Adj Asst Prof Tan Wei Loong Barry is the Head and Consultant in the Division of Adult Reconstruction & Joint Replacement Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the National University Hospital (NUH). His primary expertise is in the management of osteoarthritis in the hip and knee, and with a specific focus on hip and knee joint replacement surgery/arthroplasty, including robotic, complex and revision hip and knee arthroplasty. He has completed overseas fellowship training in Lyon, France at the renowned Croix-Rousse Hospital, a part of the Lyon School of Knee Surgery and a designated FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence. He is also the Deputy Clinical Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and is focused on optimising clinical workflows, patient safety and surgical outcomes within the Department in the best interests of its patients.
Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan graduated from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree and was awarded both the Eli Lilly and S.S. Ratnam Book Prizes. He was immediately selected post-graduation for specialist training into the distinguished NUHS Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme. In the course of his residency, he was elected as the Chairman of the NUHS' Residents committee, appointed a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and conferred the NUS Master of Medicine (Orthopaedic Surgery). He completed his specialist training and was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), Edinburgh. As the national top performing and first-placed candidate in the FRCS Specialist examinations, Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan was awarded the prestigious College of Surgeons Gold Medal in Orthopaedic Surgery.
Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan underwent comprehensive training during his formative years as an Orthopaedic Surgeon. He was accepted by the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, USA, as an overseas student intern, receiving his initial exposure to advanced Joint Replacement surgery in this world-renowned hospital. He underwent basic and advanced level training within the Residency Programme across the entire spectrum of Orthopaedic Surgery. During his training, he successfully completed advanced courses in anatomical approaches and joint reconstruction procedures of the hip and knee. After completion of his specialist training, he was selected for advanced subspecialty fellowship training in the famous Croix-Rousse Hospital in Lyon, France. During his fellowship in this high volume European tertiary referral centre, Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan expanded and refined his surgical skills in robotic joint replacements, patellofemoral & unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, direct anterior hip replacement surgery and revision hip and knee arthroplasty. Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan was also the first visiting surgeon participating in the East Asia Mako Fellowship Program in the Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea, where he had the opportunity to exchange concepts in robotic joint replacement surgeries with other high volume arthroplasty surgeons in Korea.
Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan's primary expertise is in the management of degenerative, sports-related and traumatic conditions involving the knee and hip. He consistently employs a holistic, stepwise and patient-specific approach to the management of these conditions. His 'patient first' approach challenges him to improve himself in understanding both the pathology of the condition, its impact on his patients and the optimal modalities to employ in a tailored treatment plan which includes non-surgical and surgical modalities ranging from injectable therapeutics, arthroscopic/‘key-hole’ surgery, and partial or total joint replacements.
His main surgical interest is in joint replacement surgery, and he continuously incorporates material science and robotic technology to enhance arthroplasty techniques to improve patient outcomes and minimize surgical risks, with a specific focus on enhanced and pain-free recovery after hip and knee joint replacement with excellent satisfaction. His passion in developing robotic total joint replacement surgery as a force multiplier in ensuring excellent surgical results has paved the way for his extensive involvement in sharing techniques at local and international robotic arthroplasty forums. Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan is a certified trainer for several cutting-edge robotic joint replacement systems and is frequently invited to international conferences and events to impart his surgical expertise and to demonstrate live robotic joint replacement surgery.
Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan has published widely in a multitude of Orthopaedic journals and implements evidence-based medicine into his clinical practice. He has presented his research work at local and international level, at conferences held in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. His research endeavours culminated in him receiving the Singapore Orthopaedic Association (SOA) P Balasubramaniam Young Orthopaedic Investigator Award in 2018, which is awarded to the best research paper presented at the annual SOA Annual Scientific Meeting. Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan was also awarded the National Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist Individual Research Grant New Investigator Grant (CS-IRG-NIG) for his pioneering work in exosome-induced primary repair of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee in an animal model. He was the Orthopaedic lead in a Quality Improvement Project in NUHS to reduce pre-operative fasting times for Orthopaedic Surgery emergency theatre cases, which received an award of recognition from NUHS in 2019.
Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan maintains an ardent interest in medical education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and is actively involved in the teaching and mentoring of medical students and Orthopaedic Surgery trainees. He is currently appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor and the Deputy Undergraduate Education Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and is part of the National University of Singapore's Clinical Faculty Scheme, which seeks to develop the Orthopaedic Surgery curriculum in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Adj Asst Prof Barry Tan has received multiple nominations for the Best Teacher award for the undergraduate Orthopaedic Surgery postings. He is routinely involved as a convener and examiner for the Professional examinations, and is looking to further improve the imparting of Orthopaedic Surgery skills and knowledge to his juniors as a display of gratitude for the excellent training he has received from his mentors.
