Singapore General Hospital Certified as HHT International Treatment Center
Increasing access to specialized care is an important part of Cure HHT’s mission. We’ve made significant progress in the last 30+ years, but work remains to realize a future where every patient has access to expert care. This gap in care is particularly present for many in our international community, which is why we’re unveiling a new “International Treatment Center” program aimed at increasing the number of knowledgeable physicians and care teams around the globe.
Today, there are limited physicians with experience with HHT in many regions of the world, leaving many patients undiagnosed or unable to access proper care. While we do not have the resources to rigorously mandate standards and requirements like we do for our North American Centers of Excellence (CoEs), we recognize that helping to educate and grow the number of HHT educated physicians globally can truly save lives.
To that end, we are excited to share that Singapore General Hospital has been newly certified by Cure HHT as an International Treatment Center. They have a skilled, passionate and robust team in place that is well-equipped to provide comprehensive care in a geographic area of unmet need in terms of HHT care.
“Every patient deserves access to specialized care – no matter where they live. Our foundation is the only catalyst able to get this done, and we’re committed to continuing to expand access to knowledgeable care both in the U.S. and abroad. It can truly save lives!” – Marianne Clancy, Cure HHT Executive Director
Creating a network of international teams and individual care providers will help grow HHT knowledge and skills abroad, encouraging the sharing of best practices and developing a higher degree of expertise with HHT with other physicians in their healthcare systems and regions. Sometimes, a few dominos is all it takes to create real momentum!
“In southeast Asia, with an estimated population of 670 million, HHT remains largely underdiagnosed. When diagnosed, the clinical manifestations and symptoms are often managed in isolation. Our center at SGH hopes to provide a centralized referral pathway for HHT patients and aims to guide HHT patients to appropriate screening and treatment in a timely fashion. Further, in partnership with the Cure HHT Foundation, we hope to service as the regional hub for physician education, clinical research and patient advocacy.” – Kristen Alexa Lee, Department of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at SGH
Continuing to expand CoEs within the U.S. remains one of our top priorities. Please stayed tuned for more exciting updates soon!
The multidisciplinary team members at the SGH HHT Treatment Center:
- A/Prof Jason Chang Pik Eu – Head, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, SGH
- Michelle Kam Li Wei – Consultant, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, SGH
- Jeffrey Lau Man Chun – Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, NHCS
- Kristen Alexa Lee – Consultant, Department of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, SGH
- Li Shao-Tzu – Principle Genetics Counsellor, Cancer Genetics Service, Department of Medical Oncology, NCCS
- Prof Ng Heng Joo – Head, Department of Hematology, SGH
- A/Prof Joanne Ngeow Yuen Yie – Head, Cancer Genetics Service, Department of Medical Oncology, NCCS
- Prof Tay Kiang Hiong – Head, Department of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, SGH
- Neville Teo Wei Yang – Senior Consultant, Department of Otorhinolaryngology – ENT, SGH
Click here for complete contact information for SGH.