Adj Associate Professor Dean Koh graduated from the medical school at the National University of Singapore and obtained his fellowship diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1999. He proceeded to complete his advanced surgical training in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National University Hospital, acquiring the Joint Specialty Fellowship in General Surgery examination in 2003. He was admitted as a fellow to the Academy of Medicine (Surgery) in the same year.

Dr Koh was then awarded the Human Manpower Development Programme scholarship from the Ministry of Health in 2003 and proceeded on to successfully match in the US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited residency in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Ferguson Clinic/ Michigan State University Programme. This fellowship allowed him to complete the formal fellowship training certified by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery encompassing a broad range of colon and anorectal procedures for cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and functional colorectal conditions. With the impact of the COST study in the United States in those years, he also received formal training in laparoscopic colon and rectal procedures. This remains his main interest in his practice here in Singapore. He is trained in functional anorectal work and is competent in endoanal and endorectal ultrasonography. He has been performing robotic assisted laparoscopic colorectal resections since 2008 and is a listed colorectal surgeon on the da Vinci surgeon locator. As recognition of his expertise in the field of minimally invasive colorectal surgery, Dr Koh has been appointed Visiting Professor at the Institut de Rechergecontre les Cancers de l’Appareil Digestif – European Institute of TeleSurgery (IRCAD-EITS) in Strasbourg, France and the Institut de Rechergecontre les Cancers de l’Appareil Digestif – ShowChwan Health Care System Asian Institute of TeleSurgery in Taiwan since 2014. He has been on the faculty there teaching the Advanced Laparoscopic Colorectal and the Robotic Colorectal courses.

With his vast experience in laparoscopic colorectal surgery, he assumed the position of Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Division of Colorectal Surgery in NUH. Having also completed the ACGME residency programme in the United States, he was also made the Fellowship Programme Director for colorectal surgery in the division of Colorectal Surgery. He has been involved in the training of fellows from all across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. He continues to maintain links with these surgeons from the region in both academic and clinical matters.

As an Adjunct Associate Professor of Surgery in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Dr Koh was significantly involved in both the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. He was the Director of undergraduate surgery in the Department of Surgery in the medical school in the NUS and has been instrumental in maintaining standards in surgical education. He continues to return to the medical school in NUS to teach undergraduates despite being fully engaged in his private practice.

Adj Associate Professor Koh has authored numerous publications and book chapters under TTSH, NUH and the Ferguson Clinic spanning a wide range of colon and anorectal conditions. His key publications involve laparoscopic and robotic colorectal surgery, anal fistula surgery and fecal incontinence surgery. He is also an invited reviewer for the Singapore Medical Journal, Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore, the British Journal of Surgery, the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, and Yonsei Medical Journal; and he is presently an Editorial Board member for the journal Robotic Surgery: Research and Reviews. He is an active fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, a member of the Society of Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Society of Asia and the Singapore Society of Oncology and the past President of the Society of Colorectal Surgeons of Singapore.

PUBLICATIONS

1. The da Vinci Xi: A Review of Its Capabilities, Versatility, and Potential Role in Robotic Colorectal Surgery. 

JC Ngu, CB Tsang, DC Koh.

Robotic Surgery: Research and Reviews 2017;4: 77-85

2. Robotic versus standard laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: a comparative study of short-term and oncological outomes.

JK Tan, FH Koh, CB Tsang, DC Koh.

Robotic Surgery: Research and Reviews 2014;1: 13-18

3. Overcoming Complications in Laparoscopic Low Anterior Resection with the Endo GIATM Radial Reload with Tri-StapleTM Technology.

Clinic Experience – Read more

4. Metastatic Small Bowel Tumours Causing Intestinal Obstruction: A Report of Two Cases.

YY Lee, KK Tan, DC Koh.

International Journal of Case Reports in Medicine, Vol. 2013

5. Outcomes Following Surgery for Distal Rectal Cancers : A Comparison between Laparoscopic and Open Abdomino-Perineal Resection.

Tan KK, Chong CS, Tsang CB, Koh DC.

MedJ Malaysia 2013 Aug; 68: 348-352

6. Managing Deep Postanal Space Sepsis via an Intersphincteric Approach: Our Early Experience.

KK Tan, DC Koh, Tsang CB

Ann Coloproctol. 2013 Apr; 29 (2): 55-59

7. Laparoscopic Versus an Open Colectomy in an Emergency Setting: A Case-Controlled Study

FH Koh, KK Tan, CB Tsang, DC Koh

Ann Coloproctol. 2013 Feb; 29 (1): 12-16

8. Endo-wrist vs wrist: A case-controlled study comparing robotic versus hand assisted laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer.

FH Koh, KK Tan, B Lieske, ML Tsang, CB Tsang, DC Koh

Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy & Percutaneous Technique 2013 (in press)

9. Identification of the internal anal opening and seton placement improves the outcome of deep postanal space abscess. 

Tan KK, Liu X, Tsang CB, DC Koh.

Colorectal Dis. 2012 Oct 26. PMID: 23107468

10. To LIFT or to Flap? Which Surgery to Perform Following Seton Insertion for High Anal Fistula?

Tan KK, Alsuwaigh R, Tan AM, Tan IJ, Liu X, DC Koh, Tsang CB.

Dis Colon Rectum. 2012 Dec;55(12):1273-7. PMID:23135586

11. Laparoscopy in Colorectal Cancer.

KK Tan, DC Koh.

In: Laparoscopy: New Developments, Procedures and Risks

Editor Hana Terziæ Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, New York, USA ISBN# 978-1-61470-747-9

12. Abdomino-perineal Resection – Hand Assisted. 

Goh HS, DC Koh.

In: Master Techniques in Colon and Rectal Surgery

Editors James Fleshner and Steven Wexner WoltersKluwer Health, Philadelphia, USA ISBN# 9781605476438

13. Evaluation and Management of Functional Disorders – Hemorrhoids: Office Based Management. 

DC Koh, M Luchtefeld.

In: Ambulatory Colorectal Surgery, 1st Edition

Editors Laurence R Sands and Dana R Sands Informa Healthcare, New York, USA ISBN# 978-082472792-5

14. Reliability of tumor primary cultures as a model for drug response prediction: expression profiles comparison of tissues versus primary cultures from colorectal cancer patients.

Bellot GL, Tan WH, Tay LL, DC Koh, Wang X.

Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. 2011 Dec 21 PMID: 22186935

15. Screening Based on Risk for Colorectal Cancer Is the Most Cost-Effective Approach.

Dan YY, Chuah BY, DC Koh, Yeoh KG.

Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2011 Nov 16 PMID: 22100624

16. The anatomy of failures following the ligation of intersphincteric tract (LIFT) technique for anal fistula: A review of 93 patients over 4 years

KK Tan, I Tan, DC Koh, CB Tsang.

Dis Colon Rectum. 2011 Nov;54(11):1368-72 PMID: 21979180

17. A new application of the 4-arm Standard da Vinci ® surgical system: totally robotic assisted left sided colon or rectal resection

DC Koh, SH Kim, CB Tsang.

Surgical Endoscopy 2011 Jun; 25(6):1945-52. PMID: 21136096

18. Artificial Bowel Sphincter Implantation for Fecal Incontinence in Asian Patients

K. Chittawatanarat , DC Koh, A ASeah, W K Cheong, C B Tsang.

Asian Journal of Surgery July 2010; 33(3): 134-142 PMID: 21163411

19. Hand-assisted laparoscopic abdomino-perineal resection utilizing the planned end colostomy site

DC Koh, CW Law, I Kristian, WK Cheong, CB Tsang.

Tech Coloproctol. 2010 Jun;14(2):201-6. PMID: 20428915

20. Natural History of Small ‘Indeterminate’ Hepatic lesions in patients with Colorectal Cancer

GH Lim, DC Koh, WK Cheong, KS Wong, CB Tsang.

Dis Colon Rectum. 2009 Aug;52(8):1487-91. PMID: 19617765

21. Hand-assisted laparoscopic colectomy versus standard laparoscopic colectomy: a cost analysis.

Roslani AC, DC Koh, Tsang CB, Wong KS, Cheong WK, Wong HB.

Colorectal Dis. 2009 Jun;11(5):496-501. PMID: 18662242

22. Emergency Hartmann’s procedure: morbidity, mortality and reversal rates among Asians. 

QM Leong, DC Koh, CK Ho.

Tech Coloproctol (2008) 12:21–25. PMID: 18512008

23. Efficacy of Transarterial Embolization as Definitive Treatment in Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

DC Koh, MA Luchtefeld, DG Kim, MF Knox, BC Fedeson, JS VanErp, BR Mustert.

Colorectal Disease 2008; 11: 53-59. PMID: 18462224

24. Necrotising colitis related to clozapine? A rare but life threatening side effect

QM Leong, KS Wong, DC Koh.

World Journal of Emergency Surgery 2007, 2:21 (21 August 2007) PMID: 17711574

25. Small Bowel Obstruction Secondary to Bezoar Impaction: A Diagnostic Dilemma.

TW Ho, DC Koh.

World Journal of Surgery 2007; 31: 1072-1078. PMID: 17420961

26. Microsatellite Instability and MLH1 hypermethylation – Incidence and Significance in Colorectal Polyps in Young Patients.

DC Koh, M Luchtefeld, D Kim, HS Attal, T Monroe, K Ingersall.

Colorectal Disease 2007; 9: 521-526. PMID: 17573746

27. Molecular Biological Characteristics of Colorectal Polyps in Young Patients.

DC Koh, M Luchtefeld, D Kim, HS Attal, T Monroe, K Ingersall.

Diseases of the Colon and Rectum March 2005; 48(3): 605.

28. Stapled Haemorrhoidectomy: Bothersome Staple Line Bleeding.

Dean CS Koh, Denis MO Cheong, Kutt Sing Wong.

Asian Journal of Surgery 2005; 28(3): 193-197. PMID: 16024315

29. Laparoscopic-assisted Colon and Rectal Surgery – Lessons Learnt from Early Experience. 

DC Koh, KS Wong, R Sim et al.

Annals Academy of Medicine, Singapore April 2005; 34(3): 223-228 PMID: 15902341

30. The Torg-Pavlov ratio in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a comparative study between patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and a nonspondylotic, nonmyelopathic population.

Yue WM, Tan SB, Tan MH, DC Koh, Tan CT.

Spine. 2001 Aug 15;26(16):1760-4. PMID: 11493847