Paul Tambyah

Prof Paul Anantharajah Tambyah is a Singaporean physician specialising in infectious diseases. He graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1988 and after completing full time national service, did postgraduate training at the University of Wisconsin. After returning to Singapore, he held a number of academic and professional appointments both locally and internationally. He is currently secretary general of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology. He was also active in Singapore civil society as a founding member of MARUAH and member of the Action for AIDS exco.

He has served as the research director in the division of infectious diseases at the National University Health System (NUHS) and was the president of the Singapore Society of Infectious Diseases. He was the assistant dean at the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Medicine in 2015. In June 2020, he was elected as the president of the US-based International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), the first Singaporean to hold the appointment.

Prof Tambyah is also a politician and the chairman of the Singapore Democratic Party.

Credentials

• MBBS (S'pore), Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases
• Designation: Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital
• Specialty: Medicine
• Sub-specialty: Infectious Diseases
• Medical and surgical conditions: Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection
• Special interests: Clinical trials, investigational agents and nosocomial infections
• Institution: National University Hospital; National University Health System

Appointments

• 2010 - current Assistant DIO, NUHS Residency Program
• 2009 - current Annual Meeting Planning Committee, Infectious Diseases Society of America
• 2009 - current Chair, 2nd International Congress of the Infection Control Assn of Singapore
• 2007 - current Visiting Consultant Singapore Armed Forces
• 2005 - current Council Member, Western Pacific Society of Chemotherapy
• 2001 - current Professor of Medicine, NUS

Experience

• 2001 - current Professor, Dept of Medicine, NUS
• 2006 - current Senior Consultant, Division of Infectious Diseases, NUH
• 2004 - current Adj Senior Research Fellow, Defence Science Organisation, Singapore
• 2003 – 2007 Assistant Dean (Education-Clinical), Faculty of Medicine, NUS
• 2001 – 2004 Visiting Consultant, Alexandra Hospital, Singapore
• 2000 – 2006 Consultant, Infectious Disease Physician, Department of Medicine, NUH
• 2000 – 2001 Asst Professor, Dept of Medicine, NUS
• 1999 – 2000 Senior Registrar, Dept of Med, NUH
• 1996 – 1999 Clinical and Research Fellow, Infectious Diseases, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
• 1993 – 1996 Resident, Weiss Memorial Hospital, University of Chicago Hospitals
• 1991 – 1993 Resident, Department of Medicine, NUH
• 1989 – 1991 Medical Officer, Singapore Armed Forces Medical Services
• 1988 – 1989 Rotating Internship, Paediatrics, Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery, NUH

Other Major Interests

• Research and teaching

Awards and Honours

• Singapore Science Mentorship Program Outstanding Mentor Award 2009
• National University of Singapore Annual Teaching Excellence Award 2008, 2009
• National University of Singapore Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2007, 2008
• National University of Singapore Excellent Teacher Award 2006
• National University of Singapore Special University Award for being part of SARS online module team 2004
• National University Hospital Singapore Teaching Excellence Award 2003
• National University of Singapore Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2003
• Singapore National Day Commendation Medal for SARS 2003
• National University Hospital Singapore Teaching Excellence Award 2001
• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology in America Trainee Award 1999
• Academy of Medicine, Singapore-Glaxo Wellcome Research/ Travelling Fellowship 1998
• Singapore National Medical Research Council Research Fellowship 1998 - 1999
• Special recognition Award for Fellows Infectious Diseases Society of America 1997
• First Prize, Associates Clinical Vignette Competition Illinois Chapter American College of Physicians 1994
• Intern of the Year Award, Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago,IL 1993 - 1994
• Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Service Medal (Ops), 1991
• UK Gulf War Medal, Saudi Arabian Liberation of Kuwait Medal for service in the Gulf War in Ops Desert Storm
• Public Service Commission Merit Scholarship (Medicine) 1983 - 1988
• Professor Lim Pin Award (Top Student, Medical Science, Raffles) 1982
• Singapore Ministry of Education Pre-University Scholarship 1981 - 1982
• St. Andrew's OBA Gold Award 1980

Research and Publications

• Lee VJ, Yap J, Cook AR, Chen MI, Tay JK, Tan BH, Loh JP, Chew SW, Koh WH, Lin R, Cui L, Lee CW, Sung WK, Wong CW, Hibberd ML, Kang WL, Seet B, Tambyah PA. Oseltamivir ring prophylaxis for containment of 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreaks.N Engl J Med. 2010;362:2166-74.
• Tambyah PA. Severe acute respiratory syndrome from the trenches, at a Singapore university hospital. Lancet Infect Dis.2004;4:690-6
• Ehrlich HJ, Muller M, Oh HML, Tambyah PA, Joukhadar C, Montomoli E, Fisher DA, Berezuk G, Fritsch S, Low-Baselli A, Vartian N, Bobrovsky R, Pavlova BG, Pollabauer EM, Kistner O, Barrett N. A Clinical Trial of a Whole-Virus H5N1 Vaccine Derived from Cell Culture. New Engl J Med 2008;358:2573-2584
• Tambyah PA, Koay ES, Poon ML, Lin RV, Ong BK; Transfusion-Transmitted Dengue Infection Study Group. Dengue hemorrhagic fever transmitted by blood transfusion. N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1526-7
• Tambyah PA, Maki DG. The relationship between pyuria and infection in patients with indwelling urinary catheters: Results of a prospective study of 761 patients. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:673-7
• Ong CW, Hsu LY, Tambyah PA. Corticosteroids for bacterial meningitis. N Engl J Med. 2008 27;358:1399-400
• Khor WB, Aung T, Saw SM, Wong TY, Tambyah PA, Tan AL, Beuerman R, Lim L, Chan WK, Heng WJ, Lim J, Loh RS, Lee SB, Tan DT. An outbreak of Fusarium keratitis associated with contact lens wear in Singapore. JAMA. 2006;295:2867-73.
• Dan YY, Tambyah PA, Sim J, Lim J, Hsu LY, Chow WL, Fisher DA, Wong YS, Ho KY.Cost-effectiveness analysis of hospital infection control response to an epidemic respiratory virus threat.Emerg Infect Dis. 2009;15:1909-16.
• Fisher DA, Lim TK, Lim YT, Singh KS, Tambyah PA. Atypical presentations of SARS. Lancet 2003;361:1740
• Tambyah PA, Singh KS, Habib AG, Chia KS, Lim YT. SARS: understanding the coronavirus: accuracy of WHO criteria was similar in a "non-SARS" hospital in Singapore. Brit Med J 2003;327:620

See also

• Singapore Democratic Party politicians' views on homosexuality
• Singapore politicians' views on homosexuality