By Amy Weng

In this issue, CardioConnect speaks with Associate Professor Tan Ju Le, Senior Consultant, Cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), about her recent recognition at the National Day Awards and explore her passions throughout her 26 year journey in cardiology.

Stepping into Assoc Prof Tan Ju Le’s office at NHCS, the first thing that greets the eye is a wall of motivational quotes alongside drawings by her patients – mementos of lives she has touched over her two decades at NHCS. When asked about her favourite quote, she points to one that reads: "Our own life has to be our message."

Speaking in a calm, measured tone, Assoc Prof Tan smiles often as she reflects on her journey in cardiology and her recent National Day Awards, Public Administration Medal (Bronze). 

“I’m really very grateful, and also very humbled to be recognised,” she says. “It’s not something I expected, but I will continue to give my best and strive for better patient care.”

From the stars to the heart

Rewinding to the beginning of it all, Assoc Prof Tan describes her teenage self as a “scientist kind of person”, as she was particularly drawn to astronomy and astrophysics, spending evenings sketching maps of constellations and looking through telescopes at the North Star that would later become her guiding metaphor.

Her path changed at 17, when she spent a month in the hospital caring for her father.

“I saw firsthand what doctors and nurses do,” she recalls. “That experience made me think differently about how I could help others. Medicine, unlike astronomy, allows you to make an immediate and direct difference in people’s lives.”

After completing her medical training, she entered the field of adult congenital heart disease and later had the opportunity to establish the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) service at NHCS in 2005.

“I’m very grateful to Prof Koh Tian Hai, who gave me the opportunity in 2003 and the freedom to develop this service,” she says. “Without the help and assistance of so many people who have crossed my path, I would not be where I am now. Our lives are always the result of countless connections.”

Assoc Prof Tan Ju Le (3rd from left) with Asst Prof Foo Jie Sheng, Senior Consultant, Cardiology and Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease; Dr Jeremy Chai, Associate Consultant, Cardiology; Visiting Specialist Dr Sreekanthan Sundaraghavan, Consultant, Paediatric Cardiology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) on her left, along with Dr Supaporn and Dr Worakan from Thailand during the Venus P valve implantation in 2024.

Having trained a team of cardiologists during her tenure as Director of the ACHD Programme, Assoc Prof Tan has since handed the reins over to Asst Prof Foo Jie Sheng, Senior Consultant, Cardiology, in May 2025. She expressed her hopes for the team “to continue to collaborate, to expand the service, and always remember to stay humble — realising that there’s so much to learn from others”.

Teaching with kindness

Assoc Prof Tan has become as well known for her role as an educator as for her clinical contributions. Having taught herself much of the field when ACHD was new to Singapore, she understands the struggles of learning from scratch and the importance of guiding others with patience.

“My teaching philosophy is that everybody has the capacity to learn, no matter how difficult the concept,” she explains. “It’s up to the teacher to make it as simple as possible and always to be kind.”

She emphasises building strong foundations over rote memorisation and using a "zoom in, zoom out" approach to understand and gain perspective.

“When you face a problem, zoom in deeply into the details to understand it fully. Then, zoom out to see the bigger picture of the patient as a person, the context of his/ her family, social support, finances, mental and emotional health.”

Building cross-disciplinary collaborations

Beyond education, Assoc Prof Tan has helped build cross-disciplinary collaborations that have reshaped care for patients. These include the monthly Young Adult Congenital Heart (YACH) transition clinic with paediatric cardiologists at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), as well as the joint Cardiac Obstetric Clinic with obstetricians from SGH/KKH and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic with respiratory and rheumatology specialists, from Singapore General Hospital (SGH).  

“These collaborations didn’t start because I planned them, but because of need,” she says simply. “All these collaborations are ultimately to improve patient care.”

From a few hundred patients in the early 2000s, the NHCS ACHD programme has expanded to include nearly 4,000 patients today, supported by a team of four consultants and multidisciplinary staff.

The ACHD team, together with cardiothoracic surgeons, electrophysiologists, radiologists, congenital echo technicians, and scientists who have collaborated over the years at the yearly Xmas Gathering. 

Research and real-life impact

Research has been a constant in Assoc Prof Tan’s career. During her fellowship at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, she published a paper in Circulation on Tetralogy of Fallot, showing that even infants with the condition had abnormalities in the connective tissue of the aorta, leading to dilatation of the aorta later in life.

“Clinically, this means we will need to monitor Tetralogy patients not just for right heart issues, but also for aortic dilatation, so we can intervene before complications arise,” she explains.

Looking ahead, Assoc Prof Tan is excited about leveraging a larger patient pool to build long-term data and collaborating with scientists to study right heart function in congenital and pulmonary hypertension patients. "Research takes time, but I hope the team continues to stay curious, ask questions, and solve problems through regional and international collaboration."

Her North Star

Despite her achievements, leadership titles and research contributions, Assoc Prof Tan stays motivated by the everyday encounters that make up her work.

“I come to work not knowing what I will learn today, who I will see, and who I can help,” she says. “That makes my job fulfilling and keeps me grounded.”

She returns to her guiding metaphor, “In life, it’s important to always ask yourself: what is your North Star? For me, it is to lead a life of service guided by kindness, compassion, integrity and curiosity.”

Taking time to cultivate more than just medical knowledge, Assoc Prof Tan proudly presents her vegetables at the NHCS Gardening Club with fellow colleagues.

Much like the North Star she once traced across the night sky, Assoc Prof Tan’s steady presence continues to guide patients and colleagues alike. 

Congratulations once again to Assoc Prof Tan on her recognition at the National Day Awards 2025!