SAOT Council &
Leadership (2024-2026)
Gabriel Kwek
President
Gabriel is currently a Senior Professional Officer and Team Coordinator for the Health & Social Sciences Team within the Professional Officers Division, Singapore Institute of Technology, where he takes pride in the education and development of future OTs in Singapore. His clinical and leadership experience spans across the Health & Social Care sector - from specialist/tertiary rehabilitation at TTSH Rehabilitation Centre, to home-/ school-/ community-based roles in NCSS’ Sun Ray Scheme & AWWA Community Integration Service, and community/population health with TTSH/Central Health’s Community Health Team. He also helms additional external portfolios such as Consultant Principal Occupational Therapist with AWWA’s Outsource Therapy Hub, and is also in the Allied Health Profession Council’s (AHPC) Review Committee for Additional Qualifications. Gabriel’s journey with SAOT started with his involvement with the SAOT Student Committee where he became the 5th President of the Student Committee. Gabriel then joined SAOT Council upon graduation, and served in roles such as Head of various subcommittees and also Vice-President (Hon. Secretary). Gabriel strongly believes in building on collective leadership (through ground efforts and passionate OT volunteers) to drive meaningful impact and avenues for service users. Beyond crafting meaningful client-related opportunities through SAOT, Gabriel also hopes to leverage on SAOT as an aggregator to innovate, formalize, and spread awareness of local OT initiatives and useful resources (e.g. Practice Toolkits, Guidelines), thereby raising the quality of professional development/training for OTs across practice fields.
Asst. Prof. Yeh I-Ling
Vice-President (Honorary Secretary)
I-Ling is an assistant professor in Singapore Institute of Technology. She has been in the Education and Research Committee of SAOT council since 2018. She is involved in research-related portfolio, including administration of annual SAOT research grant, and research mentorship. She has also advised the student committee of SAOT since 2019. She previously served on the Scientific Committee of the National Occupational Therapy Conference in 2019. She has authored several peer-reviewed articles on neurorehabilitation, rehabilitation technology, stroke rehabilitation and occupational therapy. She has been a Review Editor for Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences since May 2021 and has been reviewing for academic journals in related fields. She is dedicated to serving the professional community and believes in SAOT as a platform to continue strengthening the profession by facilitating clinical research and creating conversations and collaborations.
Yap Li Wen
Vice-President Finance (Honorary Treasurer)
Li Wen started her journey as an Occupational Therapist in a restructured hospital, followed by a rehabilitation centre and ventured into the community. Currently, she is in a therapy hub and has been working in various Intermediate and Long-Term Care settings such as Senior Care Centres, Nursing Homes and Home Therapy. Her involvement with SAOT started as the President of SAOT Student Committee. She went on to lead SAOT Physical Rehabilitation Special Interest Group from 2017 and joined the Council as part of the Promotion & Development subcommittee in 2020. She believes in the power of communities and partnerships between therapists, organisations, clients and the community to build an inclusive society where everyone with different abilities is given opportunities for participation. Through SAOT, she hopes to contribute to shaping the development of various communities and partnerships to push for clinical advancements in the profession and advocate for the people we serve together with the people we serve.
Nurul Jannah Binte Kamaludin
Council Member – Lead, Promotion & Development
Jannah is an occupational therapist with over ten years of experience working with adults with neurological, orthopaedic or traumatic conditions in inpatient and outpatient settings at a rehabilitation centre. She has been involved in various initiatives for promoting self-management and participation, and conducted workshops in Amputee Rehabilitation. When she was doing her Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy in University of Southern California, she had the opportunity to experience and witness first-hand the importance of having a professional body such as the AOTA, in providing a platform for the voices of individuals across different sectors to be heard. The passion and drive in advocating for what they believed in was truly inspiring. Although advocacy was not entirely new to her, it was mainly limited to advocating for patients in her day to day clinical work. The exposure she had in the US expanded her worldview on what advocacy can look like beyond day to day clinical work. She joined the council as she believes that advocacy can only happen when there is a collective voice strong enough to be heard. As a member of the Promotion & Development subcommittee, she hopes to contribute to the local OT community and grow the profession to greater heights so that occupational therapists can better advocate for the people we serve.
Foo Jia Xin
Council Member – Promotion & Development
Jia Xin has joined the Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists (SAOT) as a council member to contribute to the advancement of the profession, advocate for the needs of occupational therapists, and promote best practices. This role offers an opportunity to actively participate in policy-making, develop and disseminate educational resources, and strengthen the professional community through networking and collaboration. Additionally, she is particularly interested in enhancing the visibility and public awareness of occupational therapy through effective publicity strategies. She is committed to utilizing this platform to support the continuous professional growth of occupational therapists, take on meaningful leadership responsibilities, and ultimately enhance the quality of care provided to clients across Singapore.
Lynn Kok
Council Member - Promotion & Development
Lynn’s strengths lie not only in clinical expertise between the different community settings but also in interpersonal skills that enable her to effectively engage and support both peers and clients. Lynn believes in fostering a collaborative environment where ideas can flourish and where we can collectively navigate through challenges and adversity. Joining the council of SAOT, Lynn is committed to leveraging her experience and passion to advocate for policies that enhance the quality of care in community settings. She is eager to work alongside fellow council members to drive positive change in the OT sphere and to represent the diverse needs of our community healthcare practitioners.
Mah Looi Han
Council Member – Promotion & Development
Having started her practice in the acute setting, and then transitioning to a community hospital setting, and then to her current day rehabilitation setting, Looi Han’s goal was to experience the value of occupational therapy in the different seasons of patients’ recovery. She is intrigued by how the role of an OT can look different in different cultures, and hence is convinced that OT practice should continue to adapt and innovate with changing times, therefore the importance of research to inform current practice. She is interested in health system changes like One Rehab and Healthier SG which she feels can help OTs practice in more effective and efficient ways. She is passionate about value-based care and believe that there is more that the profession is designed for with our expertise on systems thinking. Hence, Looi Han hopes to be a good advocate for what OTs can do for the society by building bridges for the profession, and to also build bridges within the profession to standardize practice and to uphold standards of care. All in all, Looi Han hopes that being in council can open her eyes to less seen areas of needs, and to then meet the needs.
Leo Zhao
Council Member – Lead, Education & Research
Leo has been practising for over ten years in the restructured hospital internal medicine setting, and has been involved in multiple hospital-wide workgroups looking into improving clinical care. He has also been actively involved in clinical teaching for junior clinicians as well as OT students. With a Masters in Critical Care, he hopes that more can be done by OTs within the ICU setting, and that clinicians can feel more confident when managing patients requiring acute care. Leo is currently managing the SAOT Research Grant and is also supporting the Website team. As part of the Education and Research subcommittee, he hopes to be able to explore ways to help our OT community feel more supported in their professional growth and clinical development. Join him, will you?
Eunice Chua
Council Member – Education & Research
Significant efforts are underway to foster a more integrated healthcare system. Likewise, Eunice aspires to act as a unifying force, facilitating knowledge exchange and networking across the different sectors of the OT profession. Her aim is to ensure that the diverse needs of our profession are heard and supported, bridging any existing gaps and driving professional growth within our nation's healthcare system. Joining SAOT as a council member aligns with her goals, offering an opportunity to work alongside similarly driven individuals to elevate our profession to new levels of excellence.
Evelyn Chan
Council Member - Education & Research
Currently a senior occupational therapist and OT lead with NTUC First Campus, Evelyn supports children with developmental and learning needs in mainstream preschool settings. Her clinical interest lies in advocating for inclusive and neurodiversity affirming practices in mainstream schools. Evelyn’s involvement in SAOT started as a council member on the SAOT student council. Upon graduation, she continued to volunteer and participate in SAOT events. Prior to joining this council term, she served as an active member of the SAOT paediatric special interest group steering committee since 2022. With a decade of clinical experience spanning various practice settings and with the support of her family, Evelyn is now able and ready to contribute as a council member. She believes strongly in continuing education and professional growth of the profession, and looks forward to supporting the education and research efforts of SAOT.
Wong Hai Song
Council Member - Education & Research
Hai Song enjoys working in a team towards a common goal and being respectful and open to different working styles and solutions. In his personal time, he enjoy cycling, running, exploring new activities and food, reading, and self-development. He is interested in joining the council to give back to the profession and to support the association's role in advancing our field.
Matthias Kwee
Council Member - Education & Research
Given his experience, Matthias would like to give back to my profession by exploring new avenues and services where OTs can be involved – these can include assessing environmental layout for new facilities such as Nursing homes or Day care and new services such as Dry needling for upper limb. He looks forward to be involved in and to assist SAOT in providing further support towards building our professional identity, awareness, and growth in Singapore.
Tan Wan Ru (Jessica)
Council Member - Education & Research
Having been with the council since the previous term, Jessica hopes to support E&R in the implementation of the CPE system for all OTs in Singapore. Hopefully, in this journey, to also garner more like-minded people together to serve and be served.
Florence Cheong
WFOT Delegate
Florence is currently Senior Principal Occupational Therapist in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Since 2006, Florence’s driving assessment team has been collaborating with governmental authorities such as Land Transport Authority, Traffic Police, Ministry of Manpower and Singapore Medical Association to develop and conduct driving assessments for elderly vocational drivers. Partnering with Traffic Police, Land Transport Authority and the Handicapped Welfare Association, the team developed a workflow for persons with disabilities to learn/return to driving after a medical condition in Singapore. Florence served as council member in the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) from 2013 to 2019 and is the Deputy Chair of the Occupational Therapy Credentials Committee in AHPC. She co-chairs the Occupational Therapy Panel in MOH. Florence volunteered in various portfolios in SAOT: as elected President (2006-2016); elected Vice President (Finance) (2016-2020) and currently, as Singapore’s Delegate to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. She won the Inspiring Occupational Therapist Award conferred by SAOT in 2019. Florence is an adjunct faculty with the Singapore Institute of Technology, imparting knowledge on health systems, management and leadership. She is a recipient of the Skillsfuture Fellowships 2020.
Adj. Assoc. Prof. Patrick Ker
WFOT 1st Alternate Delegate
Patrick is a Senior Principal Occupational Therapist at the Singapore General Hospital, sub-specialising in upper limb rehabilitation and ergonomics. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Singapore Institute of Technology. Patrick had taken on leadership roles including Head of the SGH Occupational Therapy Department and Coordinating Head of the Rehabilitation Centre. He was the Director for the SGH Postgraduate Allied Health Institute from 2014-2024. Patrick has served as SAOT President, WFOT Delegate and is currently the 1st Alternate WFOT Delegate. He was also the President for the Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Regional Group (APOTRG). Patrick has always been passionate in the development and promotion of the occupational therapy profession in Singapore and internationally. He launched the 1st Occupational Therapists Day in Singapore during his term as SAOT President and continues to serve in various committees that uphold the professional standards of occupational therapy practice.
Assoc. Prof. Lim Hua Beng
WFOT 2nd Alternate Delegate
Hua Beng is an Associate Professor with the Health and Social Sciences Cluster at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). He is the current Programme Leader of Occupational Therapy degree at SIT. Hua Beng has dedicated his career to educating and mentoring Singapore’s future generation of occupational therapists. He is actively involved in various workgroups and committees with the Allied Health Professions Council, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Health. In 2007, Hua Beng was awarded the Tsuyoshi Sato Lectureship Award by the Asia Pacific Occupational Therapists Regional Group. He also received the Inspiring Occupational Therapist Award from the Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists in 2015, the Educator Achievement Award from Nanyang Polytechnic in 2017 and Teaching Excellence Award from SIT in 2020. Hua Beng has served as President, SAOT , WFOT Education Programme and was one of the WFOT delegates who founded the Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Network which is now the Asia Pacific Occupational Therapists Regional Group.