Dr Koh Poh Koon

Dr Koh Poh Koon

Dr Koh Poh Koon is Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower.

At the Ministry of Health, Dr Koh is responsible for overseeing Singapore’s mental health strategy and support system so that people with mental health needs can seek help without stigma and be readily supported for their recovery. He also guides the integration of traditional and complementary medicine into Singapore’s healthcare system through its Healthier SG initiative and works on the development of a comprehensive chronic disease management approach in the community, as part the Ministry’s response to the needs of a rapidly ageing population.

Before joining politics, Dr Koh held academic appointments as Clinical Lecturer in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and Adjunct Clinician Scientist with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), a key institution under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star). Dr Koh also served as a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon in Singapore General Hospital and was the Director of the Colorectal Cancer Molecular Genetics Research Laboratory as well as the founding Director of the Colorectal Cancer Genomic Health Service.

He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore in 1996 and obtained his Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) as well as the Academy of Medicine (Singapore) in 2005. He received colorectal surgical training in Edinburgh, UK (2002) and completed his Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA (2006).