In 2007, the British-born professor with Hong Kong family roots moved to Singapore from London to pursue her various passions as a doctor, surgeon, and research scientist.

An outspoken proponent of technology and innovation, particularly in med tech, she was the Executive Director of the National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC) from 2017 until the end of last year.

Reflecting on her tenure at NHIC, which supports innovation and enterprise activities from the public healthcare sector in Singapore, she says, “In 2017, things were just beginning in terms of commercialising homegrown innovations and health tech products. And towards the end of my term, we were looking at implementing some of these initiatives that we have funded earlier on.“

For instance, last October, the NHIC launched the Clinical Innovation and Adoption Initiative to disburse up to $1 million to assist successful applicants in developing and distributing their technologies across the island.

Currently, only about 30 per cent of health tech innovations are widely adopted in a clinical setting, which is important as these innovations help strengthen Singapore’s defence against future healthcare challenges.

BIXEPS by Quantum TX, a device that helps with sports injuries and orthopaedic surgery rehabilitation, was one of the successful projects launched. Currently, it can be found at Alexandra Hospital and other clinical sites on the island.

I have always strived for what’s next because, as a leader, you need to think about future challenges and prepare for them. My modus operandi has always been to leave a place better than when I arrived.

Tireless in her pursuit of medical research, Prof Wong trained at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and completed her PhD at the Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, under Professor Sir Peng T. Khaw. She is currently Head of the Glaucoma Research Group as well as the Ocular Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Research Group at the Singapore Eye Research Institute, which aims to advance eye health innovations.

Along the way, she has also founded two start-ups that have spun out from her research.

One of these, Peregrine Ophthalmic, which started in 2013, is based on a nanomedicine innovation. As an example, with a single injection to deliver time-release drugs in the eye, glaucoma patients won’t need to administer daily eye drops to control their disease for several months.

The team received the President’s Technology Award in 2014. “It was a highlight for Singapore to recognise that meaningful innovations can originate from here and benefit patients worldwide,” she says.

The technology is now in clinical development in the US for another clinical indication for the non- surgical treatment of eyebags. “As a doctor, you go in with good intentions, that you want something to be developed quickly so you can see the benefit for your patients. But when you go to the private side, business-minded individuals look at how much more value your asset can deliver. That is something I learned doing a biotech start-up,” she says.

She also holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the National University Hospital System (NUHS) and is at the same time constantly on the lookout for ways to enhance the sustainability of her field of medicine.

Glaucoma, which can eventually cause blindness due to a damaged optic nerve at the back of the eye, is often treated with prescription eye drops. According to Prof Wong, who founded the Glaucoma Association of Singapore in 2020 to raise more awareness about the disease, the amount of plastic waste generated by eye drop bottles certainly adds up over time.

“We will address the use of bottled medication in glaucoma management and explore ways of repurposing these millions of bottles for something useful. We will also consider the possibility of using recycled plastics from the start,” she says of the initiative, which is currently in planning.

“We need to look after the planet for future generations. I believe that if everyone plays a small part, together we will make a significant and powerful change.”

Aside from wearing several professional hats, she places equal importance on her personal time. “I am a mum and a supportive wife. I cannot neglect these,” she says.

She has been married for two decades and has an 18-year-old son.

“I block out time to spend with my husband whenever I can. Lunchtime is sacred, unless I have meetings,” she says. They often rendezvous for lunch at Tanglin Club, which is a stone’s throw from her office. “We also have date nights and even after 29 years together, we still have a lot to discuss. This keeps me sane.”

Likewise, she isn’t afraid to decline certain engagements when prioritising her family comes first. In particular, to spend time with her son, who is currently studying in the UK, she turns down commitments if they conflict with “key times” on her calendar.

When her multiple responsibilities seem too overwhelming, Prof Wong relies on the adage “it takes a village” to manage some trade-offs. For instance, when her son was a baby, her husband and mother- in-law pitched in to care for him while she completed her consultant training in the UK.

“My husband has always been extremely supportive and enabled me to complete my training. The family network is very important for me. As women, we must recognise that at critical times in our career we should reach out and ask the family network to help us achieve our goals,” she reflects.

Prof Wong is a fierce advocate for women in her workplace, having lived through — and thrived in — her career and life. “I think women are very unique. Multifaceted and versatile, we can have different priorities at different stages of our lives, like the changing of the seasons.

For instance, a woman may want to work part-time to bring up her children and then later on choose to focus on her career,” she says. For those who are aiming for leadership positions, she offers her wholehearted support. At the same time, she empathises with women who tell her they do not have the bandwidth to climb the career ladder at certain points in their life.

“There are several female doctors with young families who want to work part-time. I tell them, ‘Absolutely. Go part-time. When you are ready to come back and take on other roles and challenges, that is the right time to do it’. There is no expiry date to start anything new, it’s just a matter of when.”

Through it all, she remains focused on her mission to improve the lives of others. One of her inspirations is her uncle, virologist Michael Houghton, co- recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus.

“During three decades of research, he went through a gruelling process that improved the health and lives of millions of people. He has always been very unassuming and humble and continues to dedicate himself to research and teaching. That is a quality I really admire,” she says.

I live by this principle: It is not about the end prize, but the journey along the way that provides richness in life and wholehearted personal satisfaction.

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