Dr Chew Tec Hock Jeffrey

Dr Jeffrey Chew is an orthopaedic surgeon practising in Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Parkway East Hospital, Singapore. He subspecialises in arthritis, hip and knee joint replacements and sports injuries. He is one of the largest users of robotic-assisted joint replacement in Southeast Asia.

Dr Chew completed his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1989. He then underwent basic training and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow and of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, UK in 1994 through the Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) award. He also received his Master of Medicine in surgery at NUS in the same year.

In 1995, Dr Chew received several scholarships to conduct biomechanics research on the patellofemoral knee joint at the Mayo Clinic Biomechanics Laboratory, Minnesota, USA. He presented his work as a finalist for the John Insall award at the American Knee Society. He was subsequently awarded his 2nd HMDP award in 1998 to undertake a 1-year clinical fellowship in the Adult Reconstructive Division of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr Chew was formerly a consultant in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). During his tenure, his various appointments include being the secretary of the organising committee of the Singapore Orthopaedic Association meeting in 2001 and the chairman of the scientific subcommittee for the 2nd National Healthcare Group annual scientific meeting in 2003.

Dr Chew's research interests include patella/kneecap designs and tracking, as well as cartilage transplantation for arthritis. He has won numerous research awards, such as the Russell Hibbs award from the Scoliosis Research Society. In addition, together with Johnson and Johnson Medical, Dr Chew co-designed the Sigma knee prosthesis. Specially designed for the Asian population, this artificial implant allows for better range of knee flexion and higher stability.

Dr Chew frequently conducts instructional courses on hip and knee reconstruction for general practitioners both locally and regionally. In 2005, through the John Insall travel fellowship award from the American Knee Society, he spent more than a month at several prestigious medical institutions in North America to teach and learn with top surgeons in the field.

Dr Chew has been actively involved in community outreach. In recognition of the 3-week work to help victims in tsunami-devastated Sri Lanka, he received the Minister of Health award.