Dr. Lynne Lim

Education

Dr Lynne Lim is currently Senior Consultant Ear Nose Throat – Head & Neck Surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. She is Adjunct Associate Professor to the School of Medicine at National University Singapore, and Visiting Consultant to the ENT Department at National University Hospital.

Lynne graduated with the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Science degree from National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1992, and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1996 on completion of the ENT specialty exam. In 2001, she was accredited as a Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Singapore Medical Council.

Lynne was further awarded a Healthcare Manpower Development Program (HMDP) Fellowship for ENT Surgery and National Medical Research Council Research Fellowship for research to Cincinnati Children Hospital Medical Centre, Ohio, USA. She spent 3 years between 2001 to 2003 there at CCHMC, a world-renowned American ENT Board Accredited medical and research centre, mentored by Professors Robin Cotton and John Grienwald.

Between 2002 to 2004, Lynne completed her Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard School of Public Health, USA. Her second MOH HMDP award in 2008 -2009 was for reconstruction surgery of complex microtia/ atresia/ middle ear bones pathology at leading centers of Stanford Medical Centre (USA), University of Virginia Medical Centre (USA), and Nagata Plastic and Ear Reconstruction Clinic (Japan).

Professional Experience

Lynne was Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine from 2011 to 2014, and Assistant Dean (Academic Affairs) from 2010 to 2011. She was Vice Chairman of Medical Board (Medical Affairs-Human Resource) at National University Hospital (NUH) from 2011 to 2013.

Lynne was awarded Associate Professor with Tenure at NUS in 2008. She was very much involved in the teaching of medical students, ENT trainees and fellows. Additionally, she has been in the teaching advisory committees and a faculty for the NUS Master of Science on Speech Language Pathology, Master of Science in Audiology, Master in Clinical Investigation and Nursing Diploma programs. Lynne is well sought after as a speaker and expert faculty, with hundreds of engagements at regional and international surgical workshops, clinical, research and public meetings.

Lynne has been Senior Consultant ENT Head and Neck Surgeon since 2004; and Director at the NUH Centre for Hearing Intervention & Language Development since 2006. She lists as her happiest achievement, the nurturing of a young team of 3 to its tight-knit one of 21 audiologists/ audio-technicians and speech language/ auditory verbal therapists in 2014 delivering a full adult and pediatric service. She has performed hundreds of cochlear, middle ear and bone anchored hearing implants. She has led many surgical workshops and complex surgeries and been on the advisory committees of airway and hearing/ cochlear implant centers in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Middle East.

Lynne consults in adult and pediatric cases of general ENT like ear, hearing, tinnitus, giddiness, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, snoring, adenoid and tonsils, throat, voice, head and neck lump problems. She is further sub-specialized to manage complex cases of hearing loss (microtia, atresia and middle ear tumor and ear bone reconstruction surgery, cochlear implants, middle ear implants like Vibrant Soundbridge, BoneBridge, bone anchored hearing aids; airway reconstruction (laryngotracheal reconstruction for stridor, tracheotomy and voice problems); ENT problems in syndromic children (eg Down Syndrome); soft palate and pharyngeal surgery for hypernasal unclear speech.

Accolades and Pioneering Achievements

In Singapore, Lynne pioneered simultaneous anterior and posterior rib graft reconstruction for severe subglottic airway stenosis for stridor in children (2004) and sphincteroplasty for velopharyngeal insufficiency for unclear speech (2004). She set up genetic testing of hearing loss service at NUH (2005), performed the first simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant surgery (2005), and also the first totally-implantable (“invisible”) Carina middle ear implant surgery (2008). Lynne & her team at NUH have led strongly in Singapore and Asia to manage Central Auditory Processing Disorders in children since 2005.

In 2006, Lynne was the first in Asia to perform the Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implant surgery. After this implant on the incus middle ear bone, she continued with first such surgeries in 2007 for the implant onto the round window, and in 2008 for implant onto the stapes ear bone.

Lynne is the Founding Director of the first Singapore Master of Science in Audiology degree program which inaugurated in August 2013 at NUS. She has garnered a significant Siemens donation that enables the set-up, infrastructure building of special audiology and teaching rooms, manpower hire and long-term sustenance of the program at the NUS and NUH. This unique collaboration between industry, hospital and medical school and audiology professionals is a significant milestone in her continual efforts to elevate the profile of Audiology and improve on the hearing health ecosystem in Singapore.

Teaching and Research Profile

Education & Mentorship
Lynne has enjoyed teaching widely over the years, for Medical students, ENT trainees, ENT fellows, nurses, Master of Public Health, Master of Clinical Investigation, Change workshop, Mater of Audiology, Master of Speech Language Pathology, School of Design students. She is an examiner for ENT Basic and Advanced Trainees examinations and specialty accreditation, Founding Training Advisory Committee for the MSc in Speech and Language Pathology, and MSc in Audiology, and member of the Residency Advisory Committee for ENT, MOH. She has published book chapters on 1. Airway Obstruction, 2. Hearing Loss and 3. Speech and Resonance Disorders in “Ear Nose and Throat Disorders for the General Practitioner” and a book chapter on Common ENT Conditions in “Paediatrics On-The-Go”.

Innovation & Research
Lynne’s research focuses recently have been in hearing loss, novel biomedical devices, trachea airways, allergic rhinitis and health service delivery and public health. She recently completed a study on telephone administered hearing screening tests for the public. Currently, she is continuing with research grants for a hand-held device to insert grommet tubes for glue ears in the clinic, for bioabsorbable grommet tubes that self destruct after a few months, and new hearing service delivery method via minivans for the community.

Lynne has published consistently in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and is often invited to share her work at regional and international research conferences. She worked with Health Promotion Board MOH as lead for the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rhinosinusitis and Functional Screening for Hearing Loss in the Elderly, and also for expert resource in the Hearing Loss section for the National Health Survey 2010.

Competitive research grants as primary investigator:

1. Economic Development Board Singapore, Biomedical Sciences POC (Proof of Concept) Grant, $200 000, Oct 2007 – Sept 2008. Development of and Determination of the Efficacy and Safety of a Novel Drug-Eluting Absorbable Stent for Trachea Stenosis.
2. Biomedical Research Council Singapore /ASTAR Award S$197,000 (2005-2009). Genotypic & Phenotypic Correlations of Hereditary Non-Syndr, mic Hearing Loss in Singapore: Connexin 26, Connexin 30, Pendrin & A1555G mutations.
3. NUS Office of Life Science Grant Start Up Award (2005 – 2008). The Role of Microbes in Non-Allergic Rhinitis and Otitis Media with Effusion in Children. Collaboration with Karonlinska University, Sweden. SGD 100,000.
4. National Research Foundation Collaborative Research Project CRP 8 million SGD Grant – SGD200, 000. Novel Drug Eluting Bioabsorbable Stent for Trachea Stenosis. (Jan 2010-Mar 2012).
5. National Research Foundation, Proof of Concept Grant, June 2010 –30 Nov 2011. Primary Investigator. Development of a novel bioabsorbable ventilation tube for chonic middle ear infection. SGD200,000.
6. Health Service Research CRG, Health Service Development Program Grant, MOH.. Primary Investigator. An Automated Telephone-Administered Hearing Test for Mass Screening of Hearing Loss in Singapore. SGD 973,632,000.
7. Biomedical Engineering Programme (BEP) POC Grant, ASTAR. SERC grant # 103 1490002. Clinical PI. Office-based Ventilation Tube Applicator for Patients with Otitis Media with Effusion SGD 497,365.
8. Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology SMART Innovation Grant – 1 Dec 2012 –July 2015. A novel biodegradable ventilation tube with sustained drug-eluting property for treatment of middle ear effusion. $250,000
9. BEP-ASTAR POV Grant, SERC . Office-based ventilation tube applicator for patients with otitis media with effusion. Ventilation Tube Application for Patients with Otitis Media with Effusion.1 Sept 2013 – 31 Aug 2015, $1,683,044.
10. MoH Health Service Development Programme HSDP Fund. Community based mobile hearing van service to improve hearing service., June 2014 – May 2016, SGD 4,870,826,

Patents

1. Venkatraman SS, Ng AHC, Boey FYC, Lim LHY. A Bioabsorbable Tracheal Stent, And Method of Manufacturing Thereof. Filed 21 March 2012. A Biodegradable Tracheal Stent and Method of Manufacturing Thereof. US Provisional Patent #61/454,858.
2. Provisional Singapore Application: New Invention Disclosure: Title: Apparatus for Office-based Grommet Tube Insertion; ILO Ref: 12235A. A*STAR Grant No: 103 149 0002. 1st Sept 2012.
3. Lynne HY Lim, Gan CW, Chooi WH, Venkatraman SS, Ng AHC, Wong YS. Bio-absorbable Medicament-Eluting Ventilation Tube. Filed 30 Sep 2013 – PCT/SG2013/00042

Selected Research Publications

1. Lynne Lim HY, Christopher Goh HK. Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis to the Sinonasal Area. ENT Journal 2001 July; 80 (7): 462-467.
2. Lynne Lim HY, Soo KC, Chong YK, Gao F, Hong GS, Lim TH. Well -differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma – Factors predicting recurrence and survival. Singapore Med J 2002; 43(8): 399-402.
3. Lynne HY Lim, JH Greinwald, Jr. Current status of genetics in the evaluation and management of sensorineural hearing loss. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2002, 10:435–439
4. Lynne Lim HY, Chao SS, Goh HK, Ng CY, Goh YH, Khin LW. Parotid gland excision – 4 year review of 118 patients. Head and Neck Journal 2003; 25(7): 543-548.
5. Lynne Lim HY, LE Loong, Goh HK, A Balakrishnan, J Wee. Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Children. International Journal of Clinical Practice 2003; 57(10): 871-4.
6. Greinwald JH, Bradshaw JK, Lim LHY et al. Mutations in the GJB2 gene among Bangladeshi with non-syndromic hearing impairment. American Journal of Human Genetics 71(4); 2121 Suppl. S Oct 2002.
7. Lynne Lim, C Hartnick, JP Willging. Rare Case of Combined Type I and II First Branchial Sinus. J of Pediatr Surg Oct 2003, 38(10): E12-E13.
8. Lynne H. Y. Lim , Manoj Kumar and Charles M. Myer, III Head and neck trauma in hospitalized pediatric patients. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, 130 (2), Feb 2004, Pages 255-261.
9. Lynne HY Lim, Azizkhan RG, Cotton RT , Wood RE, Cohen AP, MJ Rutter. Complications of metallic stents in the pediatric airway. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surgery 2004; 131: 355-61. Preciado DA, Lynne HY Lim, Cohen AP, Madden C, Myer D, Ngo C, Bradshaw JK, Lawson L, Choo DI, Greinwald JH. A diagnostic paradigm for childhood idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004; 131: 804-9.
10. RS Rana, B Tang; L Zhang ; H Garg; DY Wang ; Lynne HY Lim. Reverberation Canceling Wireless Aid for Hearing Impaired. Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing, 2007; 51(3):155-167.
11. Pediatric Hearing Impairment Caregiver Experience: Impact of Duration of Hearing Loss on Parental Stress. Meinzen-Derr J, Lim LH (co-first author), Choo DI, Buyniski S, Wiley S. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2008 Nov: 72(11):1693-1703.
12. Lynne Lim. A Multidisciplinary Approach to The Management of Congenital Hearing Loss – Program at the Centre for Hearing Intervention and Language Development, National University Hospital Singapore. Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore. Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore; Dec 2008, Suppl 3; 37(12): 57-9.
13. Management of Rhinosinusitis and Allergic Rhinitis Clinical Practice Guidelines Dec 2009, Ministry of Health: Section on PEDIATRIC RHINOSINUSITIS.
14. Functional Screening for Elderly Singaporeans – Clinical Practice Guidelines Jan 2010, MOH: Section on HEARING LOSS
15. Lynne Hsueh Yee Lim, Jocelynne del Prado,Ling Xiang, Abdul Rahman Bin Yusof , Jenny Hooi Yin Loo. Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implantations: experience at National University Hospital Singapore. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Head & Neck, 2012 Sep; 269(9):2137-43.
16. Lynne Lim Hsueh Yee, Amilia Wee Li Yan, Ragnar Rylander. Otitis, rhinitis and atopy in relation to domestic endotoxin and beta-glucan exposure among children in Singapore. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, Sept 2010; 15(5), 271-275.
17. Idris Nurliza, Lim LHY. Discoloration leading to black eschar over the nose: Invasive Fungal Sinusitis. Journal Pediatric Child Health. 2010 Dec; 46(12):779, 789
18. G. H. Zhu, Anthony H. C. Ng, Subbu S. Venkatraman, Freddy Y. C. Boey, Amilia L. Y. Wee, Scott L. Trasti, Lynne H. Y. Lim. A Novel Bioabsorbable Drug-Eluting Tracheal Stent. Laryngoscope 2011, 121, 2234–2239.
19. Nurliza Idris, Lynne Lim HY. Retrospective Review of Grommet Insertions For Otitis Media With Effusion In Children in Singapore. Medical Journal of Malaysia 2011 Aug; 66(3):227-30.
20. Lynne Hsueh Yee LIM, Ling XIANG, J del PRADO, Millo Achille BELTRAME. Simultaneous Vibrant Soundbridge Implantation & 2nd Stage Auricular Reconstruction for Microtia with Aural Atresia. Audiology Research 2011; 1:e28, 9-12.
21. Lynne Lim, Somasundaram Subramaniam, Xu LiQing, Chiea-Chuen Khor, Denise Goh, and Yeh Ing Berne. Clinical, Audiometric, Radiologic, and Genetic Profiles of Southeast Asian Children With Hearing Loss Due to Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct. Otology & Neurotology 2011, 32:1464-1467.
22. Ng AH, Ng NS, Zhu GH, Lim LHY, Venkatraman SS.A fully-degradable tracheal stent: in vitro and in vivo characterization of material degradation. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2012 Apr;100(3):693-9
23. Er Poi Voon, Tan Kok Kiong, Arun S. Narayanan, Clarence W. de Silva, Lim Hsueh Yee Lynne. Control and Intelligent Systems, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2013, 1. Development of digital Pseudo binaural hearing aid.
24. Techinical: **Tan KK, Liang WY, Phan LP, Huang SN; Clinical: **Lim HYL, Gan CW. 2012. Control Of A 2-DOF Ultrasonic Piezomotor Stage For Grommet Insertion. Mechatronics. Dec 2013, 23(8):1005-1013. (** Joint 1st authors)
25. Gan, CW, WH Chooi, HC Ng, YS Wong, SS Venkatraman and LHY Lim, “Development of a Novel Biodegradable Drug-Eluting Ventilation Tube for Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion”. Laryngoscope, (2013).
26. Lynne HY Lim, Ling Xiang, Naomi YM Lee, Kelvin CP Yuen, Rui Jie Li.Validation of the Paediatric Hearing Impairment Caregiver Experience Questionnaire in the Singapore Population. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2014; Vol. 43 No. 7 July 2014
27. Hear here: Children with hearing loss learn words by listening. Joyce Lew; Alison A Purcell; Maree Doble; Lynne H Lim. International Journal of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology 78 (2014) 1716–1725