Balamurugan A Vellayappan

Biography

Dr Bala graduated from NUS in 2005 with Dean’s List and was conferred the prestigious Wong Poi Kwong Gold Medal for excellence in Clinical Medicine. He then went on to complete his training in Radiation Oncology with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) and was awarded the C.E. Eddy medal for being the most outstanding candidate (in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore). He has been a RANZCR fellow since 2014 and obtained his Specialist Accreditation in the same year. Dr Bala worked as an honorary fellow at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia under the tutelage of Dr Dion Forstner (Dean of RANZCR college). In addition, he was awarded a competitive funded fellowship by University of Ottawa in 2015. He has received formal training in stereotactic radiotherapy, completing a fellowship at The Ottawa Hospital Cyberknife Centre, which is one of the busiest Cyberknife Centres in North America. He was mentored by Dr Shawn Malone (Radiation Oncologist) and Dr John Sinclair (Neurosurgeon). He has developed a keen interest in neuro-oncology (in particular spine), haematological and gastro-intestinal cancers, but continues to treat a wide range of cancers in his practice. Dr Bala strongly believes research and education are integral parts of clinical improvement. He is appointed as an undergraduate examiner by NUS and a postgraduate examiner by RANZCR. He was awarded a scholarship by Ministry of Health and has since completed his Master of Clinical Investigation. His research interests include the application of stereotactic radiosurgery and the interaction between the immune system and radiation. He has won several competitive grants and is currently conducting a prospective clinical trial in Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for spinal metastases. Dr Bala’s treatment philosophy focuses on patient-centric care and evidence-based decision making. Away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family and Indie music.

Research Interest

Lymphoma CNS Gastrointestinal Cancer Stereotactic Radiosurgery / SBRT