Cl Assoc Prof Ben Tan BBM, PBM​

Clinical Associate Professor Benedict Tan graduated in 1991 with a medical degree from the National University of Singapore and obtained his Masters in Sports Medicine in 1997 from the world-renown Australian Institute of Sport. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore (FAMS) and American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM). Cl Assoc Prof Tan is presently Head of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre (SDSC), and Senior Consultant. As Head of SDSC, he oversees the six of Singapore's Sport and Exercise Medicine Centres – SSMC@CGH, SSMC@Novena, SSMC@HPSI, SSMC@SGH, SSMC@SKH and SEM Service@KKH.

In 2005, Cl Assoc Prof Tan chaired the Sports Medicine Workgroup (Specialist Accreditation Board) that culminated in Sports Medicine being gazetted as a subspecialty in Singapore in 2011. He continues to develop and grow the field of Sports Medicine as Chair of the Sports Medicine Residency Advisory Committee, the National Sports Safety Committee, and the advisory board of the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine's Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine. Cl Assoc Prof Tan also plays a pivotal role in the global Exercise is Medicine (EIM) movement, founded by the American College of Sports Medicine, as chair of EIM Singapore, Asia, and member of the Global EIM International Advisory Committee. ACSM awarded Cl Assoc Prof Tan the EIM Global Leadership Award in 2024.

Globally and nationally, Cl Assoc Prof Tan contributes to the sports ecosystem as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Health, Medicine and Science Commision, a foundation board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), chair of World Sailing's Medical Commission, vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), board memebr of Sport Singapore, and co-chair, Journey to Paris 2024 and LA2028 (JA2328), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

Cl Assoc Prof Tan is also the author of the books, “The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing,” “Fight the Fat – What You Must Know and Do to Lose Weight,” and “Run for Your Life! – the Complete Marathon Guide.” Apart from sports injuries, Cl Assoc Prof Tan's area of interest also includes musculoskeletal sonography, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), physical activity promotion, weight management, gait analysis, and performance enhancement.

A former Nominated Member of Parliament, and Olympian, Cl Assoc Prof Tan's main sport is sailing, where he is an Asian Games (1994) and four-time consecutive Southeast Asian Games (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995) Gold medalist, and represented Singapore at the 1996 Savannah Olympics. He is a Hall-of-Famer and three-time Singapore Sportsman of the Year. After competing in the 1996 Savannah Olympics, Cl Assoc Prof Tan retired from competitive sailing and now sails (including kiteboarding) recreationally. He took up marathon running recreationally in 2002, competing in more than 20 marathons to date, including all six World Marathon Majors (Boston, Berlin, London, New York, Chicago, and Tokyo), and has a personal best time of 2 hrs 56 min. Cl Assoc Prof Tan is also the author of the books, “The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing,” “Fight the Fat – What You Must Know and Do to Lose Weight,” and “Run for Your Life! – the Complete Marathon Guide.” Apart from sports injuries, Cl Assoc Prof Tan's area of interest also includes musculoskeletal sonography, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), physical activity promotion, weight management, gait analysis, and performance enhancement.