The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) has announced the establishment of the Ellen Siow Professorship in Neurosurgery in a tribute to the life and legacy of Ellen Siow and her family’s enduring commitment to medical research, education, and philanthropy.
The Professorship aims to advance education and research in the field of neuro-oncology, specifically in brain tumours and gliomas. By supporting the full spectrum of translational research, it will drive the development of innovative programmes and interventions that can be translated into better outcomes for patients.
It will also strengthen both academic teaching and clinical research, fostering progress that benefits people in Singapore and beyond. Through this Professorship, the School will be able to appoint a leading expert in the critical field of neuro-oncology research and accelerate transformative research initiatives.
Made possible by a generous gift from the Siow family, this professorship is funded through the estate of Willie Siow Fung Wai Ying, the family matriarch.
The Professorship is named in memory of Willie’s second youngest child, Ellen Siow, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2021 and passed away six months later in March 2022 at the age of 62. The Siow family chose to endow this professorship to support further research and medical advancement in the treatment of glioblastoma, a devastating and currently incurable brain cancer. It is an aggressive malignancy arising from astrocytes—cells called astrocytes that support nerve cells—in the brain or spinal cord. With no existing cure, current treatments focus on slowing the disease’s progression and alleviating symptoms, underscoring the urgent need for research into more effective therapies.
