Dr Toh is a senior consultant Colorectal and General surgeon with more than 16 years of experience. She obtained her medical degree from the National University of Singapore in 2005 and completed her general surgical training in Singapore General Hospital, obtaining her degree as a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2013. She was awarded the Singhealth health manpower development plan (HMDP) and spent one year pursuing her interest in pelvic exenteration surgery for locally advanced pelvic tumours in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia – the centre world-renowned for its high volume and groundbreaking work in pelvic exenteration surgery for advanced cancers. Whilst there, she also trained in advanced laparoscopic colorectal surgery and endoscopic techniques, as well as treatment for benign colorectal conditions.
She returned from her fellowship and worked as a consultant surgeon in the Department of Colorectal Surgery in Singapore General Hospital. Armed with her knowledge and experience, she was the founding member of the Singhealth Pelvic Exenteration Unit, bringing together a multidisciplinary team for management of complex pelvic tumours. To date, the unit has operated on more than 100 cases and had also organised webinars to share their experience with fellow surgeons.
Dealing with advanced cancer cases has also made Dr Toh realise that much is needed in the way of patient empowerment and emotional support. That led her to work with a team from National University of Singapore to develop a mobile app for patients and their caregivers to provide knowledge and psychosocial support during the journey from cancer diagnosis to surgery and recovery. Her work and sense of duty to her patients is evidenced by the multiple service quality awards she received over the years.
Beyond the hospital grounds, she also was part of the mobile medical team deployed to the dormitories during the early months of battling Covid and had also been involved in global outreach projects to Myanmar. It is this experience and knowledge and empathy that she wishes to continue to bring to her patients as they navigate their way to better health.
