Ask a Urologist: Dr Png Keng Siang from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital Singapore

I am Dr Png Keng Siang, Urologist based in Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital Singapore. Ask Me Anything! I am a United States fellowship-trained urologist who received my urology specialist board certification from Singapore. I am the first and only urologist in Singapore to be inducted into the Fellow, American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.) after completing a minimally invasive surgery fellowship in the USA at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where I sub-specialised in robotic and laparoscopic surgery for urological cancers. Prior to entering private practice, I was Director of the Robotic Urological Surgery Fellowship Program at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Director of the National Healthcare Group Urology Residency Program and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. I am a member of the American Urological Association, Endourological Society (USA) and served on the Executive Committee of the Singapore Urological Association from 2013 to 2020. Currently, I serve as the Joint Committee of Specialist Training Site Accreditor for the Urology Residency Program and is the Vice-President of the Robotic Surgery Society of Singapore. I am a versatile surgeon who can perform a wide range of minimally invasive procedures. Between standard key-hole laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgery, I am adept in both approaches, customising each patient’s unique scenario in offering the best minimally invasive technique. I use innovative techniques such as off-clamp or selective clamping, fluorescent surgery with near-infrared imaging as adjuncts to improve outcomes in my operations. I have trained numerous urologists both locally and abroad in robotic surgery. As the Director of Robotic Urological Surgery in TTSH, I have proctored over 150 robotic procedures and trained fellows from India and Nepal. I was invited to kickstart the robotic surgical program in Ho Chi Minh City at Binh Dan Hospital by performing the first 3 robotic urological operations over 2 days in the history of Vietnam. I participate actively in academic and policy developments of robotic surgery in Singapore. I held the position of Chairman Robotic Review Committee from 2014-2018 in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, overseeing the training and accreditation of all robotic surgeons in the hospital. Nationally, I was instrumental in developing the policy of the use of robotic surgery in the public sector over the years. I was member of the Ministry of Health Health Technology Assessment Committee for Robotic Surgery in 2015, and subsequently appointed as the only urologist in the national workgroup in 2018. I also played advisory roles in the pre-launch commercial evaluations of novel robotic platforms. I have chaired numerous masterclasses in robotic surgery and was the Urology Chairman of the inaugural Asian Summit on Robotic Surgery in 2018. I regularly chair video sessions at the American Urological Association (AUA) and was invited to speak on robotic surgery in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia. I have published my experience and written review articles on robotic surgery in peer-reviewed journals and my surgical videos are published in the AUA Surgical Video Library and the Journal of Videourology. I review manuscripts and surgical videos regularly for the Journal of Endourology and Journal of Videourology. I was Founding Life Member and Honorary Secretary of Robotic Surgery Society of Singapore, before becoming its Vice-President in 2019. I am Member of the Society of Urological Robotic Surgeons (USA) and the only urologist from Singapore to sit on its Education Committee. I am also member of the Endourological Society and International Member of the American Urological Association. Besides my clinical interests, I have served as Program Director of the National Healthcare Group Urology Residency Programme from 2013 to 2018. During my tenure, I led the Program to 2 successful accreditation exercises by the Joint Committee of Specialist Training, culminating in my appointment as Member of the JCST Panel of Site Accreditors from 2018 to 2020. I worked with NTU researchers on how to improve doctors’ communication skills with patients through novel conversational analysis techniques. I continue to provide mentorship and training through my academic activities in the Singapore Urological Association and the Robotic Surgery Society of Singapore and serve as an examiner at Urology Specialty examinations. Learn more about me here: https://patients.smarterhealth.sg/specialist-doctor/png-keng-siang/ I am excited to be here to share/discuss Urological Health with everyone. I will be actively answering questions. Whether you've got questions on urological cancers, robotic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, prostate cancer, prostate biopsies, hormone therapy, prostate conditions, urinary stones, or kidney stones, ask me anything! === Want to ask a question? Submit your question at the bottom of this page. Don’t forget to include your name and email address to get notified when the doctor answers your question.