SingHealth Launches Global Healthcare Admin Fellowship Network

SingHealth has launched the SingHealth International Administrators Fellowship Network, the first structured global exchange programme dedicated to healthcare administrators. The network was formally announced at the opening of the Singapore Healthcare Management (SHM) 2026 congress, attended by Guest of Honour Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry).

The initiative brings together SingHealth and nine leading academic medical centres and health systems from North America, Europe and Asia. Participating institutions include University Health Network (Canada), NYC Health + Hospitals, Johns Hopkins Health System, Stanford Health Care, Northwell Health and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (all USA), Karolinska University Hospital (Sweden), Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital (China), and CUHK Medical Centre (Hong Kong, China).

Selected administrators will spend six to eight weeks embedded in one of these institutions, working alongside local peers on leadership, operational transformation and innovation challenges. In return, administrators from the partner organisations will come to Singapore to experience SingHealth’s fully integrated public healthcare model, where acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals function as a single continuum of care.

SingHealth plans to send 40 of its administrators through the programme over the next five years. The network builds on the earlier SingHealth Administrators Exchange Programme, launched in 2023, which has already enabled 16 administrators to complete overseas attachments and return with practical improvements for Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster.

Mr Tan Jack Thian, Group Chief Operating Officer of SingHealth, said the network reflects a strategic investment in people. “The establishment of the SingHealth International Administrators Fellowship Network signals SingHealth’s continued investment in developing our people as a strategic workforce that leads and thrives in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape. It also strengthens our position as a global platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and innovation, as well as an employer and healthcare partner of choice.”

Dr Chung Kin Lai, CEO of CUHK Medical Centre, added that the partnership recognises the critical role of administrators. “Joining the SingHealth International Administrators Fellowship Network reflects our belief in the strategic importance of administrators in healthcare. This innovative initiative, led by SingHealth and supported by an international network of peers, will help broaden perspectives, exchange best practices, and develop administrators who are ready to grow with adaptability and insight.”

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Former participants have already translated overseas experience into concrete results at home. Song Jiahui, Senior Assistant Director of Operations at Outram Community Hospital, spent time at Northwell Health in the United States. He observed advanced business continuity planning, sustainability systems and emergency response exercises. On his return he contributed to Singapore’s first comprehensive study of healthcare system emissions and helped introduce practical eco-checklists and festive sustainability guides across SingHealth.

Lee Hui Quan, Director of the Business Office at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, was attached to Stanford Health Care. He gained exposure to sophisticated financial planning, business intelligence tools and data-driven decision-making. These insights have supported SingHealth’s National Billing System implementation and the broader automation of financial analysis and reporting.

Ong Li Wen, Deputy Director of Facilities Management at Changi General Hospital, worked with NYC Health + Hospitals. She participated in a live major incident involving the hospital’s electrical supply and studied climate-resilient infrastructure. The experience has informed new engineering solutions for energy-efficient heat recovery and water quality management within SingHealth’s facilities shared services.

The launch coincides with the 15th edition of the Singapore Healthcare Management Congress, which drew more than 2,000 local and international delegates. This year’s programme included sessions on hospital mergers and artificial intelligence, patient experience through staff experience, border security and service design, and a dedicated innovation track featuring contributions from the Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore General Hospital and the National University of Singapore.

More than 500 posters were submitted on topics ranging from healthcare engineering to human resources, underscoring the breadth of management innovation across Singapore’s healthcare system.

SingHealth is Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster. It operates acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals that deliver integrated care from prevention through long-term management. As an academic medical centre it partners Duke-NUS Medical School and collaborates widely on research, education and innovation.

The new fellowship network positions SingHealth as a global platform for developing future-ready healthcare administrators while exporting lessons from Singapore’s integrated care model to partners worldwide. Applications and further details will be managed through SingHealth’s internal development channels and the participating institutions.

The programme marks a shift from one-off bilateral attachments to a sustained multilateral network designed to build a lasting community of collaborative excellence in healthcare administration.