work such as Cerebrospinal (CSF) leak repair and trans-sphenoidal pituitary surgery. He is trained to treat Nasal Allergy using both subcutaneous & sublingual immunotherapy. His other interests include Paediatric ENT allergy/ diseases and general ENT diseases.

He has a keen interest in research and was awarded the Singapore Cancer Society Overseas Fellowship in 1999. He researched on the effects of Radiation on Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma under the tutelage of Prof Randal Weber and Prof Ruth Muschel from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr Leong is keen in academic teaching. He travels widely internationally to conduct courses in FESS surgeries. These places include Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and others. He is also the Director of the very successful inaugural International Basic Allergy Course, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy in Singapore in July 2010.

Achievements

Dr Leong obtained his medical degree from the National University of Singapore in 1994. He completed his Fellowship examinations in Otolaryngology from the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Glasgow 2000.

He was awarded the Fellowship of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) in 2007. The ARS is the world’s largest physician organization whose mission focuses upon the medical and surgical treatment of patients with diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses.

In 2005, Dr Leong received the Singhealth Health Manpower Development Programme award from the Ministry of Health to be trained in Rhinology and Allergy. He was the first Singaporean doctor to be accepted into this prestigious one-year hands-on fellowship programme at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. The fellowship director was Professor Martin J. Citardi, and Co-Director Professor Pete Batra, both of whom are international authorities in Rhinology. Professor Citardi is currently the chairman of the department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck surgery, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, USA.

Since his return to the Singapore General Hospital in 2005, Dr Leong has pioneered the usage of Image-guided surgery in ENT, especially in functional endoscopic sinus surgeries (FESS) and minimally invasive endoscopic surgeries of sinonasal and skull base tumours. He was in the evaluation committee for the setting up of the Khoo Teck Puat Neuro-Navigation Integrated Operating Suites, which is the world’s first state-of-the-art digitally-integrated neuroscience centre.

Dr Leong always had a keen interest in both basic and clinical science research and was awarded the Singapore Cancer Society Overseas Fellowship in 1999. He researched on the effects of Radiation on Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma under the tutelage of Professor Randal Weber and Professor Ruth Muschel from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA from 1999 to 2000. He was the first ENT resident in the Singapore Otolaryngology residency programme to be granted this unique research opportunity as part of the residency programme.

Dr Leong’s academic achievements were affirmed by being the only Singaporean ENT doctor to have won prizes at the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Annual Meeting, 2003 (Poster, 3rd place) and the American Rhinologic Society, 2005 (Poster, 1st place). (Pg 49) Dr Leong had also published extensively in both local and international peer reviewed journals. He had also authored in book chapters of Head and Neck Surgery and Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. He is the principal investigator for over 9 research projects and was awarded the prestigious Health Services Development Programme grant (over $700,000) in 2006 from the Ministry of Health to study the use of Computed Tomography/Magnetic resonance imaging (CTMR) fusion scans in minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery. He was also the lead investigator in the study of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma screening using Narrow Band Imaging. Other research areas include the skin prick tests and immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis. Dr Leong is also an appointed reviewer for both the Singapore Medical Journal and Respirology.