The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore installed surgical oncologist Mikael Hartman as the inaugural Josephine Tan Professor in Breast Cancer Genomics, funded by a Parkway Holdings donation in memory of a former patient.
The professorship, launched on 23 October at the Four Seasons Hotel, breaks with tradition by honouring a patient rather than a teacher. Hartman, who also practises at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, will integrate polygenic risk scores with mammogram history and family data to refine who needs earlier screening.
What genomics adds
Breast cancer incidence in Singapore has risen with ageing and lifestyle shifts. Standard age-based mammography can miss higher-risk women with dense breast tissue or BRCA variants. Hartman's team will test whether combining common genetic variants with clinical factors changes recall rates without overwhelming radiology suites.
The BREATHE trial already demonstrated feasibility among women aged 35 to 59 across ethnic groups. The professorship gives it a permanent budget line for follow-up appointments, genetic counselling, and cost-effectiveness work MOH needs before subsidising new protocols.
Donor intent
Tony Tan Choon Keat, founding managing director of Parkway Holdings, pledged an undisclosed sum after his wife Josephine's cancer journey. Naming the chair after her signals patient-centred research priorities rather than purely academic milestones.
Private philanthropy increasingly tops up National Medical Research Council grants where timelines stretch across electoral cycles. Hartman's dual hospital and university roles help translate papers into NUH clinic pathways if results hold.
Clinical caution
Expanded screening can harm through false positives and anxiety. Hartman told ST the next phase must weigh benefits against unnecessary biopsies, especially in younger cohorts. Polygenic scores are population-specific; models trained on European datasets require validation in Singapore's Chinese, Malay and Indian mix.
Insurance implications linger: Integrated Shield plans price risk on historical claims. If genomics shifts women into earlier surveillance, insurers may ask whether premiums reflect new testing costs.
Timeline for patients
No immediate policy change applies. Women on standard mammography schedules should continue MOH recall letters. The professorship's output will surface first in journals and NUHS pilot clinics before MOH considers national rollout. For now, the news is institutional: Singapore is funding precision breast screening science at the volume where multicentre Asian data actually exist.
Primary care physicians said they welcome clearer triage rules if genomics ever moves into Healthier SG screenings. Family doctors already juggle diabetes, vaccination, and mental-health touchpoints; an evidence-backed breast-risk score could slot into annual check-ups only if counselling capacity keeps pace with extra referrals.