Practitioner Profile

Dr. Lai attended medical school at the National University of Singapore and thereafter completed a 6-year residency in Aviation Medicine with the Republic of Singapore Airforce (RSAF), where he became the first Singaporean to be awarded the prestigious Stewart Memorial Prize in 2002 for graduating top of his Diploma in Aviation Medicine course in London.

Upon commencing orthopaedic specialist training in 2006, Dr. Lai rotated to Singapore’s biggest restructured hospitals and accrued much experience learning from local orthopaedic experts. In 2012 Dr. Lai completed his training and obtained his Fellowship degree from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, before full registration as an orthopaedic specialist with the Singapore Medical Council.

In 2013, he joined the National University Hospital (NUH) and spent a significant amount of time overseas attending fellowships in the region (refer below) whilst establishing his orthopaedic practice. This culminated in a full-time Orthopaedic Knee Arthroscopy, Arthroplasty and Trauma fellowship in 2014 with Drs Myles Coolican, David Parker and Brett Fritsch at the Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute in Royal North Shore Hospital.

During Dr. Lai’s time as an Orthopaedic Consultant in the Sports and Hip/Knee Divisions in NUH, his surgical interests and repertoire included computer-navigated partial/total knee and hip joint replacement, minimally invasive, arthroscopic/key-hole ligament reconstruction, including double-bundle ACLs, as well as the latest techniques in cartilage resurfacing and regeneration.

Dr. Lai has presented on the podium of various international orthopaedic meetings, given numerous talks to the public and fellow health care providers, and participated as a faculty in the Post-graduate Orthopaedic Residency Training in NUH. Dr. Lai is also a full member of the Singapore Orthopaedic Association and currently helps out as a co-chairman of the Scientific Committee for its Annual Scientific Meeting.

Dr. Lai has been an avid sportsman since primary school. He has donned school and university colors for swimming, athletics, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, hockey, soccer, and basketball.