The Clinical Track at ICBME 2026 brings together four very different perspectives on this journey. Dr Steven Kum and Dr Guo Yijia, practicing clinicians working with MedTech, will share what happens when innovation meets the realities of clinical practice, patients and healthcare systems—including the frustrations, failures and lessons learnt along the way. Irene Cheong and Pauline Erica Tay, working within scientific and innovation organisations, will explore the other side of the equation: how funding, research ecosystems and innovation systems can enable—or constrain—the path from an idea to real-world impact.
Expect an honest conversation about what works, what doesn’t, and why—with practical lessons relevant whether you are a clinician, researcher, innovator, funder or healthcare leader. After their sharing they will also engage in a Q&A session – this is an opportunity for real talk on the challenges of working in MedTech in Singapore!
Early-career attendees (senior Ph.D. students, postdocs, and those in the first years of their professional careers) are welcome.
Indicate your interest at conference registration!*
*please note that attendance will be confirmed at a later date due to space limitations
Early-career attendees (senior Ph.D. students, postdocs, and those in the first years of their professional careers) are welcome.
He is also the Chair of college of healthcare engineering, SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC. A/Prof. Zhong has broad research portfolio on cardiovascular imaging with artificial intelligence, computational modelling, digital twin and the development and application of a range of digital technology. He has published over 180 peer-reviewed papers and more than 12 patents. Prof Zhong has received numerous awards including Singapore Cardiac Society, Asean Federation College in Cardiology, Sijong Medical Award, Singhealth Duke-NUS research excellence award, China Ministry of Education award, Chinese Medical Association Award. He is also the recipient of Singapore National Day Award (Public Administration Medal (Bronze). He is associate editors of JACC Asia, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, JCMR and JMRI.
He is Associate Professor at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Duke-NUS Prehospital Emergency Research Centre, and a Visiting Senior Consultant in the Emergency Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He has led national-scale digital health and AI programmes, including Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Hospital without Walls initiative (S$58M, 130 active projects) and the National Healthcare Group’s Health Empowered by AI Launchpad (S$15M), and was the clinical architect behind Singapore’s myResponder crowdsourced-CPR app, now used by over 260,000 volunteers. His research, spanning more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, covers machine-learning triage tools, prehospital device evaluation, and vital-sign forecasting. At ICBME 2026, he brings a clinician’s frontline perspective to translating biomedical engineering research into real-world health-system impact.
She leads A*STAR’s industry engagements, as well as catalysing globally investible deep tech spin-offs and growing significant value in A*STAR’s existing start-up portfolio.
Since joining A*STAR, Ms Cheong has led productisation and alignment efforts in MedTech, while putting in place strong programmes and partnerships to jumpstart A*STAR’s venture building and spin-off capabilities.
Ms Cheong has prior experience in both the public, private sector and has proven herself to be strong in developing industry-academia partnerships across both the biomedical and physical sciences sectors. She founded and delivered on several noteworthy venture building programmes at the Nat’l University of Singapore (NUS), such as the Lean LaunchPad, JUMPStart and Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP). She is experienced in developing start-up ecosystems and early-stage biotech and medtech investments, having been at EDB Investments based in San Francisco, and running sales and marketing for AstraZeneca based in Brussels and London.
Prior to joining A*STAR, Ms Cheong helmed the Industry Liaison Office at NUS where she led technology commercialisation, industry collaborations and venture development programmes.
Ms Cheong graduated with a Global Executive Master of Business Administration from NUS-UCLA, and a Master of Science, specialising in Microbiology from the Nat’l University of Singapore. She also completed the Harvard Business School General Management Programme.
As the Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer for the Nat’l University Health System, A/Prof Gao is involved in the research and development of immersive technology and its application in clinical care and education, and digital-twin projects. He works extensively with Mixed Reality (MR) technology, utilising MR devices to deliver cutting edge capabilities to clinicians including 3D holographic imaging, real-time computer-vision based imaged analysis, and multisource data integration. He is also responsible for the integration and implementation of 5G wireless technology for hospital infrastructure development and building of secured high-speed integrated data networks. As part of his work, A/Prof Gao is heavily involved in leveraging on MR and wireless communication technology to help advance global surgery initiatives including remote surgical assistance and education. A/Prof Gao also serves as the Vice Chairman of the HIMSS APAC Advisory Board and is a member of the Southeast Asia Public Policy Committee of HIMSS APAC.
His unique combination of frontline clinical expertise, industry leadership, and investment experience enables him to identify and develop opportunities that address unmet needs across the healthcare ecosystem.
Dr Kum graduated from the Nat’l University of Singapore in 2000 and completed advanced surgical training through the Royal College of Surgeons, earning both his Master of Medicine (Surgery) and Fellowship qualifications. He subsequently undertook specialist fellowships in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, and the internationally renowned Heart Centre Leipzig, Germany. He further specialised in advanced diabetic limb salvage and wound care techniques through fellowship training in Milan, Italy.
As the founding Head of the Vascular Service at Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Dr Kum built and led one of the country’s key vascular surgery programs, establishing a strong track record in clinical leadership, service development, and healthcare delivery. He currently maintains an active specialist practice at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
Beyond his clinical work, Dr Kum has developed extensive experience advising and collaborating with leading global medical technology companies. He serves on the Global Advisory Board of Boston Scientific and has advised numerous organizations across the fields of vascular intervention and medical devices, including Abbott Vascular, BD, LimFlow/Stryker, Orbus Neich, FastWave Medical, VCD Medical, Bypass Solutions, and Cagent Vascular.
As Chief Medical Officer of M & L Healthcare, Dr Kum oversees healthcare investment strategy, clinical due diligence, and portfolio development across cardiovascular medicine, dialysis access, interventional oncology, gastrointestinal surgery, and emerging healthcare technologies. His investment approach is grounded in deep clinical insight, a strong understanding of healthcare systems, and extensive relationships across the global medical community.
A respected international educator and thought leader, Dr Kum remains actively involved in physician training, technology adoption, and healthcare innovation. He is the Past President of the Society for Vascular and Endovascular Surgeons of Singapore (SVESS), a founding committee member of Critical Issues in Endovascular Therapy (CIET), and serves on the scientific committees of both the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC) and the VERVE Symposium.
Dr Kum brings a clinician-investor perspective to healthcare investing, combining rigorous medical expertise with strategic vision to support transformative innovations that improve patient outcomes and create long-term value.
Prior to this, she helmed the Innovation and Enterprise Directorate at the Nat’l Research Foundation of the Prime Minister’s Office, pioneering key signatures in Singapore’s innovation and enterprise ecosystem. Pauline has also served in industry as the Chairperson of Technology, Innovation and Productivity at the Singapore Business Federation, Executive Director and Head of Innovation Partnerships at UBS, and COO/CSO at Celligenics. Pauline spent her early career at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), with a PhD in stem cell biology, and bachelors in Biochemistry and Microbiology.
