Dr Toon Dong Hao

Introduction

Dr Toon Dong Hao is a distinguished Senior Consultant in Orthopaedic Surgery with over a decade of experience in the field. He holds a FRCS in Orthopaedic Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, United Kingdom (UK) and is an accredited Orthopaedic Specialist by the Ministry of Health Singapore.

Dr Toon graduated from the University of Leeds, UK in 2009 and completed 2 years of postgraduate training at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. He subsequently commenced his residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery under the National Healthcare Group. 

Dr Toon was awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) Scholarship by the Ministry of Health Singapore and undertook his fellowship in Advanced Shoulder and Elbow Surgery in Sydney, Australia.

Specializing in Sports and Upper Limb injuries, Dr Toon is accomplished in both minimally invasive (arthroscopic) and open surgeries, excelling in knee ligament repair/ reconstruction, meniscus and cartilage repair, knee preservation surgery such as knee osteotomies, shoulder stabilisation procedures, rotator cuff tendon repair, shoulder and elbow replacement surgeries, as well as elbow arthroscopic surgeries. 

Being at the forefront of arthroscopic surgery, he is amongst the first in Singapore to perform an all-arthroscopic muscle advancement procedure for irreparable rotator cuff tears.  As an avid sportsperson himself, his experience in CrossFit and functional fitness training over the years has helped enhance his understanding of sports-related injuries from both a medical and athlete perspective.  

Aside from minimally invasive and sports surgeries, having trained in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Dr Toon has amassed vast experience in treating various Orthopaedic trauma and fractures.

Beyond clinical practice, Dr Toon is dedicated to education and training in orthopaedics. He has been regularly invited as a speaker and clinical instructor at local and regional shoulder and knee courses. He has also held teaching appointments as Senior Lecturer at both the National University of Singapore and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and served as Associate Programme Director for Postgraduate Year 1 Orthopaedic Surgery. 

His contributions to medical education were recognized with the National Healthcare Group Teaching Award for Senior Doctors in 2023. He continues to provide his expertise as a Visiting Consultant for Sports and Upper Limb surgeries at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Dr Toon is also an active researcher with numerous scientific presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. He was awarded the Alexandra Health Enabling Grant and the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital 20th Rapid Prototyping Grant, reflecting his commitment to research and advancement in orthopaedics.

Dr Toon Dong Hao’s Bibliography

Current and Past Appointments

• Visiting Consultant(Sports and Upper Limb Surgeries), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
• Associate Programme Director Postgraduate Year 1 (Orthopaedic Surgery) Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
• Clinical Core Faculty Member (CCFM), Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme, National Health Group, Singapore
• Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore
• Senior Clinical Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore
• Chair, pressure injury workgroup Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
• Member, blood transfusion committee Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Professional Affiliations

• Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Master of Medicine (Orthopaedics), National University of Singapore
• Member, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Member, Singapore Orthopaedic Association
• Member, Singapore Shoulder and Elbow Society

Professional Awards

• Ministry of Health Human Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) Award 2021
• NHG Teaching Award for senior doctors 2023

Educational Activities (Selected)

• Convenor, FRCS (Ortho) Exam 2023
• Instructor, National Health Group (NHG) residency shoulder arthroscopy cadaveric course 
• Instructor, AOTrauma Basic Course 
• Invited speaker and course instructor, South East Asia Depuy Synthes Shoulder Arthroplasty cadaveric course 
• Lead, undergraduate teaching programme, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• MBBS Examiner YLLSOM, NUS

Research Grants, Publications & Presentations 

Grants

• Alexandra Health Enabling Grant FY 2019
  • Articular contact area and pressure of the humeral head in functional range of motion of the shoulder: A Cadaveric Study.
• Khoo Teck Puat Hospital 20th Rapid Prototyping Grant 

Scientific Publications 

• Surgical technique and early outcomes of intramedullary nailing of displaced proximal humeral fractures in an Asian population using a contemporary straight nail design. J Orthop Surg. 2017 May-Aug;25(2):2309499017713934
• Outcomes and financial implications of intra-articular distal radius fractures: a comparative study of open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) with volar locking plates versus nonoperative management. J Orthop Traumatol. 2017 Sep;18(3):229-234
• Buttress plate fixation of coronoid process fractures via a medial approach.  Chin J Traumatol. 2019 Oct;22(5):255-260
• Lengthening of a below knee amputation stump with Ilizarov technique in a patient with a mangled leg. Chin J Traumatol. 2019 Dec;22(6):364-367
• Radiological Study of the Asian Coracoid Process and Clavicle: Implications for Coracoclavicular Ligament Reconstruction. Chin J Traumatol. 2020 Feb;23(1):56-59
• A modified method of augmented distal clavicle fracture osteosynthesis with a  Fibertape coracoclavicular cerclage. Clin Shoulder Elb. 2022 Sep;25(3):230-235
• Short-term comparative outcomes between reverse shoulder arthroplasty for shoulder trauma and shoulder arthritis: a Southeast Asian experience. Clin Shoulder Elb. 2022 Sep;25(3):210-216
• The Wave Sign Correlates with the Posterior Horn Medial Meniscus (PHMM) Tear in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Deficient Knee. Malays Orthop J. 2023 Mar;17(1):111-116. 
• Peri-articular elbow fracture fixations with magnesium implants and a review of current literature: A case series. World J Orthop. 2024 Mar 18;15(3):215-229. 

Scientific Meeting Presentations

• Outcome of distal radius fracture: A comparative study of operative versus non- operative management. 10th Congress of the Asian Pacific Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand (APFSSH) 2014
• Outcome of intramedullary nailing for proximal humerus fractures. 38th Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2015
• Outcomes and financial implications of intra-articular distal radius fractures: A comparative study of ORIF with volar locking plates versus non-operative management. 39th Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2016
• Intramedullary Nailing of Proximal Humeral Fractures – Functional and radiological outcome with a current interlocking nail design. The 13th International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ICSES) 2016
• Use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in musculoskeletal tumour surgery. The 19th International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS) Meeting 2017
• Do characteristic chondral lesion suggest the presence of a medial meniscus posterior horn tear? 41st  Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2018
• Radiological study of the Asian Coracoid Process and Clavicle: Implications for Coracoclavicular Ligament Reconstruction. 41st  Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2018
• Brucella osteomyelitis of the distal femur: An uncommon presentation in Singapore. 41st  Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2018
• The utility of Magnesium bioabsorbable screws in fixation of elbow fractures – A case series. 42nd  Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2019