LEE Vernon J

Prof Vernon Lee is a dedicated public health physician with expertise in global health policy and management, infectious diseases epidemiology, preparedness and research.

• NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Adjunct)
• Director, Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health, Singapore (Primary)
• Senior Consultant, Singapore Armed Forces
• President, College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians, Singapore

• Infectious diseases epidemiology including influenza and respiratory infections, vector-borne infections
• Health services research including health economics

• Infectious diseases
• Health services research

• PhD in Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
• Specialist in Public Health, Singapore
• MBA, Johns Hopkins University
• MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• MBBS, National University of Singapore

• 2010 Young Outstanding Singaporean Finalist
• 2009 International Post-Graduate Research Scholarship, Australia
• 2007 Tan Tock Seng Hospital Young Investigator Award
• 2007 National Healthcare Group (NHG) Doctor Award for best research – 2nd place
• 2006 NHG Doctor Award for best research – 1st place
• 2005 Delta Omega Honor Society, Johns Hopkins University

• 2010 – 2012 Advisor to the Assistant Director-General, WHO HQ, Geneva
• 2008 – 2010, 2013 – 2016 Head, Singapore Armed Forces Biodefence Center
• 2007 – 2008 Medical Epidemiologist, WHO Indonesia Office

• Developed health policy at organizational, national and international levels
• Managed international working groups, and multi-million dollar initiatives
• Managed or consulted for >40 public health projects worldwide
• Managed research grants worth more than SGD 15 million
• Published >100 scientific papers and book chapters including NEJM, JAMA and The Lancet
• Associate editor for IORV journal, and academic editor for PLoS One
• Invited speaker at numerous international meetings

• Associate Editor for the Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses journal, and Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines Journal
• Board member of the International Society for Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses
• President-Elect of the College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians, Singapore
• Member of various expert working groups on health emergency risk management and preparedness, and infectious diseases

• Lee VJ, Yap J, Cook AR, Chen MI, Tay J, Tan BH, Loh JP, Chew SW, Koh WH, Lin R, Lin C, Lee CWH, Sung WK, Wong CW, Hibberd ML, Kang KL, Seet B, Tambyah PA. Oseltamivir ring prophylaxis for containment of Influenza A (H1N1-2009) outbreaks. NEJM. 2010; 362:2166-74.
• Lee VJ, Yap J, Cook AR, Chen MI, Tay JK, Barr I, Kelso A, Tan BH, Loh JP, Lin R, Lin C, Kelly PM, Leo YS, Chia KS, Kang WL, Tambyah PA, Seet B. Effectiveness of public health measures in mitigating pandemic influenza spread: A prospective serological cohort study. Journal of Infectious Diseases. Nov 2010, 202(9):1319-26.
• Lee VJ, Chen MI, Yap J, Ong J, Lim WY, Lin RT, Barr I, Ong JB, Mak TM, Goh LG, Leo YS, Kelly PM, Cook AR. Comparability of different methods for estimating influenza infection rates over a single epidemic wave. Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Aug

• Three times that the world coughed, and Singapore caught the bug, The Straits Times, 19 April 2020
• It’s ‘battle against nature’ for Covid-19 and more time is needed to learn about disease: MOH official, TODAY, 25 February 2020

Click here to view his detailed CV.