Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua Receives MedNews Week Excellence in Mentorship Award at ASCO Breakthrough 2026

Recognition

The MedNews Week Excellence in Mentorship Award recognizes Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua's longstanding commitment to training, education, and international collaboration in oncology.

Professional Development

Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua has supported the professional development of trainees and early-career physicians while contributing to advances in cancer care, precision radiotherapy, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma research.

Leadership

Through his work in trainee mentorship, global oncology education, and international research collaborations, he has helped shape the careers of the next generation of oncology professionals. His willingness to share knowledge, offer guidance, and create opportunities for others has made a meaningful difference for colleagues across disciplines and borders.

Head and Neck and Thoracic Cancer Care

Melvin L.K. Chua is the Head and Senior Consultant of the Department of Head and Neck and Thoracic Cancers at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), specializing in radiation oncology. He is also a clinician-scientist at NCCS and Duke-NUS Medical School.

Research Interests

• Clinical and translational research in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
• Precision radiotherapy
• Cancer biology
• Computational science

Ongoing Clinical Trials

• RIBBON-LA-01: A multi-arm platform study focusing on treatment individualization in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma through EBV stratification
• HARMONY: Evaluating a rapid deep-learning auto-segmentation tool for head and neck cancers across multiple clinics

Global Contributions

• Became a Commissioner of the International Commission of Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU)
• Serves as a Commissioner of The Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth
• Serves as the UICC Representative to the AJCC Head and Neck Working Group for nasopharynx malignancy
• Chair of the NPC Expert Panel for the AJCC Staging 9th version
• Chair of the ASCO Breakthrough Meeting Program Planning Committees

Scientific Achievements

• Recipient of several national grants, including the NMRC Clinician Scientist Award, National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme, Ministry of Education Tier 3 Grant, NMRC Open Fund Large Collaborative Grant, and NMRC Centre Grant
• Received philanthropic support for proton therapy research, head and neck cancer research, and cancer data science
• Published extensively on topics such as personalising systemic therapy and radiotherapy treatment volumes in nasopharyngeal cancer, molecular vulnerabilities in radioresistant head and neck cancer, genomic and transcriptomic profiling, and treatment strategies for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Education and Training

Completed MBBS in 2002, FRCR training in Clinical Oncology at The Royal College of Radiologists in the United Kingdom in 2013, and PhD in Cancer and Radiation Biology from University College London in the same year. Became a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, in 2021.

Other Recognitions

• Nominated as a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) in 2025
• Included among the World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists in 2023 and 2024
• Awarded the SingHealth Service Quality Star Award in 2023
• Awarded the SingHealth Excellence Award – Distinguished Researcher Award in 2021