Practitioner Profile

Dr. Leon Foo graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1999. He continued to further his medical education and obtained three post-graduate degrees, namely Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2004, Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2004 and Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2008.

In 2008 Dr. Foo was awarded the prestigious Singapore Government Ministry of Health Training Scholarship to pursue his fellowship training in the dual sub-specialties of Orthopaedic Oncology & Revision Arthroplasty at Muenster University Hospital in Germany. This was followed by a further clinical attachment at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) in the United States of America.

Upon his return to Singapore in 2010, Dr. Foo was made a Consultant with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Singapore General Hospital. His clinical and surgical expertise was much sought after and he was concurrently appointed as Visiting Consultant to the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Kandang Kerbau Women & Children’s Hospital, as well as Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Apart from clinical work, Dr. Foo is a well-respected teacher, mentor, and examiner. He was appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, as well as Clinical Tutor with the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. He is also an Advanced Trauma Life Support Instructor and is actively involved as Physician Faculty for both the Orthopaedic Surgery and Family Medicine Residency Programmes. He continues to be regularly called upon as Teaching Faculty for both local, as well as international courses and conferences.

Dr. Foo is one of a handful of fellowship-trained Orthopaedic Oncologists in Singapore. Orthopaedic Oncology refers to the sub-specialty of treating both bone and soft tissue tumors. Bone and soft tissue tumors are divided broadly into benign, locally aggressive and malignant. The malignant bone and soft tissue tumors are also often referred to as sarcomas or carcinomas/cancers. As the lead surgical member in the multi-disciplinary oncology team looking after tumor patients, Dr. Foo’s contribution lies with his expertise and experience in tumor tissue removal, as well as the subsequent reconstructive surgery. This includes limb-preserving surgery for both bone and soft tissue tumors and reconstruction using autografts, allografts and/or mega-prosthesis implants. His guiding philosophy with bone and soft tissue tumor treatment is not only of curative tumor removal but also of appropriate functional reconstructive procedures that allow patients to return to as full and as active a function as possible postoperatively.

Orthopaedic Oncology aside, Dr. Foo is also fellowship-trained in Revision Arthroplasty. His clinical expertise is often called upon in the treatment of hip, knee and shoulder problems arising from a variety of causes, be it degenerative (age-related), inflammatory, trauma or sports-related injuries. His surgical repertoire includes the latest technologies in cartilage resurfacing and regeneration, as well as joint reconstruction and replacement, including minimally invasive, key-hole/arthroscopic, computer navigation, customized/patient-specific instrumentation and robotic surgery.

Apart from consistently producing excellent surgical and functional outcomes, Dr. Foo is also well loved by his patients for his compassionate and empathic nature. He is a three-time recipient of the “Service with a Heart Award” during his practice at the Singapore General Hospital, a testament to the passion that he places in his patients and work. Holistic patient-centric care remains the most important tenet of his clinical practice.