Prof Tan Kok Hian

Prof Tan Kok Hian is Head, Perinatal Audit & Epidemiology and Senior Consultant, Maternal Fetal Medicine in KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore. Prof Tan has active teaching faculty appointments in 3 medical schools (Duke-NUS as Professor; and both NUS-YLL and NTU-LKC as Adjunct Professor). He is President of Perinatal Society of Singapore and Past President of the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society (OGSS) of Singapore.

Prof Tan initiated and led in the implementation of universal GDM screening and also introduced the new IADPSG criteria in KKH and SGH since January 2016. He is the key champion of GDM universal screening, which has now been adopted in all hospitals in Singapore with obstetric service. As Chairperson of College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. Singapore GDM Committee 2017-2018 and Chairperson, Expert Group GDM Appropriate Care Guide of The Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE), Ministry of Health 2017-18, he was instrumental in leading GDM management. He facilitated the Asia Oceania Consensus in Gestational Diabetes in January 2018. He also initiated and facilitated various national guidelines and Asia Pacific consensus including Optimal Perinatal Nutrition, Physical Activity & Exercise in Pregnancy, Perinatal Mental Health, Sexual Health for Women of Reproductive and Menopause.

Prof Tan is the Lead PI for RIE2020 NMRC Collaborative Centre Grant - Integrated Platform for Research in Advancing Metabolic Health Outcomes of Women and Children (IPRAMHO) which builds core research capability and capacity in metabolic health for women and children of Singapore and Asia. Prof Tan received many awards for his academic and clinical contributions. These included World Health Organisation - UAE Health Foundation Prize 2009 as Integrated Perinatal Care Project Team Leader.

• MBA, SINGAPORE, Singapore Management University
• FRCOG, UK, Royal College of O&G, London
• FAMS, SINGAPORE, Academy of Medicine Singapore
• MMed (O&G), SINGAPORE, National University of Singapore
• MBBS, SINGAPORE, National University of Singapore

• Benjamin Henry Sheares Professor in O&G, Duke-NUS Medical School
• Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
• Group Director & Senior Associate Dean, Institute for Patient Safety & Quality, Duke-NUS Medical School
• Adjunct Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
• Adjunct Professor, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nayang Technological University/Imperial College London

• Public Administration Award – Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (PPA) Gangsa 2019
• MOH Distinguished Senior Clinician Award (DSCA) 2019
• NUS Benjamin Henry Sheares Professorship in Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2019
• Duke-NUS Golden Apple Generativity Award for Educators (Medical) 2019
• Duke-NUS Golden Apple Programme Excellence Awards (Interprofessional Education) for 2022 Lead for SingHealth Duke-NUS THRIVE Programme; 2023 Lead & Convenor for SingHealth Duke-NUS TeamSPEAK Programme; and 2025 Lead & Program Director for SingHealth Duke-NUS Graduate Programme in Patient Safety & Healthcare Quality.
• World Health Organisation - UAE Health Foundation Prize 2009 for excellence in perinatal care as KKH Integrated Perinatal Care Project Team Leader. WHO General Assembly Genva 2009.
• SingHealth Publish! Award (Medical Research) 2015. SingHealth Foundation.
• Benjamin Henry Sheares Memorial Lecture 2013 - Gold Medal Research Award.
• NMRC/MOH Inaugural National Medical Excellence Team Award 2008, Singapore. Team Leader.
• NMRC/MOH Inaugural National Outstanding Clinical Quality Activist Award 2010, Singapore.
• International Society of Ultrasound in O&G. First International Scientific Meeting Singapore - Best Scientific Poster Presentation Award 2004.
• Asian Hospital Management Award 2004 Winner of Patient Safety and Risk Management Category - Integrated Labour Ward Risk Management System.
• Malaysian International Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2013. Dato’ Dr M. Kanagalingam Award for Best Oral Presentation (Obstetrics) - First Prize.
• Singapore Civil Service PS21 Excel Award 2009 - Top 5 Outstanding Activist.

• Perinatal Epidemiology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Pre-eclampsia, Gestational Diabetes, Metabolic Health & Systematic Reviews & Meta-analysis
• Long Term Pregnancy Cohort Studies
• Education, Patient Safety Research and Quality Improvement Research
• Interventional Trials in O&G
• Heath Services/Translational and Implementation Research

• Lifestyle interventions to prevent post-partum T2D in Asian women with a history of GDM (Integrated Hyperglycemia Incentivized Postnatal Surveillance study) NMRC 2021-2026
• Integrated Platform for Research in Advancing Metabolic Health Outcomes in Women and Children (IPRAMHO), National Medical Research Council (NMRC), 2017- 2020.
• The Balaji Sadasivan Endowment - GDM (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus) Care Programme Grant, Temasek Foundation Cares, 2016.
• Multicenter, prospective, double-blind and non-interventional trial evaluating the short-term prediction of PE, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome in pregnant women with suspected PE. PROGNOSIS ASIA, 2015.
• Singapore Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) Therapeutic and Diagnostic Exosomes Development Group Grant - ETPL Gap Fund (Prognostic) A* STAR, 2013.
• Novel Inflammatory Biomarkers for prediction of Preterm Birth & Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes. Discovery of microvesicles/ exosomes associated novel biomarkers in serum of neonates with late-onset sepsis and NEC, National Medical Research Council (NMRC), 2013.
• Investigating serum exosomes as a source of biomarkers to prospectively stratify pregnant women at risk, National Medical Research Council (NMRC), 2011.
• Neonatal & Obstetrics Risk Assessment (NORA) - Improving Adverse Outcomes of Pregnancy, National Medical Research Council (NMRC), 2011.

• Quah PL, Tan LK, Thain SPT, Lek N, Tagore S, Chern BSM, Ang SB, Wright A, Jong M, Tan KH. First Trimester Mean Glucose Level on Continuous Glucose Monitoring Is Associated with Infant Birth Weight. Diabetes Metab J. 2025 Jun 2. doi: 10.4093/dmj.2024.0700. Epub ahead of print.
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• Tang Y, Dai F, Razali NS, Tagore S, Chern BSM, Tan KH. Sleep quality and BMI in pregnancy- a prospective cohort study.  BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Jan 27;22(1):72.  JIF 3.1
• Dai F, Mani H, Nurul SR, Tan KH.  Risk stratification of women with gestational diabetes mellitus using mutually exclusive categories based on the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria for the development of postpartum dysglycaemia: a retrospective cohort study.  BMJ Open 2022;12:e055458. JIF 3.0
• Li LJ, Zhang J, Shub A, Aris IM, Tan KH. Exploring Abnormal Glucose Metabolism in Pregnancy among Australia Chinese Migrants. BMJ Open Diab Res Care 2020;8:e000903. JIF 5.067
• Lee R, Thain S, Tan LK, Teo T, Tan KH. Asia-Pacific consensus on physical activity and exercise in pregnancy and the postpartum period. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2021;7:e000967. doi:10.1136/ bmjsem-2020-000967. JIF 2.49
• He S, Allen JC, Razali NS, Chern BSM, Tan KH. Association between gestational weight gain and pregnancy outcomes in a Singaporean population: A prospective cohort study.  Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2022 May;272:160-165.
• Tang Y, Zhang J, Dai F, Razali NS, Tagore S, Chern BSM, Tan KH. Poor sleep is associated with higher blood pressure and uterine artery pulsatility index in pregnancy: a prospective cohort study.  BJOG. 2021 Jun;128(7):1192-1199. JIF: 6.531
• Tan YB, Quah PL, Tan KH.  Ethnic-specific oral glucose tolerance (OGTT) phenotypes in women with hyperglycemia in pregnancy.BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care 2024;12:e004331. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2024-00433114.
• Quah PL, Loo BKG, Razali NS, Razali NS, Teo CC, Tan KH.  Parental perception and guideline awareness of children's lifestyle behaviours at ages 5 to 14 in Singapore.  Ann Acad Med Singap. 2021 Sep;50(9):695-702.  JIF: 8.713
• Loo BKG, Toh SH, Fadzully F, Zainuddin MA, Abu Bakar MA, Gao JS, Teo JC, Lim EJK, Tan BWZ, Chia MYH, Chua TBK, Tan KH.  An Online Resource for Monitoring 24-Hour Activity in Children and Adolescents: Observational Analysis. JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2024 Nov 18;7:e59283
• Quah PL, Chai SMH, Tan KH.  Differences in glucose readings between the continuous glucose monitoring calibration free interstitial sensors versus capillary blood glucose monitoring by glucometer. Metabol Open. 2024 Apr 18;22:100282
• Quah PL, Tan LK, Lek N, Tagore S, Chern BSM, Ang SB, Wright A, Thain SPT, Tan KH. Continuous Glucose Monitoring Feedback in the Subsequent Development of Gestational Diabetes: A Pilot, Randomized, Controlled Trial in Pregnant Women.  Am J Perinatol. 2024 May;41(S 01):e3374-e3382
• Tan KH et al. Plasma biomarker discovery in pre-eclampsia using a novel differential isolation technology for extracellular vesicles. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2014;211:380.e1-13
• Tan KH et al. Fetal vibroacoustic stimulation for facilitation of tests of fetal wellbeing. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD002963.
• Lai RC et al Derivation and characterization of human fetal MSCs: an alternative cell source for large-scale production of cardioprotective microparticles. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology 2010 48 (6), 1215-1224.
• Lai RC, Yeo WY, Tan KH, Lim SK. MSC exosome ameliorates reperfusion injury through a proteomic complementation. Regenerative Medicine, 2013, Vol. 8, No. 2, Pages 197-209.
• Chen LW et al. Dietary changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period in Singaporean Chinese, Malay, and Indian women: The GUSTO birth cohort study. Public Health Nutr 2013; 28:1-9.
• East CE, et al, Colditz PB, Lau R, Tan KH. Vibroacoustic stimulation for fetal assessment in labour in the presence of a non-reassuring fetal heart rate trace. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013, Issue 1. Art. No. CD004664.
• Chen RY, et al and Tan KH. Incremental Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Screening Strategies in Singapore. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2016 Jan;28(1):15-25.
• Lai RC, Yeo RW, Tan KH, Lim SK. Exosome for Drug Delivery – A Novel Application for Mesenchymal Stem Cell. Biotechnol Adv. 2013 Sep-Oct;31(5):543-51.
• Tan KH, Sabapathy A. Maternal glucose administration for facilitating tests of fetal wellbeing. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Sep 12;9:CD003397.
• Tan KH, Sabapathy A, Wei X. Fetal manipulation for facilitating tests of fetal wellbeing Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD003396.
• Li LJ, Aris IM, Su LL, Chong YS, Wong TY, Wang JJ#, Tan KH#. joint senior authors. Effect of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy on Postpartum Cardiometabolic Risk. Endocr Connect 2018, doi: 10.1530/EC-17-0359 vol. 7 no. 3 433-442
• Li LJ, Tan KH, Aris IM et al Retinal Vasculature and 5-Year Metabolic Syndrome among Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Metabolism. 2017 Oct 16. pii: S0026-0495(17)30278-0.
• Sia AT, Tan KH, Sng BL, Lim Y, Chan ESY, Siddiqui FJ. Use of hyperbaric versus isobaric bupivacaine for spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 May 31;(5):CD005143.
• RWY Yeo, RC Lai, KH Tan, SK Lim. Exosome: A Novel and Safer Therapeutic Refinement of Mesenchymal Stem Cell. Journal of Circulating Biomarkers. Vol 1. Jan 1 2013.
• Zhang B, Wee R, Tan KH, Lim SK. Focus on Extracellular Vesicles: Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles. Int J Molecular Sciences 2016; 17:174
• Agarwal P et al; Tan KH. Comparison of customized and cohort-based birthweight standards in identification of growth-restricted infants. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2016;29:2519-22
• Li LJ, Tan KH, Aris I, Chong YS, Wang JJ, Wong TY. Gestational Retinal Microvasculature with Risk of 5-Year Postpartum Abnormal Glucose Metabolism. Diabetologia. 2017;60:2368-76
• Ho CKM, Tan ETH, Ng MJ, Yeo GSH, Chern B, Tee NWS, Kwek KYC, Tan KH. Gestational age-specific reference intervals for serum thyroid hormone levels in a multi-ethnic population. Clin Chem Lab Med 2017; 55(11): 1777–1788.
• Tan KH, Tan SS, Ng MJ, Tey WS, Sim WK, Allen JC, Lim SK. Extracellular vesicles yield predictive pre-eclampsia biomarkers. J Extracell Vesicles. 2017 Dec 13;6(1):1408390.