Conferment of Kenyon-Sengkang General Hospital Faculty Professorship in Healthcare Innovation

The Kenyon-Sengkang General Hospital Faculty Professorship in Healthcare Innovation marks a significant milestone for Sengkang General Hospital (SKH) and has been established through a generous donation from Kenyon Pte Ltd. The professorship aims to empower outstanding clinicians to pioneer research, deliver forward-thinking education, and drive the adoption of innovative clinical practices.

The appointment of Clinical Associate Professor Iris Rawtaer to this distinguished professorship recognises her outstanding leadership in digitally enabled patient-centred innovations across psychiatry, mental health, and ageing-related care.

Clin Assoc Prof Rawtaer joined SKH in 2018 as its pioneer geriatric psychiatrist. She was appointed Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Psychiatry in 2021, and subsequently assumed the role of Director, Research in 2024.

Outstanding Research Contributions and Impact

A clinician-scientist in psychiatry and ageing research, Clin Assoc Prof Rawtaer’s work spans digital health and artificial intelligence (AI), early detection and prevention of cognitive decline, population health, and healthcare innovation. She led one of the earliest large-scale studies in Asia, demonstrating that AI-enabled in-home sensor systems can detect early cognitive impairment with greater accuracy than conventional approaches. Building on this, her work in digital phenotyping has advanced scalable methods for prognostication and longitudinal monitoring across the care continuum, contributing to Singapore’s broader healthcare transformation and Smart Nation agenda. This work has led to multiple high-impact publications, including in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, as well as senior-author publications in AI and biomedical engineering journals.

Over the past decade, she has built a strong and rapidly growing research portfolio, with sustained success in securing nationally competitive grant and programme funding exceeding S$34 million. Her work is grounded in collaborations with leading academic, healthcare, and industry partners in Singapore and internationally, extending the reach and translational impact of her research. She actively supervises trainees across Master’s and PhD programmes, as well as those in clinician-investigator career tracks. She is also involved in the academic community through scientific review panels, advisory committees, and editorial appointments, including associate and guest editor roles for peer-reviewed journals. She has also co-authored book chapters in her areas of expertise and is regularly invited to speak at regional and international forums.

Alongside her translational research, Clin Assoc Prof Rawtaer has led multidisciplinary community-based programmes such as SHINE (Seniors Health: Inspire, Navigate, Empower) and BRIGHT (Building Resilience in Geriatric Health Today), supporting resilience, independence, and mental wellness among older adults. Together, her work bridges research, clinical innovation, and community implementation to create scalable models of preventive mental healthcare across the health system.

Leadership, Education, and Service

As Head of Psychiatry at SKH, Clin Assoc Prof Rawtaer has led the growth and transformation of psychiatric services, including the development of geriatric and adolescent psychiatry, community mental health, neurostimulation services, and digitally enabled care models. Under her leadership, the department has strengthened its clinical, educational, and research capabilities and continues to serve as an important training site for undergraduate and postgraduate education.

In her concurrent role as Director of Research, she provides strategic leadership for SKH’s research ecosystem and clinician-scientist development. She has strengthened research infrastructure, forged partnerships with academia and industry, and nurtured the next generation of clinician-investigators and healthcare innovators. She also leads mental health research strategies across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, shaping translational priorities in mental health and cognitive ageing.

Beyond SKH, Clin Assoc Prof Rawtaer is actively involved in national committees and professional workgroups relating to mental health, dementia, healthy ageing, and research strategy. She is a dedicated educator and mentor and serves as a national examiner in psychiatry. Her contributions to healthcare and public service were recognised with the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) at the 2025 National Day Awards.