About Researcher

Dr. Fong Sheng is a budding geriatrician clinician-scientist with expertise in the fields of geriatric medicine and geroscience. He is interested in using data science and machine learning techniques to develop clinical classifiers of physiological resilience and reserve (e.g. “biological ageing clocks” using routine clinical measures/parameters and “-omics” data). He aims to apply these clocks to clinical pathology (e.g. cognitive decline) to predict health outcomes and stratify risk in geriatric patients. In this context, one of his current projects involves developing molecular biomarkers, with an aspect focusing on chronic inflammation, for dementia staging in a Singapore cohort of geriatric patients.

Education & Training

• ​Fellowship of Academy of Medicine, Singapore (Geriatric Medicine), 2021
• Certificate of Specialist Accreditation (Geriatric Medicine), 2021
• Master of Medicine (Internal Medicine), 2018
• Member of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (United Kingdom), 2017
• Doctor of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore, 2015
• Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Life Sciences, National University of Singapore, 2010
• University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore, 2010

Professional Appointments & Committee Memberships

• Clinical Senior Lecturer, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
• Clinical Instructor, Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore
• Physician Faculty Member, SingHealth Geriatric Medicine Residency Programme
• Associate in Education, SingHealth
• Physician Faculty Member, SGH, SingHealth PGY1 Programme

Awards

• National Medical Research Council, Research Training Fellowship, 2022
• Singapore General Hospital Service Quality Award, Service with a Heart Award, 2022
• SingHealth Long Service Award, 2021
• SingHealth Healthcare Hero, 2021
• OneCGHCares Presentation – Certificate for compliment from patient, 2020
• RISE (Residency in SingHealth Excels) Award, Outstanding Resident Award, 2019
• SingHealth Best Quality Improvement Project Team Award, 2019
• SingHealth Best House Officer Award, 2016
• Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore, Certificate of Appreciation for contribution as Duke-NUS alumnus, 2016
• SingHealth Medicine Scholarship, 2011
• National University of Singapore, Singapore Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medal, 2010
• National University of Singapore, Sung Kah Kay Memorial Prize, 2010
• National University of Singapore, President’s Honour Roll, 2010
• National University of Singapore, Biochemistry Honours Book Prize, 2010
• National University of Singapore, Dean’s List, 2010
• National University of Singapore, Dean’s List, 2009

Research Interests

• Biomarkers of Ageing and Ageing-related Diseases
• Risk Stratification in Geriatric Populations
• Cognitive Ageing
• Frailty and Sarcopenia

Publications

1. Theik DO, Fong S, Ang AGC. Sealed perforation of jejunoileal diverticulitis: a case report. Asian Journal of Gerontology & Geriatrics 2022; 17(1).
2. Teo E, Lim JSY, Fong S, Larbi A, Wright G, Tolwinski N, and Gruber J. A high throughput drug screening paradigm using transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans model of Alzheimer’s disease. Translational Medicine of Aging 2020; 4: 11-21.
3. Teo E, Fong S, Tolwinski N, and Gruber J. Drug synergy as a strategy for compression of morbidity in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Alzheimer’s disease. GeroScience 2020; 42(3): 849.
4. Teo E, Ravi S, Barardo D, Kim H-S, Fong S, Cazenave-Gassiot A, Tan TY, Ching J, Kovalik J-P, Wenk MR, Gunawan R, Moore PK, Halliwell B, Tolwinski N, and Gruber J. Metabolic stress is a primary pathogenic event in transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans expressing neuronal human amyloid beta. Elife 2019; 8: e50069.
5. Fong S, Ng LF, Ng LT, Moore PK, Halliwell B, and Gruber J. Identification of a previously undetected metabolic defect in the Complex II Caenorhabditis elegans mev-1 mutant strain using respiratory control analysis. Biogerontology 2017; 18(2): 189-200.
6. Fong S1, Teo JWE1, Ng LF, Chen C, Lakshmanan LN, Tsoi SY, Moore PK, Inoue T, Halliwell, B, and Gruber J. Energy crisis precedes global metabolic failure in a novel Caenorhabditis elegans Alzheimer Disease model. Scientific reports 2016; 6(1): 1-9. 1Both authors contributed equally to this work.
7. Gruber J, Chen C, Fong S, Ng LF, Teo JWE, and Halliwell B. Caenorhabditis elegans: What we can and cannot learn from aging worms. Antioxidants & redox signaling 2015; 23(3): 256-279.
8. Gruber J1, Fong S1, Chen C, Yoong S, Pastorin G, Schaffer S, Cheah I, and Halliwell B. Mitochondria-targeted antioxidants and metabolic modulators as pharmacological interventions to slow ageing. Biotechnology advances 2012; 31(5): 563-592. 1Both authors contributed equally to this work.
9. Gruber J, Ng LF, Fong S, Wong YT, Koh SA, Chen C, Shui G, Cheong WF, Schaffer S, Wenk M, and Halliwell B. Mitochondrial changes in ageing Caenorhabditis elegans – what do we learn from superoxide dismutase knockouts? PLoS one 2011; 6(5): e19444.
10. Schaffer S, Gruber J, Ng LF, Fong S, Wong YT, Tang SY, and Halliwell B. The effect of dichloroacetate on health- and lifespan in C. elegans. Biogerontology 2011; 12(3): 195-209.
11. Fong S, Gruber J, and Halliwell B. Measuring reactive oxygen species in C. elegans using DCFDA – a word of caution. Worm Breeder’s Gazette 2010; 18(2): 11.
12. Pun PB, Gruber J, Tang SY, Schaffer S, Ong RL, Fong S, Ng LF, Cheah I, and Halliwell B. Ageing in nematodes: do antioxidants extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans? Biogerontology 2010; 11(1): 17-30.

Research Trials

• ​SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine Research Start-Up Grant, 2023