I am an Academic Family Physician, with a commitment to research that is relevant for decision making in clinical practice and health policy. I am a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Centre for Research in Health Systems Performance at the National University of Singapore, and Head of the Department of Family Medicine of the National University Health System.

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I trained as a Family Physician (2003) and completed my PhD in Health Services Research at Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Pompeu Fabra University, Spain (2005). I started my independent research career at the Department of Health Policy & Management at Johns Hopkins University (2006) with the late Barbara Starfield. I then joined the National Primary Care Research & Development Centre at the University of Manchester (2007-10) before moving to the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, to set up and lead the Health Services & Policy Research Group (2010-13). From 2013-2021 I held the Chair in Health Services & Policy Research at University of Exeter, before relocating to Singapore in 2021. I have had visiting appointments at the London School of Economics (2010-13), the WHO European Observatory for Health Systems and Policies (2010-13), and the universities of Sydney (2011) and Paris (2021).

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My research interests focus on the use of patient reports on their health and care for health policy decision-making and clinical practice, and the evaluation and improvement of quality, safety, and outcomes of Primary Care. I am particularly interested in models of care that meet the needs of patients with multimorbidity. I have received funding from public funding bodies and charities in the UK, Spain, Norway and Singapore and from the OECD, participated in ca. 100 research projects and authored ca. 300 publications, including papers, books and book chapters, editorials, letters, and other scientific communications (Google Scholar h-Index 62). I am Field Chief Editor for Frontiers in Health Services (since 2021) and have served as Associate Editor for Qual Life Res (2009-13) and Eur J Gen Pract (2010-18). I am a Lancet Commissioner for Pandemic Readiness, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation (PRIME).

 

I am devoted to undegraduate and postgraduate teaching that meets the needs of the future health and research workforce. I was the training and capacity building Lead for the NIHR School for Primary Cares Research at the University of Exeter.

 

I have worked as a General Practitioner in the UK, Spain and in a variety of environments, including developing countries for very brief periods (Tindouf and The Gambia), and was awarded a Clinical Excellence Award for my contributions to the development of the National Health Service

 

I have provided expert advice to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO) on the WHO/UNICEF Declaration of Astana for Primary Health Care and linked initives and projects, and on the “Strengthening Health Systems for Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Response” and “Safer Primary Care” initiatives and on Human Resources for Primary Health Care; the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) on patient reported quality indicators; and NHS England on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).

 

I am a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore (FAMS). I am proud to have been elected by my peers to serve as Chair of the Working Party on Quality & Safety, World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA) since 2021 and as President of the International Society for Quality of Life Research (2017-2019).