External Co Investigators

Professor John Chambers is the Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology at LKCMedicine and Chief Scientific Officer at PRECISE. He has led several cohort studies and is currently the lead Principal Investigator of HELIOS and the SG100K cohort. He hopes to achieve these through the research networks he has established in the region, the research platform at LKCMedicine and partner healthcare organisations. He will advise the team on study design and recruitment strategies as well as support the training of the team in assessments and storage of blood samples.

Professor Eric Finkelstein is a health economist, Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School, and Executive Director of the Lien Centre for Palliative Care. Most recently, he has led studies quantifying the economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among children and adults in Singapore. He has published over 300 manuscripts and 2 books, and also successfully commercialized an Obesity Cos Calculator for employers and insurers. He will lead the health economic component of this effort.

Assoc Prof Clare Henn-Haase serves as Program Director of the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Alliant International University. She earned her M.Ed. from Loyola University Chicago and her Psy.D. from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. She previously held the position of Senior Lecturer and Clinical Training Coordinator at the National University of Singapore. With over two decades as a licensed clinical psychologist, her experience spans children, adults, and families. Her research centers on adapting evidence-based treatments for trauma and PTSD in diverse populations, notably Southeast Asian cultures, and disseminating these treatments via telehealth to rural communities.

Professor Brenda Penninx is a Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology in the Department of Psychiatry at Amsterdam UMC. She also leads the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). NESDA is a comprehensive multi-site cohort study that focuses on understanding the long-term progression and impact of depressive and anxiety disorders. It integrates biological and psychosocial research to identify predictors of these conditions’ course and consequences.

Dr. Syed Ahmar Shah is a Senior Research Fellow (Associate Professor, tenured) and Director of Innovation at the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh. He leads the DIME group (Data-driven Innovation in MEdicine), with research focused on applying AI, machine learning, and digital health to improve healthcare delivery. His work includes the development of digital health tools for chronic disease management, as well as large-scale analysis of electronic health records and algorithm development. Trained in Biomedical Engineering (DPhil and MSc, University of Oxford), he has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers and is an inventor on two granted patents.

Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh OBE is Nuffield Professor and Head of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. A leading figure in digital health, his research over two decades has focused on leveraging large-scale, linked data to inform health policy, enhance care quality, and develop personalised risk assessments. He spearheaded the groundbreaking UK’s first 67-million person longitudinal cohort study. He is highly cited author, Fellow of ten learned societies, and advises global bodies like WHO. Knighted in 2022 for COVID-19 research contributions, he holds numerous international honours.