Doctor's Profile

Website
www.novenapain.com.sg

Clinic

Novena Pain Management Centre @ Alvernia at MCD #06-54

Address

Mount Alvernia Hospital
820 Thomson Road
Medical Centre D #06-54
Singapore 574623

Clinic Hours

9am to 5pm (Mon – Fri)
9am to 12pm (Sat)

About

Dr James Tan received his basic medical education in the United Kingdom at University College London, where he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). On returning to Singapore, he trained in anaesthesia obtaining his Masters of Medicine (Anesthesiology) followed by his specialist accreditation in 2006. He is also a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthesia (FANZCA), as well as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (FAMS). He was awarded the Healthcare Manpower Development Plan scholarship by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to pursue training in pain medicine in Australia in 2009 and trained at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney under the mentorship of Professor Michael Cousins. His comprehensive training at the well-known pain centre included multidisciplinary management of chronic and cancer pain and in particular, the Active Day Patient Treatment (ADAPT) pain management program based on cognitive behavioural principles, as well as various advanced interventional procedures performed in the management of refractory pain.

Before leaving public practice, he spent the last 19 years at National University Hospital where he was a senior consultant at the Department of Anaesthesia and Head of the Division of Pain Management which comprises the Acute and Chronic/Cancer Pain Services. Under his leadership, the Pain Management Unit has grown steadily in terms of the number of specialists and patients seen. He has won awards for his clinical projects and has started a Pain Management Fellowship Training Program accredited by the Singapore Medical Council.

Dr James Tan is also appointed as an Assistant Professor by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine for his contributions towards teaching of undergraduates and postgraduates in the field of Medicine. He has lectured at both Primary and Final Masters of Medicine (Anaesthesiology) courses and is also an examiner at various sittings of the Anaesthesia examinations. He was also appointed as Ancillary Committee Member of the Table of Surgical Procedures (TSOP) Review Committee by MOH.

He was an ex-council member of the Pain Association of Singapore (2007-2009, 2010- 2014) where he organised various symposiums and talks to promote the awareness of chronic pain conditions for both doctors and patients. The highlight of this period was being the scientific chairperson for the Association of Southeast Asian Pain Societies (ASEAPS) 2013 meeting held in Singapore which attracted more than 800 delegates from over 50 countries. He was part of the Pain Association of Singapore (PAS) Task force that published the first recommendation for the use of opioids in chronic non cancer pain in Singapore. He has been invited to participate in numerous scientific meetings and public symposiums in Singapore and overseas and recently was an expert instructor at the first cooled radiofrequency cadaveric course in Singapore organised by Avanos in July 2022.

Dr James Tan’s special interests in interventional pain include the application of pulsed radiofrequency to difficult nerve pain conditions. He is also a pioneer in the use of cooled radiofrequency for the treatment of degenerative joint pains of the spine, hip, shoulder and knee which can offer pain relief to selected patients without surgery. He was part of the Avanos Key Opinion Leaders Advocacy Board Meeting in 2021 and represented Singapore at the Avanos Global Webinar in 2020 “Cooled Radiofrequency Surgical Techniques and Best Practices”. His other interest in the field of pain medicine is the application of preventive analgesia to acute pain due to surgery or trauma which can block the transition to and the development of chronic pain.

Although his main interest is pain medicine and the management of acute, chronic and cancer pain, Dr James Tan is a skilled anaesthetist due to his many years in a tertiary hospital with a special interest in obstetric and regional anaesthesia.