Dr Kum Cheng Kiong

Dr Kum is a renowned surgical oncologist (cancer surgeon) in Singapore. His Centre for Screening and Surgery in Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital specialises in the screening and treatment of common cancers such as breast, colon, stomach, thyroid, etc. His motto is ‘Screening Saves Lives’ and believes in detecting cancer early as the cure rate in such situations can be more than 90%. Dr Kum specialises in using minimally Invasive approaches (key-hole surgery) to curing cancer.

Dr Kum is a pioneer in Asia for Minimally Invasive Surgery (Laparoscopic Surgery) and Robotic Surgery. He has extensive experience with laparoscopic surgery for gallstones, hernia and weight management.

In 1994, he was awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan Scholarship to Cologne, Germany, to train in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery. He was also a Fellow in Cleveland Clinic, USA, in 1996. Since then, he has given live demonstration of complex laparoscopic surgery operations in more than 10 countries and has been invited to speak in more than 50 international conferences. He has also published more than 60 papers in peer reviewed journals and 7 book chapters. He was also the Leader of the Singapore International Foundation Specialist Team on Laparoscopic Surgery to Vietnam from 1997 to 2002.

Dr Kum was an Associate Professor of Surgery in the National University of Singapore till 2003, when he joined Mount Elizabeth and Gleneagles Hospitals. He is the immediate Past President of the Singapore chapter of the Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia (ELSA) and was also the Congress President for the 10th Asia Pacific Congress of Endoscopic Surgery that was held in Singapore in August 2011. The congress won the Best Association Conference Award in Asia.