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Clin Asst Prof Ong Boon Hean

Clin Asst Prof Ong Boon Hean

​MBBS, MRCSEd, FRCSEd (CTh), FAMS

Deputy Head and Senior Consultant

Service Chief (SGH Campus), SingHealth-Duke NUS Lung Centre

National Heart Centre Singapore

Specialty: Cardiothoracic Surgery

Clinical Interest: Cardiac Surgery (Adult), Thoracic Surgery, Lung Transplantation

Clinical Appointments

  • Deputy Head and Senior Consultant Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery National Heart Centre SingaporeNational Heart Centre Singapore
  • Service Chief @SGH Campus SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre
  • Thoracic Surgeon SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre
  • Director, Thoracic Surgery National Heart Centre SingaporeNational Heart Centre Singapore
  • Visiting Consultant Thoracic Surgery Sengkang General HospitalSengkang General Hospital
  • Visiting Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgery Service KK Women's and Children's HospitalKK Women's and Children's Hospital

Profile

Clinical Assistant Professor Ong Boon Hean is a Senior Consultant and Deputy Head (Thoracic) of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Director of Thoracic Surgery at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS). He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore in 2006. He subsequently completed his training in cardiothoracic surgery at theNHCS and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 2014. He was then awarded the Singapore Ministry of Health-SingHealth HMDP Award in 2014 to pursue an advanced clinical fellowship in general thoracic surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in the United States of America.

In 2016, Asst Prof Ong returned from fellowship training to practice cardiothoracic surgery with clinical interests in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, thoracic oncology and lung transplantation at the NHCS. Currently, he is the service chief at the Singapore General Hospital campus for the SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre, and a visiting consultant at KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Sengkang General Hospital.

Asst Prof Ong presently serves as the vice-chairman of the Chapter of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore. Aside from his clinical work, he is also actively involved in education and research in thoracic surgery. He is a core clinical faculty member of the SingHealth Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency programme, a clinical senior lecturer with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and an examiner for the Joint Committee on Specialist Training / Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) Joint Specialty Fellowship Exit Examination in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Asst Prof Ong is also a co-investigator for several studies related to lung cancer screening and novel treatment strategies for lung cancer.

Education

  • FAMS, 2016
  • FRCSEd (CTh), 2014
  • MRCSEd, 2008
  • MBBS, National University of Singapore, 2006

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

  • Deputy Head (Thoracic), Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, National Heart Centre Singapore, January 2022 to Present
  • Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, National Heart Centre Singapore, 2021 to Present
  • Director of Thoracic Surgery, National Heart Centre Singapore, 2019 to April 2023
  • Service Chief, SGH Campus, SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Centre, 2017 to April 2025
  • Visiting Consultant, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 2017 to Present 
  • Visiting Consultant, Department of General Surgery, Sengkang General Hospital, 2018 to Present
  • Vice-Chairman, Chapter of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2024 to Present 
  • Honorary Secretary, Chapter of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2019 to Present 
  • Board Member, Chapter of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2017 to April 2019
  • Lead, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Eastern General Hospital Leadership Council, 2024 to April 2027
  • Co-Chairperson, Cancer Service Line Development Lung Workgroup, National Cancer Centre, 2017 to February 2020
  • Member, SingHealth Lung Nodule/Cancer Workgroup, 2024 to December 2025
  • Member, Outram Campus Smoking Cessation Workgroup, 2019 to Present
  • Member, Health Services Development Programme (HSDP) Technical Review Committee, SingHealth, 2019 to April 2020
  • Director, Lung Transplant Programme, National Heart Centre Singapore, 2019 to July 2023
  • Surgical Director, Lung Transplant Programme, SingHealth Transplant, 2018 to July 2023
  • Member, SingHealth Transplant Centre Quality and safety Committee, 2020 to May 2022
  • Member, SingHealth Transplant Executive Committee, 2018 to July 2023
  • Member, SingHealth Transplant Donation after Circulatory Death Committee, 2017 to May 2020
  • Member, Scientific Committee, 4th Multi-Disciplinary Lung Cancer Conference, 2018 to March 2019
  • Organising Chairperson, Singapore Uniportal VATS Masterclass, 2018 to March 2019
  • Organising Chairperson, SingHealth Uniportal VATS Masterclass, 2017 to April 2018
  • Member, National Heart Centre Patient Experience Steering Committee, 2022 to June 2025
  • Member, National Heart Centre Medical Device Committee, 2022 to December 2024
  • Member, National Heart Centre Credentialing and Clinical Privileges Committee, 2020 to December 2023
  • Member, Cardiothoracic Surgery Peer Review Learning Quality Assurance Committee, National Heart Centre 2017 to December 2024
  • Member, Cardiothoracic Surgery Program Evaluation Committee, National Heart Centre, 2016 to Present 
  • Member, Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinical Competency Committee, National Heart Centre, 2016 to Present 
  • Member, Tissue Review Committee, Singapore General Hospital, 2016 to October 2018
  • Member, Joint Commission International Anaesthesia and Surgical Care Workgroup, National Heart Centre 2016 to August 2017
  • Member, Inpatient Clindoc & Outpatient Paper-Light Initiative, National Heart Centre, 2016 to Present
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
  • Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of surgery, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
  • Core Clinical Faculty Member, SingHealth Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Programme

Awards

  • SingHealth Quality Service Silver Award 2023, 2022, 2019 and 2014
  • SingHealth Quality Service Bronze Award 2021
  • SingHealth Quality Service Gold Award 2020 and 2015
  • Residency in SingHealth Excels (RiSE) Outstanding Faculty Award 2019
  • SingHealth Game Changer Award 2018
  • SingHealth 10-Year Long Service Award 2018
  • Human Manpower Development Plan Award 2014
  • National Heart Centre Productivity Award 2012, 2013 and 2014
  • SingHealth House Officer Award 2006
  • Community Health Project Prize 2004
  • NUS Faculty of Medicine Dean’s List Award 2002, 2005 and 2006

Research Interests

  • ​Image-guided thoracic surgery
  • Lung cancer screening
  • Lung cancer biomarker discovery and novel treatment strategies
  • Management of post-operative air leak
  • Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery of the thymus
  • Post-operative atrial fibrillation
  • Extra-corporeal life support outcomes
  • Role of pre-op IV iron in cardiac surgery
  • Primary spontaneous hemopneumothorax

Publications

Original Articles

  • Contribution of fluorescence imaging to thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy: a multicenter propensity matching analysis. Wu F, Tao X, Wang A, Ge Q, Lampridis S, Maurizi G, Bongiolatti S, Ong BH, Ma D, Wang B.  J Thorac Dis 2024;16(8):5299-5313. doi: 10.21037/jtd-24-986. 
  • Intraoperative indocyanine green fluorescence imaging to assess lung viability in middle lobe torsion. Dharmaratnam VM, Huang M, Ong BH. JTCVS Tech. 2024 May 15;26:139-142. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2024.05.004. PMID: 39156547; PMCID: PMC11329174. 
  • Detection of circulating tumor DNA with ultradeep sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA for monitoring minimal residual disease and early detection of recurrence in early-stage lung cancer. Tan AC, Lai GGY, Saw SPL, Chua KLM, Takano A, Ong BH, Koh TPT, Jain A, Tan WL, Ng QS, Kanesvaran R, Rajasekaran T, Kalashnikova E, Renner D, Sudhaman S, Malhotra M, Sethi H, Liu MC, Aleshin A, Lim WT, Tan EH, Skanderup AJ, Ang MK, Tan DSW. Cancer. 2024 Feb 29. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35263. 
  • Hybrid operating room with ceiling mounted imaging system assisted pre-operative and intra-operative lung nodule localization for thoracoscopic resections: a 5-year case series. Chia AQX, Gogna A, Pena AMT, Sai VVS, Chandramohan S, Chan SJMX, Ong BH. J Cardiothorac Surg. 2024 Feb 10;19(1):85. doi: 10.1186/s13019-024-02564-7. PMID: 38341594; PMCID: PMC10858515. 
  • Video-assisted thoracoscopic left S8 segmentectomy guided by pre-operative 3D reconstruction in a patient with synchronous bilateral primary lung cancer: a case report. Ong BH. J Vis Surg. 2023;9:45. doi: 10.21037/jovs23-19 
  • DSW. PD-L1 score as a prognostic biomarker in asian early-stage epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated lung cancer. Saw SPL, Ng WP, Zhou S, Lai GGY, Tan AC, Ang MK, Lim WT, Kanesvaran R, Ng QS, Jain A, Tan WL, Rajasekaran T, Chan JWK, Teh YL, Pang M, Yeo JC, Takano A, Ong BH, Tan EH, Tan SH, Skanderup AJ, Tan  Eur J Cancer. 2023 Jan;178:139-149. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.10.012. Epub 2022 Oct 20. PMID: 36436331. 
  • Multidisciplinary lung cancer clinic: An emerging model of care. Saw SPL, Chua KLM, Ong BH, Lim DWT, Lai GGY, Tan DSW, Ang MK. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2022 Dec;51(12):793-795. doi: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2022295. PMID: 36592148. 
  • Diagnostic Conundrum in a Patient with Haemoptysis-Tuberculosis vs Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor: Case Report. Chia CM, Takano A, Ong BH. Front Med Case Rep 2022; 3(3):1-06. doi: 10.47746/FMCR.2022.3307 
  • A Management of complication during bronchial artery aneurysm embolization. Alkhatib R, Venkatanarasimha N, Ong BH, Gogna A. Saudi Journal of Radiology. 2022 May 10;1(1):19-27. 
  • Migration of breast augmentation filler to the mediastinum mimicking lymphoma: A case report. Huang M, Ong YS, Ong BH. JTCVS Tech. 2022 Jun 9;14:155-158. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2022.06.002. PMID: 35967206; PMCID: PMC9367198.
  • Association of Clinicopathologic and Molecular Tumor Features With Recurrence in Resected Early-Stage Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Saw SPL, Zhou S, Chen J, Lai G, Ang MK, Chua K, Kanesvaran R, Ng QS, Jain A, Tan WL, Rajasekaran T, Lim DWT, Tan A, Fong KW, Takano A, Cheng XM, Lim KH, Koh T, Ong BH, Tan EH, Toh CK, Skanderup AJ, Tan SH and Tan DSW. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Nov 1;4(11):e2131892. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.31892. PMID: 34739062.
  • Use of the extended pectoralis major myocutaneous flap as a wrap-around for mediastinal tracheal repair. Tan GH, Ong BH, Kok YO and Tan BK. JPRAS Open. 2021 Aug 11;30:133-137. doi: 10.1016/j.jpra.2021.07.009. PMID: 34568533; PMCID: PMC8449021
  • Customized Two-Dimensional Computed Tomography-Guided Preoperative Pectus Bar Shaping. Ho CWG, Tan BK, Ong BH, Nakao M and Lim CH. Ann Plast Surg. 2021 Jun 25. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000002892. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34176895.
  • Lung Cancer in Singapore. Ang YLE, Chia PL, Chua KLM, Devanand A, Leong CN, Liew CJY, Ong BH, Samol J, Seet JE, Tam JKC, Tan DSW, Teo LLS and Soo RA. J Thorac Oncol. 2021 Jun;16(6):906-911. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2020.11.020. PMID: 34034887.
  • Genomic landscape of lung adenocarcinoma in East Asians. Chen J, Yang H, Teo ASM, Amer LB, Sherbaf FG, Tan CQ, Alvarez JJS, Lu B, Lim JQ, Takano A, Nahar R, Lee YY, Phua CZJ, Chua KP, Suteja L, Chen PJ, Chang MM, Koh TPT, Ong BH, Anantham D, Hsu AAL, Gogna A, Too CW, Aung ZW, Lee YF, Wang L, Lim TKH, Wilm A, Choi PS, Ng PY, Toh CK, Lim WT, Ma S, Lim B, Liu J, Tam WL, Skanderup AJ, Yeong JPS, Tan EH, Creasy CL, Tan DSW, Hillmer AM and Zhai W. Nat Genet. 2020 Feb;52(2):177-186. doi: 10.1038/s41588-019-0569-6. Epub 2020 Feb 3.
  • Utility of incorporating next-generation sequencing (NGS) in an Asian non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population: Incremental yield of actionable alterations and cost-effectiveness analysis. Tan AC, Lai GGY, Tan GS, Poon SY, Doble B, Lim TH, Aung ZW, Takano A, Tan WL, Ang MK, Tan BS, Devanand A, Too CW, Gogna A, Ong BH, Koh TPT, Kanesvaran R, Ng QS, Jain A, Rajasekaran T, Lim AST, Lim WT, Toh CK, Tan EH, Lim TKH and Tan DSW. Lung Cancer. 2020 Jan;139:207-215. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2019.11.022. Epub 2019 Nov 26
  • Prognostic Factors for Survival After Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Cardiogenic Shock. Huang M, Ong BH, Hoo AEE, Gao F, Chao VTT, Lim CH, Tan TE and Sin KYK. ASAIO J. 2019 Mar 6. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000000984. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Clonal MET Amplification as a Determinant of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Resistance in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Lai GGY, Lim TH, Lim J, Liew PJR, Kwang XL, Nahar R, Aung ZW, Takano A, Lee YY, Lau DPX, Tan GS, Tan SH, Tan WL, Ang MK, Toh CK, Tan BS, Devanand A, Too CW, Gogna A, Ong BH, Koh TPT, Kanesvaran R, Ng QS, Jain A, Rajasekaran T, Yuan J, Lim TKH, Lim AST, Hillmer AM, Lim WT, Iyer NG, Tam WL, Zhai W, Tan EH and Tan DSW. J Clin Oncol. 2019 Apr 10;37(11):876-884. doi: 10.1200/JCO.18.00177.
  • The inaugural SingHealth uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery masterclass in Singapore. Ong BH and Gonzalez-Rivas D. J Vis Surg. 2018;4:200. doi: 10.21037/jovs.2018.09.1 
  • Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resection of a right paratracheal ectopic thyroid: a case report. Tay WL, Hwang JS and Ong BH. J Vis Surg. 2018;4:125. doi: 10.21037/jovs.2018.06.1.
  • Bystander CD8+ T cells are abundant and phenotypically distinct in human tumour infiltrates. Simoni Y, Becht E, Fehlings M, Loh CY, Koo SL, Teng KWW, Yeong JPS, Nahar R, Zhang T, Kared H, Duan K, Ang N, Poidinger M, Lee YY, Larbi A, Khng AJ, Tan E, Fu C, Mathew R, Teo M, Lim WT, Toh CK, Ong BH, Koh T, Hillmer AM, Takano A, Lim TKH, Tan EH, Zhai W, Tan DSW, Tan IB, and Newell EW. Nature. 2018 May;557(7706):575-579. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0130-2. Epub 2018 May 16.
  • IL-11 is a crucial determinant of cardiovascular fibrosis. Schafer S, Viswanathan S, Widjaja AA, Lim WW, Moreno-Moral A, DeLaughter DM, Ng B, Patone G, Chow K, Khin E, Tan J, Chothani SP, Ye L, Rackham OJL, Ko NSJ, Sahib NE, Pua CJ, Zhen NTG, Xie C, Wang M, Maatz H, Lim S, Saar K, Blachut S, Petretto E, Schmidt S, Putoczki T, Guimarães-Camboa N, Wakimoto H, van Heesch S, Sigmundsson K, Lim SL, Soon JL, Chao VTT, Chua YL, Tan TE, Evans SM, Loh YJ, Jamal MH, Ong KK, Chua KC, Ong BH, Chakaramakkil MJ, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Hubner N, Sin KYK and Cook SA. Nature. 2017 Dec 7;552(7683):110-115. doi: 10.1038/nature24676. Epub 2017 Nov 13.
  • The safe volume threshold for chest drain removal following pulmonary resection. Yap KH, Soon JL, Ong BH and Loh YJ. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2017 Nov 1;25(5):822-826. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivx161.
  • Post-implantation transcatheter aortic valve migration in a left ventricular assist device patient with severe aortic insufficiency. Ong BH, Chiam PTL, Sim DKL and Tan TE. Eur Heart J. 2014 Jun 21;35(24)1616. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/eht516.
  • Electrophysiology of human cardiac atrial and ventricular telocytes. Sheng J, Shim W, Lu J, Lim SY, Ong BH, Lim TS, Liew R, Chua YL and Wong P. J Cell Mol Med. 2014 Feb;18(2):355-62. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12240.
  • Hydrogen sulphide suppresses human atrial fibroblast proliferation and transformation to myofibroblasts. Sheng J, Shim W, Wei H, Lim SY, Liew R, Lim TS, Ong BH, Chua YL and Wong P. J Cell Mol Med. 2013 Oct;17(10):1345-54. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12114.
  • Two-stage operation for an extensive infected aortic arch. Nakao M, Lim YP, Jarmin MJ 3rd, Ong BH and Chua YL. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2010 Apr;139(4):1073-5.
  • Resection of giant malignant mediastinal peripheral nerve sheath tumor under cardiopulmonary bypass. Su JW, Chua YL, Ong BH and Lim CH. Singapore Med J. 2009 Jun;50(6):e199-200.

Review Articles
  • The use of Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging in Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery. Sze-Hang Ng C, Ong BH, Chao YK, Wright GM, Sekine Y, Yu-Hong Wong I, Hao Z, Zhang G, Chaturvedi H, Thammineedi SR, Ying-Kit Law S, Kim HK. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Aug 25:S0003-4975(22)01130-4. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.06.061. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36030832.
  • Molecular testing in stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer: Approaches and challenges .Aggarwal C, Bubendorf L, Cooper WA, Illei P, Borralho Nunes P, Ong BH, Tsao MS, Yatabe Y, Kerr KM. Lung Cancer. 2021 Sep 15;162:42-53. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2021.09.003. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34739853.
  • Revisiting neoadjuvant therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer. Saw SPL, Ong BH, Chua KLM, Takano A, Tan DSW. Lancet Oncol. 2021 Nov;22(11):e501-e516. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00383-1. PMID: 34735819.
  • Practical Considerations for Solid Organ Transplantation During the COVID-19 Global Outbreak: The Experience from Singapore. Chung SJ, Tan EK, Kee T, Krishnamoorthy TL, Phua GC, Sewa DW, Ong BH, Tan TE, Sivathasan C, Gan HLV, Goh BKP, Jeyaraj PR, Tan BH. Transplant Direct. 2020 May 8;6(6):e554. doi: 10.1097/TXD.0000000000001002.
  • Surgery versus stereotactic body radiotherapy in medically operable non-small cell lung cancer. Ong BH. J Xiangya Med 2018;3:26. Doi: 10.21037/jxym.2018.06.01
  • The safe volume threshold for chest drain removal following pulmonary resection. Yap KH, Soon JL, Ong BH and Loh YJ.  Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2017 Nov 1;25(5):822-826. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivx161.
  • Human tracheal allograft banking: A Singapore experience and review on recent progress. Heng WL, Ong BH, Lim YP and Lim CH. J Transplant Technol Res 2013, 3:123. doi: 10.4172/2161-0991.1000123

Books and Chapters 
  • Mitral and tricuspid annuloplasty rings: what you need to know. Chua YL, Ong BH, Pang PY, and Lim SL. In: Saw HS, Dillon J, Chua YL and Al-Halees Z (Eds.). Managing the heart valve patient: How we do it (ISBN: 978-981-07-7226-0). Singapore: Colourscan; 2013. p.48-59.
  • Surgical management of prolonged air leak in patients with underlying emphysema. Ong BH, Tan BK and Lim CH. In: Mahadeva R (Ed.). Emphysema (ISBN: 978-953-51-0433-9). Croatia: InTech; 2012. p.103-34. doi: 10.5772/33359.

Research Trials

  • Site PI, SingapOre Lung cancer Screening Through Integrating CT with other biomarkErs (SOLSTICE), CIRB 2020/2962, Jul 2022 to Present