theceomagazine.com | 103“I set the bar high for
people who are working
for me. I expect them to
understand that.”
“Building up your clinical skills to a reasonable level
takes a long time in this field. You need seven or eight
years of accumulating enough experience just to become
proficient at what you’re doing. I’m sure it’s the same in
any profession, whether you are a doctor or lawyer, that
when you’re young, you never think about management
at all. Most doctors are actually very low in the hierarchy.
When you start in the field, going into management is not
even on the horizon.”
Tien Yin attended medical school at the National
University of Singapore (NUS), where he was a President’s
Scholar. Determined to pursue further studies at a time
when clinicians were not encouraged to undertake
postgraduate research, he took leave without pay to
complete his master’s and then a PhD. He chose Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore after being inspired by
a lecture delivered by its Dean Professor Alfred Sommer,
the ophthalmologist credited with discovering the link
between vitamin A deficiency and blindness.
Tien Yin then completed clinical ophthalmology training
at SNEC. A prolific career in academia followed, and today,
Tien Yin has given more than 300 talks that engaged
audiences around the world. He has also published more
than 1,000 peer-reviewed journal articles on topics from
macular degeneration and retinal vein occlusion to the
epidemiology of retinal diseases.
His work has included pioneering multidisciplinary use
of retinal imaging as a predictive tool. This interest was
developed when he established the Singapore
Advanced Imaging Laboratory for Ocular
Research (SAILOR), which has now evolved
to become the SNEC Ocular Reading
Centre (SORC), and continues Tien Yin’s
multidisciplinary and collaborative
approach to his work.
It uses digital analysis of ocular
images to detect and treat diseases
including diabetic retinopathy, age-
related macular degeneration, glaucoma,
corneal diseases and pathological myopia.
It has also added to the understanding of
microvascular pathology in cardiovascular
and cerebrovascular diseases.
Another focus of his work is diabetic
retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that
can lead to irreversible blindness. Currently,
awareness levels are dangerously low with
only 50 per cent of diabetics cognisant of
the risk. With a regular screening of diabetic
patients, however, Tien Yin is confident
that diabetic retinopathy can be eliminated.
He has advocated for greater connections
between institutions like SNEC and general
practitioners to ensure that all patients
assessed as diabetic are also clearly informed
about the risk of diabetic retinopathy and
are screened as early as possible.
Referred to as a ‘pioneering clinician
scientist’ in the local press, Tien Yin has
accumulated an award list so long that
recounting them could fill this article. Some
of the most notable accolades, however,
includes the Sandra Doherty Award from the
American Heart Association; he was the first
ophthalmologist to ever receive the honour.
He also became the first two-time winner
of the Outstanding Researcher Award at the
NUS and the Woodward Medal from the
University of Melbourne. Further, he has
won The President’s Science Award and the
National Clinician Scientist Award, which
are the highest honours a medical scientist
in Singapore can win.
Having secured more than US$50 million
in grants during his stellar career, Tien Yin
brings an extensive understanding of the
world of research funding to his various roles
at SNEC and beyond. He continues to be
heavily involved in the academy and is »“Working with SNEC is both fun and challenging. You get to work with the
best talents, complementing ZEISS innovations to deliver quality eye care
professionally. At the same time, you always have to be at your best to match
their expectations.” – Sujay Debnath, Regional Director, Medical Technology,
ZEISS Southeast Asia
Interview | INNOVATE