Coaching In Surgery: Christopher Cheng

Introduction

• Introducing the speaker, Professor Christopher Cheng, who will be delivering the College of Surgeons lectures.

"It's a great honor for me to deliver the citations of a very distinguished individual among us tonight who will deliver the College of Surgeons lectures."

Background and Training

• Professor Cheng initially trained as an orthopedic trainee but switched to become a urologist in 1987.

• He completed a two-year fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in 1989, becoming the first urologist in Singapore to be Fellowship certified in Urology sub-specialty of Euro oncology.

• In 1998, he established the first dedicated One-Stop Urology Center in Singapore, which included outpatient clinics, endoscopic suites, and an operating theater.

• He became the first director of the Urology Center and later the second head of the Department of Urology.

• Under his leadership, the department attracted top talents and developed several urological sub-specialties.

• Professor Cheng spearheaded the development and training in minimally invasive urological surgery in Singapore and performed the first laparoscopic adrenectomy, nephrectomy, and donor nephrectomy in the country.

• He also led the department in research, obtained multiple national-level research grants, and published extensively in Euro oncology.

"He started his surgical training as an orthopedic trainee initially, but I see the training as a high-flying urologist in 1987. Two years later, he went on an HMDP fellowship to the Mayo Clinic, and he was the first urologist in Singapore to be Fellowship certified in a Urology sub-specialty, which is Euro oncology, in 1982."

Contributions in Urology and Robotics

• Professor Cheng established himself as a pioneer in robotics surgery in the Asia Pacific region.

• He played a crucial role in developing and advancing robotic surgery in Singapore and Asia.

• He was the first in Asia to perform a robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy 19 years ago using the da Vinci robot.

• Besides his focus on urology and prostate cancer, Professor Cheng contributed significantly as an educator, chairman of the chapter of urologist, and president of the Singapore Urological Association.

• He helped develop and formulate the Urology curriculum, established the training program, and assisted in examinations for Urology.

• He also held leadership positions in international urology societies and journals.

"Many also know him as the Pioneer in robotic surgery in the Asia Pacific region... He was the first one that performed laparoscopic adrenectomy, nephrectomy, and donor nephrectomy in this country... He led the department in research, holding multiple National level research grants and published extensively... He was the founding president of the Asia Pacific Society of Euro oncology, chairman of the Urological Association of Asia scientific committee, and the specialty Society editor for the Journal of Urology."

Contributions in Medical Informatics and Information Technology

• Professor Cheng's expertise extends beyond urology into medical informatics and information technology.

• He served as the chairman of EMR Singh health in 1994, contributing to the development of electronic medical records when it was still a relatively foreign concept.

• He also held the position of Chief Medical Informatics Officer at the Hospital Group in 2003 for five years.

"He was the chairman of EMR Singh health in 1994 when EMR was still a foreign concept to many, and he was a chief medical informatics officer of HGH from 2003 for five years."

Recognition and Awards

• Professor Cheng has received various awards and recognition for his contributions in public service and clinical excellence.

• He was awarded the SingHealth Group CEO Excellence award for outstanding clinicians in 2011.

• He received the Public Administrative Medals silver at the National Day Awards in 2015.

• In 2017, he was honored with the National Outstanding Clinician Award at the National Medical Excellence Award.

• Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Hall of Master Academic Clinician of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical Center.

"For his many contributions in public service, he was awarded the SingHealth Group CEO Excellence award for outstanding clinicians in 2011, the Public Administrative Medals silver at the National Day Awards 2015, and the National Outstanding Clinician award at the National Medical Excellence Award in 2017. And earlier this year, he was inducted into the Hall of Master academic clinicians of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical Center."

Professor Cheng's Multifaceted Abilities

• Professor Cheng is described as a rare breed in the medical profession, being an artist, philosopher, mentor, coach, innovator, sportsman, hospital, and human capital builder, and a leader in his field.

• His wide range of talents and capabilities make him a unique individual within the medical community.

"He's an artist, a philosopher, a mentor, and a coach, an innovator, a sportsman, a hospital, and human capital builder, and a leader in his professions... He's a rare breed among us in these professions."

Conclusion

• Professor Christopher Cheng is introduced as the 15th lecturer for the College of Surgeon lecture series.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Professor Christopher Cheng Weissam, the 15th lecturer for the College of Surgeon lecture."

The importance of conduct and attitude in surgery

• Conduct and attitude play a crucial role in the surgical theater.

• The high-tension, fast-paced environment of the operating room requires teamwork, coordination, and collaboration.

• Surgeons need to be mindful of their conduct and attitude to ensure a positive and enriching learning environment.

• Even decent people can turn passive-aggressive under high stress.

• It is essential to create a consistent and positive experience for patients and staff in the surgical setting.

"Essentially spoiling each other's days."

Manpower planning

• The coach takes a moment to understand the context of the problem.

• The coach's interpretation of the problem is important, along with their mental and emotional state.

• Coaches need to give their full attention to the coachee.

"We can't take our eyes off the Box because the problems that this fellow present has this problem to solve all the journeys that we had walked through before ourselves."

Importance of Coaching in Healthcare

• Coaching can be beneficial in healthcare organizations, including the surgical field.

• The focus on coaching goes beyond just knowledge and skills, and also emphasizes conduct and attitudes.

• Transitioning from opportunistic role modeling to structured coaching can help improve conduct and attitudes.

• Coaching can provide a better understanding of oneself and promote unconditional positive regard (UPR) towards oneself, patients, and colleagues.

• The coaching mindset should be integrated into one's way of life, extending beyond professional interactions.

"I hope you agree with me that perhaps we should also explore the transition just like you know we went from Apprenticeship Training to structured training perhaps it's also time to think about how to Transit from I would call it opportunistic role modeling it's not a structured mode browsing right you can role model both good and bad behavior and perhaps explore coaching as one of the options to perhaps give us a better standing better handle on the conduct and attitudes... and I firmly believe that one can only be as good a surgeon as you are a good human being one can only be a good doctor as you are a person, and I think to a certain extent this world of coaching may help us answer that question."

The UPR Model in Coaching

• The UPR model (unconditional positive regard) is at the core of coaching.

• UPR involves having unconditional acceptance and empathy towards individuals, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances.

• The coaching mindset based on UPR should be practiced not only during coaching sessions but also in everyday life.

"This evening I started comparing that one pit stop with the OT... and I think DMS earlier talk about some of the legislation that has passed... I mean those are addressing some of the issues that we are facing increasingly... so I hope you agree with me that perhaps we should also explore the transition just like you know we went from Apprenticeship Training to structured training perhaps it's also time to think about how to Transit from I would call it opportunistic role modeling it's not a structured mode browsing right you can role model both good and bad behavior and perhaps explore coaching as one of the options to perhaps give us a better standing better handle on the conduct and attitudes... and I firmly believe that one can only be as good a surgeon as you are a good human being one can only be a good doctor as you are a person, and I think to a certain extent this world of coaching may help us answer that question."