NUS names new professorship after veteran heart surgeon

He is lauded for bold vision for medicine's future, push for new frontiers in discovery

- Judith Tan

In his 50 years of medical service, cardiac surgeon Lee Chuen Neng, 72, has held thousands of hearts in his hands.

Having saved so many lives and mentored thousands of young doctors, the surgeon extraordinaire, fondly known as CN, has a special place in the hearts of many.

To appreciate his bold vision for the future of medicine and celebrate his push for new frontiers in medical discovery, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) launched a new professorship in his honour.

Called the CN Lee Professorship in Medical Sciences, it is the latest in a series of professorships initiated by NUS Medicine to recognise outstanding Singaporeans and train the next generation of leaders in medical sciences.

It promotes partnerships with experts from various disciplines to address issues such as cancer, tackle emerging healthcare challenges, and spur important discourse to improve the practice of healthcare in Singapore and abroad.

"We are trying not to do just incremental research of little consequence but something that will change the practice of medicine in a big way. To do that, we need to collaborate with other disciplines, such as bioengineering and pharmacology, in areas of diagnoses and therapeutics - something new that will be for the long term," Professor Lee told The Straits Times.

Prof Lee is the son of the late politician Lee Khoon Choy, a member of the People's Action Party old guard. He is married to Emeritus Professor Aileen Wee, a liver cytology expert, and has three children and two grandchildren.

The CN Lee Professorship was launched officially on April 5 at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore.