FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 Contact: Kristy Radcliffe

Phone: +1 (630) 375-1432

Email: Kristy@isass.org

Hee Kit Wong, MD, named President of the International Society

for the Advancement of Spine Surgery

Las Vegas – April 18, 2016 – Orthopedic spine surgeon Hee Kit Wong, MD, of Singapore became the President of the Board of Directors of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) at the Society’s 2016 annual meeting in Las Vegas, NV.

“ISASS is a growing, global organization, with room to represent members from around the world. We must continue our efforts to advance the science and art of surgery and educate its practitioners in every country possible,” said Dr. Wong.

Dr. Wong has been a member of ISASS since 2001 and has served on the ISASS Board of Directors since 2010. He also serves as Chairman of the Spine Section of the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA), board member of the Pacific Asia Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (PASMISS), and board member of the Asia Pacific Cervical Spine Society (APCSS).

Wong’s hallmark, he hopes, is to give a voice and a more active role to the international community that is already listening. “While we have a strong international presence by membership,” Wong said, “our challenge is to encourage presentation and attendance at Society meetings.”

The Society’s capacity as an umbrella organization is a top priority for Dr. Wong, too–events, publications, and policy arms are all providing infrastructure and support to regional spine societies to fulfill the Society’s mission.

After graduating from the University of Singapore, Dr. Wong became a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and obtained a Master of Surgery from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Orthopaedic Surgery from the University of Liverpool. Dr. Wong currently serves as a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the National University of Singapore, Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the National University of Singapore, Chair of University Orthopaedics, Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery Cluster at the National University Health System, and Head of the Division of Spinal Surgery, University Orthopaedics, Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery Cluster at the National University Health System.

Dr. Wong is a member of more than fifteen professional societies across the globe and serves as an editor/reviewer for ten academic journals. He is the author or co-author of more than forty peer-reviewed research papers. As a researcher and surgeon, Dr. Wong has received numerous scholarships, research grants, and research awards including Outstanding Oral Paper Award at the 13^th annual International Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Best Paper Award at the 31^st annual Scientific Meeting of the Singapore Orthopaedic Association, Best Deformity Paper at the Scoliosis Research Society’s Worldwide Meeting in New Delhi in 2008, and a Poster Award from the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association in 2008.

“I would like to thank outgoing ISASS President, Gunnar Andersson, MD, PhD for his service to the Society—I am proud of what ISASS has accomplished under his leadership,” said Dr. Wong. “I am confident that he will continue lend his talent and expertise to advance the profession and the Society.”

“Hee Kit Wong, MD will serve ISASS well,” said Gunnar Andersson, MD, PhD. “I am certain Dr. Wong will continue to build bridges within the surgical spine community to continue to grow ISASS and increase the Society’s international reach.”

Outside of medicine and Society business, Dr. Wong enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music, and building computers.

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