The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) today announced the establishment of a professorship in honour of Professor Aileen Wee, an internationally recognised authority in hepatobiliary pathology, with a distinguished career spanning five decades in clinical practice, research, and medical education. Prof Wee is Emeritus Professor at the Department of Pathology in NUS Medicine and Emeritus Consultant at the Department of Pathology in the National University Hospital.
The Aileen Wee Professorship in Liver Diseases is the latest in a series of professorships launched by NUS Medicine to recognise outstanding Singaporeans. Through the professorship, NUS Medicine aims to catalyse the formation of partnerships with experts from various disciplines to address cancer and other pressing healthcare challenges, and spur important discourse to improve the practice of healthcare to serve the population in Singapore and beyond.
Prof Wee’s work focuses on hepatobiliary pathology, with expertise in medical liver biopsy interpretation, fine needle aspiration cytology and liver transplantation pathology. With over 150 peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, Prof Wee has contributed to foundational advances in liver cytopathology – a specialised branch of pathology that involves examining cells to diagnose disease, as well as liver fibrosis in chronic liver diseases. More recently, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital pathology for improving diagnostic precision and supporting more consistent clinical decision-making, she has explored the application of second-harmonic generation-based AI as an assistive tool in the assessment of key histological parameters of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The accurate assessment of these parameters, which are related to disease activity and chronicity, is critical for the evaluation of the effects of new therapeutics and the outcome of clinical trials for this global disease of epidemic proportions.
Prof Wee said, “I am very honoured and deeply grateful for this magnanimous gesture of the School and the many donors who have shown their generous support. The liver is one of the most complex organs in the human body. The study of liver diseases is multidimensional, multidirectional and multifaceted. As a multidisciplinary approach is the way to go, this professorship is not confined to any discipline, and I hope it will benefit scholars who are actively pursuing any aspect of research to uncover some of the many unknowns in the diseased liver for the betterment of patients.”
Prof Wee has travelled widely across Asia, the Middle East and North America to deliver lectures at conferences, as well as to conduct workshops and tutorials. She has extensive international collaborations with pathologists and researchers. Prof Wee’s work has contributed to the development of international standards that guide clinical practice worldwide. She is the lead for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Reporting System for Liver Cytopathology, which aims to standardise communication with clinicians globally to improve patient management. As a pioneer in her field, her work has shaped the global understanding of the role of fine needle aspiration cytology. She is also a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Laennec Liver Pathology Society, International Academy of Cytopathology, and the International Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) Pathology Group, where she contributes to international consensus statements regarding the histological grading and staging of MASLD. She has also authored and co-authored chapters in key liver pathology and cytopathology textbooks.
Prof Wee has trained generations of medical students, residents and specialist pathologists, and has been widely recognised for her dedication to teaching and mentorship. She served as Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at NUS Medicine’s Department of Pathology from 1985 to 2012 and was the coordinator of the School’s Undergraduate Medical Curriculum from 1995 to 2012. She was Course Director for the nine biennial Diagnostic Cytopathology Workshops organised by the National University Health System, providing comprehensive training in cytopathology for the region. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to excellence in diagnosis, education, and the advancement of liver pathology.
For her tremendous contributions to education over the years, Prof Wee had received the NUS Teaching Excellence Award (1997-1998), Singapore Society of Pathology-Becton Dickinson Award for Pathology (2009), Certificate of Commendation for being a Role Model to the NUS Medicine Class of 2014 and Special Recognition Award for being a Role Model to the NUS Medicine Class of 2015.
Professor Chong Yap Seng, Lien Ying Chow Professor in Medicine, Dean of NUS Medicine, said, “Professor Aileen Wee is recognised globally as a key leader in liver cytopathology, and often regarded as the pathologist’s pathologist – a highly experienced expert whom other pathologists turn to for guidance on the most complex cases. With the establishment of the Aileen Wee Professorship in Liver Diseases, we honour not only her remarkable contributions to pathology, research and medical education, but also her enduring impact on the practice of medicine in Singapore and around the world. This professorship will carry forward her legacy by advancing interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthening innovation in liver disease research and diagnosis, and inspiring future generations of clinician-scientists and educators.”