SNEC Professorship in Clinical Education in Ophthalmology-current awardee

Professor Tina Wong Tzee Ling

SNEC Professorship in Clinical Education in Ophthalmology

Academic Vice Chair, Faculty & Professional Development, SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme (EYE ACP)

Senior Consultant, Glaucoma Department, Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC)
Director, Faculty Development, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)
Co-Head, Ocular Therapeutics & Drug Delivery Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)

The SNEC Professorship in Clinical Education in Ophthalmology will pave the way towards grooming and supporting our ophthalmologists, researchers and other eye care professionals (nursing, allied health, and administrators) with the resources to assist them in their teaching and mentorship roles. The conferment of the Distinguished Professorship to Professor Tina Wong is an endorsement of her outstanding track record in leadership, research and clinical education over the years.

“It is said that wisdom comes with age. We tend to hear the phrase ‘a wise old man’ more so than ‘a wise young man’. Indeed, time and life experiences bring wisdom. We learn from seniors who provide us with a strong foundation to begin our lifelong learning and professional development. Transitioning from student to teacher is also a process that we embark on. To be a teacher is a clinician’s privilege and duty. From the time we enter medical school, we are learning from everyone around us,” says Prof Tina Wong.

Education and our Environment

Prof Wong believes that learning from our environment is central to our intelligence. “We do this naturally all the time, often without even knowing it,” she says. “I like to think of intelligence as the awareness of the learning opportunities our environment present every day.”

For Prof Wong, she focuses on providing an environment that is conducive for learning, be it in the clinic or in the operating theatre. “Being book smart and learning facts is a small fraction of education,” she says. “No textbook in the world can replace the most precious knowledge from our patients. Our patients allow us a snapshot into their private lives, and we learn from them. It is a mutually beneficial relationship; the patient presents with ailments, and the clinician offers remedies, whilst building up his own personal clinical experiences.”

Education, Research and Innovation

Since ancient times, advances in medicine have relied on building on knowledge passed down from past generations of experts. Identifying gaps or deficiencies in modern day methods and utilising technologies in science, pushes the boundaries of medicine to create innovative solutions. Many inventions are conceptualised from the curious mind of the clinician and utilising advances in technology. “By understanding the limitations of the current treatments, we can challenge the norm and search for a better solution through research and innovation. In an academic medical centre such as SingHealth Duke-NUS, our clinicians are at the heart of this change,” she says.

Education, Personal Relationships and the Future Healthcare

To Prof Wong, education is the very fabric that secures the growth of an organisation, that leads to the expansion of faculty talent and prepares for future challenges in healthcare. “Education is all about people and relationships. Be it with residents, fellows or patients, people are the focus,” she says. She has also made lifelong friendships along the way. Many of her past teachers in ophthalmology, whom she greatly admires and respects, are now her close friends. Bonds forged through education bring generations of people together and enriches lives professionally and personally. She looks forward to seeing how the younger faculty will shape the future of healthcare and she is grateful to be able to play a small part in their professional journey ahead.