An exemplary clinician, a zealous educator and an advocate for patient safety — that is what comes to mind when you meet Clinical Associate Professor Peter Lu. Here are some highlights from his illustrious healthcare journey.

  
ENTering healthcare

As a child, Clin Assoc Prof Peter Lu was inspired by his father, a general surgeon, and this sparked his own aspiration to pursue a medical career. Despite an initial intent to follow his father’s footsteps in general surgery, he was posted to an ENT role during National Service, and found it highly interesting — and the rest, as they say, is history.
  

Developing a dynamic ENT Department

In 1995, Clin Assoc Prof Lu joined the new ENT service at the then-Toa Payoh Hospital (TPH). The move from TPH to CGH marked a significant evolution for the ENT service as it developed into a full-fledged ENT department with comprehensive patient care services. “When we moved from Toa Payoh to a brand new and modern hospital in Simei in 1997, it was an eye-opener,” says Clin Assoc Prof Lu, who played a pivotal role alongside his team in pushing for the formation of a new ENT department in 2002. “Many patients followed the care team from TPH to CGH and we saw the potential to develop the hospital’s services further. It was a very exciting time.”

The ENT service at CGH started as a ‘division’ under the Department of General Surgery, with just three or four ENT specialists and two medical officers. “Although there were fewer patients and staff, the senior doctors still had to do step-down calls — also known as night calls — frequently,” he recalls. “We continued with night shifts after a full day of work, which was quite demanding, but necessary to drive the development of the service into a full department.”
  

Clin Assoc Prof Lu (fifth from left) with his team at CGH in 1999.

One of the challenges then was recruiting young specialists to join the team, and convincing them that they would have the opportunities to learn and gain the exposure needed to develop their skills. “I count it as one of my proudest achievements to have been able to recruit many talented specialists for the department,” Clin Assoc Prof Lu shares. “Many of them are not just outstanding clinicians, but also possess a deep sense of integrity and professionalism.”

With the hospital serving as a training site for residents, the ENT team developed its capabilities and services further. Under Clin Assoc Prof Lu’s leadership as the Chief of the Department of ENT, ENT specialists were sent to a range of diverse programmes in Singapore and globally to train in various subspecialties, enabling the team to provide a full range of services to patients as a one-stop centre. Over time, the ENT team excelled in fields such as sleep apnoea, laryngology, facial plastics, and reconstructive surgery and surgery of the inner ear, providing patients with the option to receive quality care for these conditions at CGH.

To ensure a holistic approach to healthcare, the ENT team also fostered partnerships with primary care providers and focused on enhancing patient communication. “In caring for our patients, we help them to understand their treatment and recovery journey with the care team, empowering them to care for their own health,” adds Clin Assoc Prof Lu.
  

Finding your voice

While Clin Assoc Prof Lu specialised in head and neck cancers, he also branched out in the subspecialty of laryngology. He became the Voice Lead of the Performing Arts Medicine initiative launched by CGH in 2021.

Vocal cord nodules and trauma to the vocal cord are some of the common conditions affecting vocalists. Most professional voice users — which include singers, actors, presenters and media personalities — subject their vocal cords to prolonged duration of use, and may perform at high volume, and are thus susceptible to developing voice conditions. “I liken professional voice users to professional athletes,” shares Clin Assoc Prof Lu.

“While athletes are prone to muscle and joint injuries, performance artists are the ‘athletes’ of the arts world. When they overuse their voice, their voice box or larynx also become prone to trauma, which can affect the quality of their performances, and thus impact their livelihoods.”

Clin Assoc Prof Lu works closely with CGH’s speech therapists to evaluate, diagnose and treat these patients. Some of these methods include video-endoscopy, video stroboscopic examinations of the larynx, acoustic analysis of the voice signal, and the appropriate medical treatment, speech therapy or surgery as required. “When we are able to treat these patients successfully, they show their gratitude, and it brings us a sense of satisfaction that we can help them regain the quality of voice they had before, and regain their livelihood and quality of life,” he says.

Clin Assoc Prof Lu performs a video stroboscopy at the CGH Voice Clinic.

  
Sowing the seeds of care

Teaching and mentoring the younger generation has always been an integral part of Clin Assoc Prof Lu’s work. Actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education, he has helped shape the careers of many young medical professionals, and continues to inspire a future generation of doctors through his dedication to sharing knowledge and fostering professional growth.

He has been chairman of the Residency Advisory Committee for Otolaryngology in Singapore since 2013 and has been highly involved in developing examinations for many years. He strongly believes that it is important for junior doctors to learn valuable lessons not just in the fields their specialties, but also in upholding professionalism and putting patients’ interests first. A champion of patient safety, he has been the chairman of the hospital’s Medical Audit Committee since 2007. He became CGH’s Chief Risk Officer in 2020 after serving as Deputy Chairman for Surgical Disciplines from 2007 to 2019.

“I had good mentors when I was a junior doctor. Their commitment to imparting their knowledge and experience to the newer doctors struck a chord with me, and this is something I want to pass on to the next generation of doctors,” says Clin Assoc Prof Lu. It has been vital to him to be able to guide juniors and colleagues, and impart lessons and experiences he himself has gained over the years. “I always tell my mentees not to be discouraged when faced with obstacles, and to take them as opportunities to learn and develop themselves,” he adds. “Keep yourself focused and more often than not, you will find that you are able to achieve what you set out to do.”
  

Cultivating a caring and collaborative culture

Throughout his tenure at CGH, Prof Lu has been a strong advocate of inculcating a caring and inclusive culture, reminiscent of the close-knit community at TPH. “We are blessed to have this culture where the care team enjoys great camaraderie and all of us are willing to come together to do good for our patients,” says Prof Lu, reflecting on his time at CGH “This is something we must preserve even as we continue to care for more patients in the years to come.”

A lifelong pursuit of excellence