Clin Asst Prof Tan Lay Ong

Advocating for children’s health and well-being is my life’s work. I have a strong interest in both general paediatrics and community paediatrics. I am also committed to improving children’s well-being through the education of future doctors and through research.

After completing my paediatric specialty training in 2021, I worked in the Children’s Emergency Department for 1.5 years. I subsequently transitioned to general paediatric outpatient service, where I developed a special interest in community paediatrics.

My work in community paediatrics includes:

1. Project HOME (2023–2025)
   Low-income families with young children often face overlapping challenges in health, education, and social well-being. However, many struggle to access or navigate existing services, which are often fragmented across sectors. I was privileged to be part of Project HOME (HOlistic Management and Enablement), a 2.5-year pilot programme launched in 2023 to deliver integrated, family-centred support in the Sengkang and Punggol regions of Singapore. The programme brings together an interdisciplinary team of nurses, care coordinators, and partner agencies to connect families to appropriate services while building their capacity for sustained care-seeking and positive lifestyle changes.
   
   
2. KidSTART@KKH KIDS 0–3 Service (2025–Present)
   The KidSTART@KKH KIDS 0–3 Service is an integrated system of care that aims to optimise the developmental potential of children from low-income families. It focuses on strengthening parents’ and caregivers’ capacity to provide an environment that supports optimal learning, growth, and development. This is achieved through regular home visits, with intensity tailored to each family’s specific needs. I am grateful to be a member of the medical team in this service.
   
   
3. SingHealth Community Nursing Women’s and Children’s Health Service (2025–Present)
   I play a supporting role in the SingHealth Community Nursing Women’s and Children’s Health Service, which focuses on children’s growth, development, nutrition, and oral health, as well as maternal mental wellness and health coaching. The service also seeks to strengthen the mother-child dyad through transdisciplinary care.

• Graduate Diploma in Family Practice Dermatology (Spore) 2021
• MRPCH (UK) 2016
• MMed Paediatrics (Spore) 2016
• Diploma in Child Health (UK) 2012
• M.B. B.Ch. B.A.O. (NUI Galway, Ireland) 2008

• Associate Consultant, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 2021 - 2023
• Consultant, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 2023 - current

• Second place, Siemens prize award in radiology, NUI Galway, Ireland, 2007

• Unmet needs and barriers to navigating care services in the low-and middle-income families with young children in Singapore: a qualitative study. Tan LO, Chia MS, Tok NY, Yoon S, Fadziulah EN, Koon TH, Chan CM, Wang C, Tan SR, Chan YH.  BMC Public Health. 2025 Mar 20;25(1):1076.
• A single centre study of the level of parents’ satisfaction with the COVID-19 telemedicine consultation. Tan LO, Ganapathy S. European Journal of Pediatrics. 2024 Jan;183(1):213-8.
• A single centre retrospective study of children with dengue in Singapore. Tan LO, Wong MHL, Lim SY, Thoon KC, Chong CY, Yung CF and Tan NWH. Journal Of Pediatrics and Neonatal Medicine. 2021 Apr; 3(2).
• Lack of association between hypothyroxinemia of prematurity and transient thyroid abnormalities with adverse long term neurodevelopmental outcome in very low birth weight infants. Tan LO, Tan MG, Poon WB. PloS one. 2019 Sep 12;14(9):e0222018.
• Primary osteoporosis in children. Tan LO, Lim SY, Vasanwala RF. Case Reports. 2017 Oct 24;2017:bcr-2017.
• Rhabdomyolysis caused by rhinovirus. Tan LO, Thoon KC, Chong CY, Tan NW. Global pediatric health. 2016 Jun 6;3:2333794X16643726.
• A ‘One in a million’ case of pulsating thoracoabdominal mass. Tan LO, Lim SY, Sharif F. Case Reports. 2012 Nov 12;2012:bcr2012007029.