Saima Hilal-mid-shot

Assistant Professor

HILAL Saima

Saima Hilal is a clinician-scientist working at the intersection of brain health, ageing, and the prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia. Trained in both clinical medicine and epidemiology, her work is motivated by the substantial underdiagnosis of dementia in many Asian societies, where cognitive decline is frequently misattributed to normal ageing. This gap limits opportunities for timely prevention and intervention at both individual and population levels.

Her research focuses on understanding the biological, behavioural, and environmental determinants of brain ageing, with particular emphasis on the interplay between cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative processes. She investigates the role of modifiable risk factors—such as lifestyle behaviours, cardiovascular health, and nutrition—in cognitive decline, while leveraging advanced neuroimaging, retinal imaging, blood-based biomarkers, and digital health tools for early detection and risk stratification.

In parallel, she develops and validates predictive models that integrate genetic and non-genetic factors using epidemiological and machine-learning approaches to identify individuals at high risk of cognitive impairment. By integrating diverse methodologies across large, multi-ethnic cohorts, her work aims to inform personalised prevention strategies and scalable public health interventions to promote healthy cognitive ageing in Asia and globally.

Affiliation

  • NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Primary)
  • Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Research Areas

  • Ageing Population
  • Population Health
  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurodegenerative and Neurovascular Diseases
  • Heart and Brain Connection
  • Machine Learning

Teaching Areas

  • Basic and Advanced Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Brain Health
  • Non-Communicable Diseases

Academic/Professional Qualifications

  • 2016 – PhD in medicine, NUS
  • 2013 – MPH, NUS
  • 2006 – MD, Dow Medical College, Pakistan

Awards/Honours

  • 2025: Clinician Scientist Award, Singapore National Medical Research Council (NMRC)
  • 2025: Long service award, National University of Singapore
  • 2024: Teaching Award, National University of Singapore
  • 2021: Transition Award, Singapore National Medical Research Council (NMRC)
  • 2019: Winner of best poster presentation by Asian Society Against Dementia
  • 2018: Travel grant, The International Society of Vascular Behavioral and Cognitive Disorders
  • 2018: Travel Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Association International Conference

Career History

  • 2019-present: Assistant professor, National University of Singapore
  • 2016-2019: Post-doctoral scientific researcher, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
  • 2016-2019: Visiting research fellow, Memory Aging and Cognition Center (MACC), National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore.
  • 2016: Research Fellow, National University Health System, Memory Aging and Cognition Center (MACC), Singapore
  • 2013-2016: Research associate, National University Health System, Memory Aging and Cognition Center (MACC), Singapore
  • 2011-2014: Clinical fellow, Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore

Professional/Consulting Activities:

  • Chair, The International Society of Vascular Behavioral and Cognitive Disorders (VasCog)

Selected Publications

  • Cui J, Liu Z, Tan WY, Chong JR, On SH, Chong EJY, Venketasubramanian N, Lai MKP, Chen C, Hilal S; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. White Matter Hyperintensities Moderate the Association Between Diabetes and Non-AD Brain Atrophy. Diabetes Care. 2025 Oct 27:dc251162. doi: 10.2337/dc25-1162
  • Huang J, Tan WY, Cui J, On SH, Chong EJY, Chen C, Hilal S. Synergistic effect between cortical cerebral microinfarcts and brain atrophy on cognitive decline. Brain. 2025 Nov 4;148(11):3924-3934.
  • Tan WY, Huang X, Huang J, Robert C, Cui J, Chen CPLH, Hilal S. Role of Brain Age Gap as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Cognitive Impairment Risk Factors and Cognition. Neurology. 2025 Jul 22;105(2):e213815.
  • Tan WY, Huang X, Robert C, Tee M, Chen C, Koh GCH, van Dam RM, Kandiah N, Hilal S. A point-based cognitive impairment scoring system for southeast Asian adults. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Apr;12(4):100
  • Tee M, Padrela BE, Dupeyron M, Huang J, Low M, Konstandin S, Eickel K, Günther M, Minta K, Schinazi VR, Colombo G, Petr J, Mutsaerts HJ, Hilal S. Associations between potential risk factors and blood-brain barrier water permeability in middle-aged and older adults. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Mar;104(1):95-105.
  • Tan WY, Hargreaves CA, Dawe GS, Hsu W, Lee ML, Vipin A, Kandiah N, Hilal S. Incremental Value of Multidomain Risk Factors for Dementia Prediction: A Machine Learning Approach. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 Mar;33(3):229-244.
  • Brodtmann A, Hilal S. Bridging the Gap in Small Vessel Disease Research: Perivascular Spaces in the Clinical Space? Neurology. 2024 May 14;102(9):e209379

Full list of publications can be viewed here.

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