NCID chief Leo Yee Sin to leave role after 6 years; Vernon Lee to take over

SINGAPORE: Professor Leo Yee Sin, the executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), will leave her role after six years in charge.

She will be succeeded by Professor Vernon Lee, a public health specialist who is currently serving as the senior director of the Communicable Diseases Division of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Prof Lee will be NCID executive director-designate from May 1 and take over as executive director on Jul 1, a day after Prof Leo completes her tenure.

Prof Lee will hold his MOH appointment concurrently with his new role, the National Healthcare Group (NHG) said on Monday (Apr 24).

"Effective Jul 1, 2023, Prof Leo will be appointed senior consultant, MOH, and senior adviser, NHG, where she will lend her wealth of expertise and experience in the area of infectious disease and outbreak management," NHG said in a media release.

Prof Leo helped set up NCID.

She has been instrumental since July 2017 in establishing the facility as a "first of its kind institution, integrating clinical care, public health and professional development in areas such as research, training and education, as well as community outreach, said NHG.

"Under her leadership, NCID successfully managed Singapore's first imported case of mpox in May 2019, responded swiftly to the fast-evolving global COVID-19 pandemic barely four months after NCID's official opening in September 2019, and also effectively managed the mpox outbreak in June 2022," NHG added.

"Prof Leo also led in establishing the COVID-19 Research Workgroup to conduct impactful studies on COVID-19 transmission in Singapore.

"The workgroup's findings have since brought about improved infection control methods, relevant public health policies, as well as diagnostic and treatment methods that benefit patients locally and worldwide."

Prof Lee has extensive global health experience in pandemic preparedness and response, infectious disease epidemiology and health policy and management, NHG said.

"Formerly an adviser to the assistant director-general for health, security and environment at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters; medical epidemiologist in the WHO office in Indonesia; and the head of the Biodefence Centre in the Singapore Armed Forces, Prof Lee has been involved in major global health security collaborations, and in developing pandemic preparedness plans, risk assessment and disease management programmes at the global and national levels," the group said.

"He continues to serve on expert committees at the international level."

Prof Lee was also involved in Singapore's response to COVID-19 as well as responses to several earlier infectious disease outbreaks.

"Prof Lee played an instrumental role in designing and implementing key national policies on preparedness and risk management, helming whole-of-government responses and public health operations, in addition to advising the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19," NHG said.

"Over the past years, he was involved in Singapore's response to the 2009 influenza pandemic, Zika, tuberculosis and other outbreaks.

"He also conducted epidemiological investigations for SARS in Singapore, and the avian flu outbreaks in Indonesia when he was seconded by MOH to the WHO."