Early Education
Born in Sarawak, Malaysia, Prof Goh won a British charity trust scholarship to Sevenoaks School in Kent, the UK, at a young age. He was the first South-east Asian to study in this quintessentially English but progressive public school.
Subsequently, he enrolled into King’s College Hospital’s School of Medicine in London, and studied electives at Duke University School of Medicine (the US) and the Department of Surgery at McGill University (Canada).
After graduating with a double degree in Science and Medicine, Prof Goh went on to receive his surgical training in England under influential names like Sir James Fraser and Sir Ian Todd, at St Mark’s Hospital for Diseases of Rectum and Colon, London.
The Pioneer
Prof Goh joined the Department of Surgery at the National University of Singapore (NU S) as a lecturer in 1981, where he developed an interest in colorectal surgery and subspecialised in it.
After eight years on the job, Prof Goh was invited to establish the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). It was the first department of its kind in Singapore and the Asean region. He was the Foundation Head and Senior Consultant of the department, and trained many colorectal surgeons for Singapore and the region along the way. The department also became well-known in the region because of its excellence in clinical work, teaching and research. Till today, the department is still recognised internationally
as a premier colorectal centre. |
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The Academic
With his extensive experience in the field of colorectal surgery, it should come as no surprise that Prof Goh has published a host of articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed chapters in textbooks on colorectal surgery and colorectal cancer.
He is also a recipient of many awards and honours, such as the Galloway Gold Medal, Harry Bacon Oration, and most notably, the Singapore National Science and Technology Medal (1995).
Prof Goh is also the founding chairman of the Society of Colorectal Surgeons (Singapore), inaugural chairman of the Asean Society of Colorectal Surgeons and a past vice-president of the International Society of University Colorectal Surgeons, and a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons,
and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.
Despite his move to private practice, Prof Goh continues to teach and contribute as a visiting consultant to both SGH and the National University Hospital (NUH). He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Surgery at NUS.
The Colon Centre
Combining his years of expertise, Goh Hak-Su Colon and Rectal Centre is Prof Goh’s brainchild. The onestop clinic sees a range of conditions, from colorectal cancer to constipation, and provides comprehensive diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care for its patients.
The centre also collaborates with other specialists such as medical oncologists and radiation therapists, to make sure their patients are able to take advantage of coordinated multi-disciplinary care services. |
