Assoc Prof Chua Lee Kiang Melvin, MBBS, FRCR, PhD, FAMS, has received the MedNews Week Excellence in Mentorship Award at ASCO Breakthrough 2026, recognizing his longstanding commitment to training, education, and international collaboration in oncology.
For many physicians and scientists, the most enduring contribution is not limited to a publication, a clinical trial, or a scientific discovery. It is reflected in the people they guide, encourage, and empower throughout their careers.
Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua’s work has had that kind of reach.
As a radiation oncologist, clinician-scientist, educator, and research leader, he has supported the professional development of trainees and early-career physicians while contributing to advances in cancer care, precision radiotherapy, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma research.
A Recognition Rooted in Mentorship
The MedNews Week Excellence in Mentorship Award honors Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua’s dedication to helping young physicians and scientists find their place in oncology.
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.
The award also reflects the personal qualities that have defined his leadership: humility, generosity, vision, and a sustained commitment to supporting others.
Leading Head and Neck and Thoracic Cancer Care in Singapore
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. His work brings together clinical care, translational research, data science, and radiotherapy innovation, with a major focus on improving outcomes for patients with head and neck cancers, particularly nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
At NCCS, Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua serves as Principal Investigator of the Precision Radiotherapeutics and Oncology Programme (PROP) and Director of the Data and Computational Science Hub. He is also an Associate Professor on tenure at Duke-NUS Medical School and a Visiting Professor at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in China.
His research programme has been supported by 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. His work has also received philanthropic support for proton therapy research, head and neck cancer research, and cancer data science.
Building Research That Reaches Beyond Borders
Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua’s key research interests include clinical and translational research in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, precision radiotherapy, cancer biology, and computational science.
His leadership is reflected in several ongoing clinical trials, including RIBBON-LA-01, a multi-arm platform study focused on treatment individualisation in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma through EBV stratification.
He is also Principal Investigator of the HARMONY study, which evaluates a rapid deep-learning auto-segmentation tool for head and neck cancers across multiple clinics.
In addition, Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua serves as Co-Principal Investigator in major studies exploring radiotherapy dose adaptation, biomarker-enriched treatment approaches for metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer, and adjuvant capecitabine for locoregionally advanced disease.
His recent publications have addressed 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.
A Global Voice in Radiation Oncology
Beyond his institutional roles, Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua contributes to international cancer research and professional leadership.
In 2025, he became a Commissioner of the International Commission of Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU). He also serves as a Commissioner of The Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth.
His appointments include serving 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, and Chair of the ASCO Breakthrough Meeting Program Planning Committees.
These responsibilities reflect his role in shaping discussions around cancer classification, staging, radiotherapy standards, research priorities, and global workforce needs.
His work on global radiotherapy demand and the projected need for medical professionals through 2050 has also drawn attention to the growing importance of workforce planning in cancer care worldwide.
A Career Defined by Service and Scientific Excellence
Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua completed his MBBS in 2002, followed by FRCR training in Clinical Oncology at The Royal College of Radiologists in the United Kingdom in 2013. He received his PhD in Cancer and Radiation Biology from University College London in the same year and became a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, in 2021.
His previous recognitions include being named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) in 2025, inclusion among the World’s Top 2% Most Cited Scientists in 2023 and 2024, the SingHealth Service Quality Star Award in 2023, and the SingHealth Excellence Award – Distinguished Researcher Award in 2021.
Yet the MedNews Week Excellence in Mentorship Award recognizes another important part of his career: the influence he has had on people.
Dr. Melvin L.K. Chua’s impact extends beyond the patients he treats and the research programmes he leads. It lives on through the trainees, collaborators, young physicians, and future oncology leaders he has encouraged along the way.
Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD
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