Dr Mark Tan

Introduction

Dr Mark Tan BH is a fellowship-trained and accredited Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with a special interest in Spine Surgery. He is skilled at minimally invasive spine surgery (tubular/endoscopic), anterior and lateral lumbar procedures, joint preserving(disc replacement), complex spine deformity surgery and pain procedures to treat the whole array of spine ailments including degenerative, neoplastic and traumatic conditions.

Graduating from the National University of Singapore in 2010, he was inducted into the National Healthcare Group Orthopaedic Residency Program immediately after his houseman internship in view of his excellent performance. He completed his specialist training in the field of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2017 and has been a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Orthopaedics) ever since.

Dr Tan received the Health Manpower Development Plan Award in 2021 and furthered his Spine Subspecialty training in Sydney, Australia under the New South Wales Spine Specialists Advanced Fellowship Program. He received training at multiple institutions renowned for their advancements in spine surgery, these include Macquarie University Hospital, Westmead Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital and Norwest Private Hospital. During his fellowship, he continued to upskill himself in minimally invasive surgical techniques, anterior and lateral approaches to the spine, computer navigation for complex spine deformity surgery and pain relief modalities.

Upon his return to Singapore, Dr Mark Tan BH has implemented these advanced techniques in alleviating his patients’ ailments. He has served as the Deputy Director of the Spine Service, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Department and as a visiting consultant to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. He is a founding member of the National Healthcare Group Spine Center and served as its executive committee member and Education Lead.

Dr Mark Tan BH is a strong advocate for evidence-based care. He remains dedicated in advancing care in spine conditions through implementation and research. Dr Tan is heavily involved in the Robotic Spine Surgery and Enhanced Recovery after Spine Surgery (ERAS) workgroups at the NHG Spine Center. The ERAS Program aims to enhance postoperative pain management with same day-rehabilitation aimed to reduce hospital stay. He has authored numerous publications in international peer-reviewed journals and has been an invited speaker at multiple local, regional and international conferences.

Dr Mark Tan BH is active in several local and international societies. He was appointed the Chair of the Young Spine Surgeons Chapter of the Singapore Spine Society in 2022. Currently, he serves in its Executive Committee and as the Education Lead for the society. He is also a member of AO spine and has received training in its prestigious Faculty Education Program. He has organized and chaired numerous local and regional spine courses to impart his knowledge and surgical skills to future generations of spine surgeons.

He is deeply involved in teaching and nurturing future generations of young doctors. He was conferred the title of Adjunct Assistant Professor by the National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He has won numerous teaching awards. and is faculty for the National Healthcare group Orthopaedic residency training program.

In his free time, Dr Mark Tan BH enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He was a competitive rugby player in his school days. He currently runs and works out in the gym for fitness on a daily basis.

Dr Mark Tan’s Bibliography

Current Appointments

• Orthopaedic and Spine Consultant in Parkway Group of Hospitals (Mount Elizabeth Orchard, Mount Elizabeth Novena, Gleneagles, Parkway East)
• Orthopaedic and Spine Consultant Mount Alvernia Hospital
• Visiting Consultant, Tan Tock Seng Hospital
• Visiting Consultant, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
• Executive Committee, Education Lead, Singapore Spine Society

Past Appointments

• Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Tan Tock Seng Hospital
• Deputy Director, Spine Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Orthopaedic Department
• Past Chair of the Young Spine Surgeons Chapter, Singapore Spine Society
• Founding Member of the National Healthcare Group(NHG) Spine Center
• Executive Committee, Education Lead, NHG Spine Center
• Member, Robotic Spinal Surgery Workgroup
• Member, Enhanced Recovery after Spinal Surgery(ERAS) Workgroup

Professional Affiliations

• Executive Committee, Education Lead, Singapore Spine Society
• Past Chairman of the Young Spine Surgeons Chapter, Singapore Spine Society
• Faculty Education Program, AO Spine Society
• Member AO Spine
• Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
• Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons(Ortho), Edinburgh
• Master of Medicine (Orthopaedics), NUS

Educational Activities

• Adjunct Assistant Professor, YLL-NUS
• Clinical Educator, YLL-NUH
• Orthopaedic Surgery Convenor and Education Lead, YLL-NUS
• Clinical Educator, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU
• Orthopaedic Undergraduate Committee Member , YLL-NUS
• Enrich Mentor, YLL-NUS
• Clinical Core Faculty, NHG Orthopaedic Residency Program
• Masters of Medicine (Orthopaedics) Examination Committee
• Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons(FRCS) Examination Committee
• Final MBBS Examiner, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS

Professional and Academic Awards

• National Healthcare Group Best Teacher Award 2017
• National University of Singapore Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence 2018/2019, 2021/2022, 2022/2023
• Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Top 20 Teacher Award 2022/2023

Recent Education Talks and Courses

• Invited Speaker for Deformity Down Under, ASEAN (Brisbane) 2024
• Invited Speaker, Cervical Fundamentals Young Clinicians 2023
• Chairman, Young Surgeon’s Luminescence Program 2024
• Chairman, Minimal Invasive Spine Surgery and Cadaveric Workshop, Bangladesh 2024
• Co-chairman, Masterclass on Fusion, Screw Fixation and Kyphoplasty 2025
• Invited Faculty Singapore Orthopaedic Association Scientific Meeting 2019-2025
• Spine Representative, SOA AGM Organizing Committee 2024
• Invited Faculty Singapore Spine Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2022-2025

Research Grants and Scientific Publications

• NHG Small Innovative Scientific Grant
• Journal of Spine Surgery 2017 Mar; 3(1): 108-111. Megacolon as an atypical presentation of cervical myelopathy. Kevin Kwek, She-Wee Tee, Mark Tan, Jacob Y.L. Oh
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2017 Sept; 137(9): 1239-1245. Outcomes of coronoid-first repair in terrible triad injuries of the elbow.
• J Hand Microsurg. 2018 Apr; 10(1): 1-5. Acute Arthrodesis of interphalangeal joints of the hand in traumatic injuries.
• 2018 Dec; 8(4): 27. A rare case of extensive cervico-thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament causing myelopathy.
• Clinics in Orthopaedic Surgery 2019 Jan; 11(2): 170. Spinal navigation during orthopaedic residency training: a double-edged sword.
• 2019 Mar; 9(1): 5. Early post-surgical recurrence of metastatic vertebral neuro-endocrine tumor treated effectively with chemo-radiotherapy.
• Clin Orthop Surg 2019 Jun; 11(2): 170-175. Spinal Navigation during Orthopaedic Residency Training: a double-edged sword.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 2019 Sep; 27. Doi: 10.1007/s004202-019-03279-4. Intramedullary nailing of abnormally bowed atypical femoral shaft fractures: surgical technique.
• Br J Neurosurg. 2019 Sep 10: 1-4 Post-surgical thoracic spinal cord herniation following an unrepaired dural defect: a rare complication.