Dr Hee Hwan Tak

Adjunct Associate Professor Hee has been in clinical practice since 1990 when he graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS). His current practice focuses on the management of paediatric and adult spinal conditions, e.g. spinal deformities (e.g. scoliosis), degeneration, tumors, and fractures. He also uses minimally invasive and non fusion techniques to manage various spinal disorders.

Dr Hee obtained his post-graduate degrees in surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow and Edinburgh in 1995. He underwent his training in Orthopaedic Surgery at the National University Hospital (NUH), and completed advanced surgical training in Orthopaedics in 1999. In 2000, he spent a year on a Clinical Fellowship in Spinal Surgery in USA, training at the Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana and the University of Kentucky in Louisville and Lexington.

Prior to starting Pinnacle Spine & Scoliosis Centre as Medical Director and Senior Consultant, Dr Hee served as Senior Consultant and Deputy Head of the University Spine Centre at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NUH. Dr Hee was previously also the Clinical Director at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NUH. He has won multiple awards for excellent patient care including the NUH STAR Award in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, as well as the SPRING EXSA Gold Award in 2009. He is actively involved in the teaching of both undergraduate and post-graduate medical trainees. He has also been invited overseas to many countries to impart and share his knowledge of spinal surgery to his overseas counterparts.

Dr Hee's research interests are in degenerative spinal disease, in particular the basic science of intervertebral disc degeneration and regeneration. His research work was recognised at the 15th Triennial Congress of Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association 2007 and the 81st Annual Congress of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association 2008. Dr Hee is currently Visiting Consultant at Alexandra Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He also holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position at Nanyang Technological University, and is a Visiting Professor at the Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, China.

Dr Hee is a member of several international spine societies including the North American Spine Society, the Cervical Spine Research Society, the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, the Spine Arthroplasty Society, Scoliosis Research Society, and the AO Spine International. He sits on the editorial board of The Spine Journal, the Journal of Orthopaedic Science, the Open Spine Journal, the Open Orthopaedic Journal, and the World Journal of Orthopaedics. Dr Hee is currently President of the Singapore Back Society (since 2005) and past Chairman of the AO Spine Singapore chapter (2007 to 2010).