Adj A/Prof Chong Shang Chee graduated from the medical faculty of National University of Singapore in 1998. She obtained her specialist degrees in paediatrics from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK) and Master of Medicine, Paediatrics (Singapore) in 2002. She completed her advanced specialist training in 2005 and has been heading the Child Development Unit (CDU) at National University Hospital (NUH) since 2010. In 2009, she did a 6-month clinical attachment at the learning disabilities clinic of the Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She has been admitted to the MRCPCH (UK) as an examiner for specialisation in Paediatrics under the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She is also a member of the Society of Development and Behavioural Paediatrics.
Adj A/Prof Chong works with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on meeting the national objectives and ministry directives on the national Child Development Programme (CDP). Under this programme, she is also involved in the national development of policies in early childhood practices, as well as early intervention and educational initiatives with other ministry partners. She has served on various inter-ministry workgroups and committees. Her work has been vital in transforming national policies and practice. She is currently serving as a member on the Child and Maternal Health and Wellbeing taskforce under MOH, which involves a 5-year implementation strategy for child and maternal wellbeing in Singapore (2020-2025). She co-chaired the National Screen Time Guidelines, which was launched in 2023. She was Vice-Chair of the Professional Practice Guidelines on the Psycho-educational Assessment & Placement of Students with Special Education Needs (MOE) 2018 and was also an appointed Member of the Advisory Panel appointed to study the Implementation of Compulsory Education for Children with Special Educational Needs (MOE) 2016-2017. She was also on the Kidstart Evaluation Research Advisory Panel, and part of the workgroup for the Early Years Development Framework 2022-2023 (ECDA). For her work in various projects with Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), she was awarded the Friends of MSF Award 2021. Adj A/Prof Chong continues to strive for educational and social equity and inclusion in various capacities of inter-ministry work.
Adj A/Prof Chong has provided leadership to several milestone clinical programmes in the past 5 years under the MOH HSDP award and MOH CAMWH taskforce strategy action plan, as well as the Singapore Population Health Improvement Centre grant. She is involved in the design and implementation of a preschool-based model of care which includes tiered screening, assessment, and a full suite of health and developmental services to low-income children, supported by Ministry of Health (HEADS-UPP). She has provided leadership to the CDU team to implement and evaluate the use of telehealth technology as a novel and innovative way to enhance early intervention practices for children with autism spectrum disorder, which has become a mainstream clinical service. She has also obtained various philanthropic support for research and programs within CDU.
Adj A/Prof Chong's areas of clinical expertise are also in the neurodevelopmental follow-up of medically complex children (pre-terms, post-cardiac surgery), health service redesign and innovation for preventive developmental and behavioural health. Believing in a family-centred practice, she and her team established NUH CDU as the first Brazelton Touchpoints site in Asia and she is a certified Brazelton Touchpoints Trainer (Brazelton Touchpoints Institute, Harvard). She also established the Brazelton Touchpoints Program under the NUS CET and Graduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Health (NUS) teaching modules.
Adj A/Prof Chong is currently also serving as the Deputy Director of the Centre for Holistic Initiatives for Learning and Development (CHILD) under the NUS YLLSOM. She brings to the centre relevant expertise in early childhood sector leadership and practice, and was a key leader in providing strategic partnerships to the centre with research programs with communities, as well as a multi-site study with Children’s Hospital Boston.
