“All heart surgery is a risk,” writes renowned British heart surgeon and author Dr. Stephen Westaby in “Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table,” published in 2018. “Cardiac surgery is not for the timid or nervy. In the operating room, there is no room for doubt.”
To be a cardiothoracic surgeon—and to excel at it—demands not just skill, but unwavering precision, resilience, and nerves of steel. On this International Women’s Day (Feb 08, 2025) I want to honor Professor Kristine Teoh Leok Kheng, Head of Adult Cardiac Surgery at the National University Hospital, Singapore—a true leader in this high-stakes field.
Prof. Kristine Teoh is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) since 1996 and earned her Master of Surgery from the University of London in 2006. She obtained her FRCS (Cardiothoracic) membership in 2007.
Dr. Teoh is an expert in coronary, valve, thoracic aortic, and arrhythmia surgery, as well as in both open and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung, pleural, mediastinal, and chest wall disease. Since returning to Singapore in 2009, she has been a pillar of excellence at NUHS.
“When you’re operating on the heart, death sits at the operating table, watching you with mild interest,” Dr. Westaby wrote. “Surgical precision is both an art and a science, a delicate balance between technique and intuition.”
On this International Women’s Day, I bow in gratitude to healers like Dr. Kristine Teoh for fixing broken hearts (literally) and saving lives. Thank you for your dedication, leadership, and the lives you save every day.