Significant Achievements

Community Development

Promoted social innovation, volunteerism and philanthropy through Board, Vice-Chairman and Chairman roles in National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre and Lien Centre for Social Innovation at SMU. Mentored a community development project in east Nepal and lead a medical development program in East Timor.
Developed youth leadership and training programmes through Singapore International Foundation, National Youth Achievement Awards and Raleigh International. Created the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), the largest youth overseas community-service training organisation in the region (still running today under the National Youth Council) and established in Singapore the pedagogy of International Service Learning for youth development. Expert panelist at the 7^th Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Service Learning in 2019.
Core participant in both ‘Singapore-21’ and ‘Remaking Singapore’ national consultation processes for the socio-political development of Singapore.
Proposed environmental conservation and development plans for public parks, waterbodies and rustic coastlines in Singapore, through chairing a Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) committee.
Led international youth development, science and community service expeditions:

- Directing Staff, Operation Raleigh, Chile 1986
- Medical Director, Raleigh International, Mongolia 1992
- Medical Research Lead, Scientific Exploration Society UK, Arunachal Pradesh 1993
- Expedition Leader, Operasi Raleigh Batam 1996
- Expedition Leader, Operation Saonum, Laos 1998

Leadership of Humanitarian Projects

Nepal Earthquake Disaster 2015
Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan Disaster 2013
Haiti Earthquake Disaster, 2010
Java (Yogyakarta) Earthquake Disaster 2006
Pakistan Kashmir (Muzaffarabad) South Asian Earthquake Disaster 2005
Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster 2005
Red Cross economic crisis food and medical aid mission to Lombok Indonesia 1999
Created the Humanitarian Relief Programme of the Singapore International Foundation, which facilitated professional volunteers assisting in disasters e.g. Gujarat Earthquake, Afghan War Refugee Crisis, Orissa Floods, Mongolian air crash etc. 2000 – 2003.
Commanded the SAF’s medical missions to the Philippines Earthquake (1990) and the first Gulf War (Operaton Desert Storm 1991) – the first team to receive operational military medals since Singapore’s independence.

Contributions to the Medical Profession

Singapore Medical Council

Chaired the Medical Ethics Committee and led discussions for the resolution of ethical positions on issues arising from Ministry of Health, doctors and the public
Chaired the committee to review and update the SMC Ethical Code and Guidelines in 2002 and 2010, publishing the latest Code and Guidelines in 2016.
Chaired the Registration Review Committee 2017 to update the framework for the registration of local and foreign doctors.
Proposed the criteria for accrediting Institutions of Learning for credentialing foreign medical graduates
Proposed modernization of rules for advertising by medical professionals to allow greater freedom while maintaining the dignity and integrity of the profession and established the policies for the display of additional qualifications by registered doctors
Studied the practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine amongst registered doctors and proposed policies for acceptance of acupuncture to be practised by doctors
Helped doctors and the public to understand regulatory issues through lectures in hospitals and conferences of SMA and the Medico-Legal Society; contributed articles to SMA News SMC-in-Touch and Straits Times

In Medical Practice and Professionalism

Between 1996 and 1999, Dr Tan created the Gastroenterology Unit of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the second largest public hospital in Singapore, and became the first Head of Gastroenterology of the hospital. This was the forerunner of the later Department of Gastroenterology. He built the Gastroenterology service from scratch, bringing on board local and international talent, to become within of 2 years the second largest and most comprehensive Gastroenterology service among all the public hospitals in Singapore.
In the same years, Dr Tan spearheaded and led a series of charity fundraising projects of Tan Tock Seng Hospital called POWER (People On Wheelchairs Empowered by Rehabilitation) involving a wheelchair and bicycle expedition up the east coast of West Malaysia and across to Penang in 1996, a canoe expedition involving handicapped persons from Singapore to Batam, Bintan and back in 1997, and a climb up Mount Kinabalu to the summit, involving handicapped persons in 1998.
Dr Tan has been widely published in peer reviewed medical literature in specialist areas of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Therapeutic Endoscopy. He is also widely published and featured in mainstream public media, in topics related to clinical medicine, medical ethics telemedicine, keeping healthcare affordable, and the problems and prospects of insurance doctor panels. He is an accomplished lecturer and speaker in these subjects.

“Dr Tan provided encouragement, reassurance and clarity where I had doubts and he also prompted insightful thinking and self-reflection on future directions. Coaching sessions with him were thoroughly enjoyable!”