Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei

Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei is an influencer

CEO, AmCham Singapore | Adj Assoc Prof, NUS SSH School of Public Health | Board Member | Keynote Speaker

Singapore
15K followers 500+ connections

Join to follow

About

My goal is to shed light on important, often under-recognized, issues -- helping people and organizations make sense of the world, their place in it, and what they can do to make a positive impact in their community.

I honed my skills and capabilities in academic, clinical, and commercial settings. I most enjoy bringing together teams of people with different backgrounds and experiences to achieve a common goal (even if they do not report to me). My leadership philosophy is simply to roll up my sleeves and get in the trenches alongside the people I lead. By being empathetic to their needs and desires, I am better able to craft a strategic plan that helps the organization and its people be successful. And, I am passionate about supporting Asian women in leadership -- breaking both the bamboo and glass ceilings.

I have lived in the US, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, and UK where I had the chance to exercise my language skills. I am fluent in English, conversational in Mandarin Chinese, and can get by day-to-day in Japanese. I am currently based in Singapore with my husband and two children.

The views expressed on this profile are solely my own and do not represent the views of my employer or any other organization I am affiliated with.

Services

Request proposal

Articles by Dr. Hsien-Hsien

  • The Future of AmCham in Singapore
    Jun 14, 2023

    The Future of AmCham in Singapore

    My CEO message to AmCham Singapore members on 13 June 2023 Dear Members and Friends, When I turned 50 years old last…

    8 Comments
  • AmCham CEO Message - 4 July 2022: Happy In(ter)dependence Day!
    Jul 4, 2022

    AmCham CEO Message - 4 July 2022: Happy In(ter)dependence Day!

    Dear Members and Friends, Clear blue skies, scorching sun, humid heat, dripping snow cones, sticky cotton candy and…

    5 Comments
  • Happy Thanksgiving! We’re Thankful for You
    Nov 25, 2021

    Happy Thanksgiving! We’re Thankful for You

    [My Thanksgiving CEO Message for 2021] Dear AmCham Members and Friends, Where are you spending Thanksgiving this year?…

    6 Comments
  • After the Rain: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s Visit to Singapore
    Aug 25, 2021

    After the Rain: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s Visit to Singapore

    Dear AmCham Members and Friends, Yesterday morning on one of the rainiest days in Singapore since 1981, U.S.

    44 Comments
  • #StopAsianHate
    Apr 6, 2021

    #StopAsianHate

    This is an excerpt from my April 2021 AmCham Singapore CEO Message. Last week, I signed a pledge along with other Asian…

    64 Comments
  • Happy Fourth of July from AmCham Singapore
    Jul 4, 2020

    Happy Fourth of July from AmCham Singapore

    Dear AmCham SG Members and Friends, Happy Fourth of July! I wanted to thank you on this special occasion for your…

    5 Comments
See all articles

Activity

Join now to see all activity

Experience

Education

Volunteer Experience

Skills

Publications

  • Digital Health Solutions for Mental Health Disorders During COVID-19

    Frontiers in Psychiatry

    The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an immense impact infecting 10 million individuals and claiming 500,000 lives globally as of 1 July 2020 (1). The rapid spread was largely enabled by the onset of the outbreak in Wuhan city just prior to the Lunar New Year season, a peak period in travel to and from China (2). Fortunately, many regions have controlled initial outbreaks and shared their experiences. These have been recently summarized by the World Health Organization…

    The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an immense impact infecting 10 million individuals and claiming 500,000 lives globally as of 1 July 2020 (1). The rapid spread was largely enabled by the onset of the outbreak in Wuhan city just prior to the Lunar New Year season, a peak period in travel to and from China (2). Fortunately, many regions have controlled initial outbreaks and shared their experiences. These have been recently summarized by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighting the importance of developing targeted responses and enhancing communication to address the pandemic’s impact (3, 4).

    Notably, emotionally driven sharing of misinformation has featured prominently in this crisis, fueling both confusion and irrational anxiety among the public (5, 6). Termed an “infodemic”, this has far-reaching consequences on population health with a direct impact on overloaded health systems and an indirect impact on mental health, resulting in paranoia and behavioral responses like stock-piling due to disproportionate fear (7). The impact of misinformation in the media on public emotion and fear has been illustrated with the Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), whereby it led to a surge in fear and sustained economic consequences (8).

    Other authors
    See publication

  • Familial aggregation of bothersome benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms

    Urology

    These findings confirm previous findings that family history and early age of onset are associated with an increased risk of BPH and that the most likely mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant or codominant. Bothersome BPH appears to have a weaker genetic component than more restrictive definitions of hereditary BPH. Thus, linkage studies are more likely to be successful if they focus on stricter definitions of hereditary BPH (eg, early onset, large volume, strong family history) rather than…

    These findings confirm previous findings that family history and early age of onset are associated with an increased risk of BPH and that the most likely mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant or codominant. Bothersome BPH appears to have a weaker genetic component than more restrictive definitions of hereditary BPH. Thus, linkage studies are more likely to be successful if they focus on stricter definitions of hereditary BPH (eg, early onset, large volume, strong family history) rather than symptomatic or clinical BPH.

    Other authors
    • Jay D Pearson
    • Terri H Beaty
    • Kathleen E Wiley
    • Sarah D Isaacs
    • William B Isaacs
    • Elizabet Stoner
    • Patrick C Walsh
    See publication

  • Sibling-based association study of the PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and metabolic variables in Chinese and Japanese hypertension families: a SAPPHIRe study

    Journal of Molecular Medicine

    To address the role of PPARγ2 in glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, among many other objectives, we conducted a sibling-controlled association study in a multicenter program – the Stanford Asian-Pacific Program in Hypertension and Insulin Resistance (SAPPHIRe). Approximately 2525 subjects in 734 Chinese and Japanese families have been recruited from six field centers for SAPPHIRe. In total, 1702 subjects including parents and siblings from 449 families have been genotyped for PPARγ2…

    To address the role of PPARγ2 in glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, among many other objectives, we conducted a sibling-controlled association study in a multicenter program – the Stanford Asian-Pacific Program in Hypertension and Insulin Resistance (SAPPHIRe). Approximately 2525 subjects in 734 Chinese and Japanese families have been recruited from six field centers for SAPPHIRe. In total, 1702 subjects including parents and siblings from 449 families have been genotyped for PPARγ2, of which 328 families were Chinese and 121 Japanese. Only 88 subjects of the 1525 siblings screened for the P12A polymorphism were found to be carriers of the A variant, the most common variant of the PPARγ2 gene. A variant frequencies of the siblings were 4.27% in Chinese and 2.72% in Japanese. Specifically, we examined whether there were differences in metabolic variables between the discordant siblings within families. In total, 88 subjects carrying either 1 or 2 A alleles had at least one sibling who was discordant for the P12A polymorphism, yielding a total of 180 individuals from 47 families for analyses, among which 92 siblings were homozygous for wild-type P allele. Siblings with the A variant tended to have lower levels of fasting plasma glucose (OG-10), and lower glucose levels at 60 min following oral glucose loading after adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index. Using a mixed model treating family as a random effect, we found that P12A polymorphism of the PPARγ2 gene contributes significantly to the variance in fasting plasma glucose, glucose level at 60 min, and insulin-resistance homeostasis model assessment. Our results suggest that within families siblings with the A variant in the PPARγ2 gene may be more likely to have better glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity independent of obesity in Chinese and Japanese populations.

    Other authors
    • Lee-Ming Chuang
    • Chao Hsiung
    • Yii-Der Chen
    • Low-Tone Ho
    • Wayne H.-H. Sheu
    • Dee Pei
    • Craig H. Nakatsuka
    • David Cox
    • Richard E. Pratt
    • Tong-Yuan Tai
    See publication

  • Peroxisome proliferator—activated receptor gamma 2 pro12ala gene variant is strongly associated with larger body mass in the Taiwanese

    Metabolism

    he peroxisome proliferator—activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ2) has been studied extensively because of its putative role in adipocyte differentiation and insulin sensitivity. The association of the Pro12Ala and Pro115Gln PPARγ2 gene variants with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the body mass index (BMI), and other diabetes-related phenotypes was examined in the Taiwanese population. Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)…

    he peroxisome proliferator—activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ2) has been studied extensively because of its putative role in adipocyte differentiation and insulin sensitivity. The association of the Pro12Ala and Pro115Gln PPARγ2 gene variants with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the body mass index (BMI), and other diabetes-related phenotypes was examined in the Taiwanese population. Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Allele frequencies were compared between 280 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 310 subjects without diabetes using the chi-square test. Continuous phenotype analysis was performed by multiple logistic regression adjusting for age and BMI where appropriate. There was no significant association between the Pro12Ala gene variant and type 2 diabetes; the frequency of the Ala12 allele was 0.03 in type 2 diabetics and 0.04 in nondiabetics (P = .40). The Gln115 allele was not detected in any of the cases or controls. In multiple linear regression analysis of all cases and controls combined adjusted for age, sex, and diabetic status, carriers of the Ala12 allele had a mean BMI of 25.9 ± 0.5 kg/m2 (mean ± SE), compared with 24.2 ± 0.1 kg/m2 in Pro12 homozygotes (P < .001). In addition, carriers of the Ala12 allele have a 2.9 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 5.5) higher odds of having a BMI of at least 25 kg/m2. These results suggest that in the Taiwanese, the Pro12Ala PPARγ gene variant may contribute to fat accumulation and a higher BMI independent of type 2 diabetes. These results need to be confirmed in future studies, as a linkage disequilibrium of this variant with other mutations cannot be ruled out.

    Other authors
    • M.H. Chen
    • W.S. Yang
    • M.C. Chiu
    • M.C. Chen
    • T.Y. Tai
    • L.M. Chuang
    See publication

  • Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms influence susceptibility to type 1 diabetes mellitus in the Taiwanese population

    Clinical Endocrinology

    Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms were associated with type 1 diabetes in a Taiwanese population. However, functional studies are needed to establish the role of the vitamin D receptor in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

    Other authors
    • Tien-Jyun Chang
    • Jih-I Yeh
    • Ken C. Chiu
    • Kuan-Ching Lee
    • Mei-Chu Chen
    • Tong-Yuan Tai
    • Lee-Ming Chuang
    See publication

  • Variants of the insulin receptor substrate-1 and fatty acid binding protein 2 genes and the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hyperinsulinemia in African-Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

    Diabetes

    We conducted a community-based case-control study of African-American men and women in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. The allele frequencies of the Gly972Arg variant of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) gene and the Ala54Thr variant of the fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) gene were compared in 992 normal control subjects and three patient groups: 1) 321 type 2 diabetic individuals, 2) 260 severely obese individuals, and 3) 258 markedly hyperinsulinemic individuals…

    We conducted a community-based case-control study of African-American men and women in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. The allele frequencies of the Gly972Arg variant of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) gene and the Ala54Thr variant of the fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) gene were compared in 992 normal control subjects and three patient groups: 1) 321 type 2 diabetic individuals, 2) 260 severely obese individuals, and 3) 258 markedly hyperinsulinemic individuals without diabetes. Allele frequencies of Gly972Arg IRS-1 and Ala54Thr FABP2 were 0.07 and 0.22, respectively; there were no differences in allele or genotype frequencies between patients and control subjects for either gene variant. In weighted linear regression of all patients and control subjects, the presence of the IRS-1 gene variant was associated with a 0.85 (0.42) kg/m2 higher BMI (P = 0.04). In addition, individuals with at least one IRS-1 Arg972 allele and two FABP2 Thr54 alleles had a BMI of 33.3 (7.9) kg/m2, compared with 30.0 (6.3) kg/m2 for those with neither allele (P = 0.05). These results suggest that in African-Americans, these variants in the IRS-1 and FABP2 genes are not associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes, severe obesity, or marked hyperinsulinemia, but that their independent and joint effects may be associated with small increases in BMI.

    Other authors
    • J Coresh
    • A R Shuldiner
    • E Boerwinkle
    • F L Brancati
    See publication

  • Familial aggregation of renal disease in a population-based case-control study

    Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

    Family history of renal disease has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It is uncertain whether this risk is mediated by familial aggregation of risk factors for ESRD, such as diabetes and hypertension. The association of ESRD with familial aggregation of renal disease was examined in a large, population-based case-control study conducted in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. The number of first-degree relatives who were affected with…

    Family history of renal disease has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It is uncertain whether this risk is mediated by familial aggregation of risk factors for ESRD, such as diabetes and hypertension. The association of ESRD with familial aggregation of renal disease was examined in a large, population-based case-control study conducted in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. The number of first-degree relatives who were affected with any type of renal disease was compared between 689 newly treated ESRD patients registered in the Medicare ESRD program (92% of all eligible incident cases presenting between January and July of 1991) and 361 control subjects without ESRD who were selected by random-digit dialing (90% response rate). Patients and control subjects were frequency matched by age; patients with ESRD caused by polycystic kidney disease and other known hereditary kidney diseases were excluded. Analysis was conducted using multiple logistic regression. After controlling for the proband's age, gender, race, family size, socioeconomic status, and personal and family histories of diabetes and hypertension, having one first-degree relative with renal disease increased the odds of ESRD by 1.3 (95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 2.6) and having two or more affected first-degree relatives increased the odds of ESRD by 10.4 (95% confidence interval, 2.7 to 40.2). These data support familial aggregation of renal disease in excess of that predicted by clustering of diabetes and hypertension within families, suggesting that either genetic susceptibility or environmental exposures shared within families increase the risk of developing ESRD. This risk is also much higher when two or more first-degree relatives have renal disease. Unraveling the molecular basis of this increase in risk may provide new avenues for treatment and prevention of ESRD.

    Other authors
    • T V Perneger
    • M J Klag
    • P K Whelton
    • J Coresh
    See publication

  • Bladder cancer and drinking water: a population-based case-control study in Washington County, Maryland (United States)

    Cancer Causes & Control

    A population-based case-control study was conducted in WashingtonCounty, Maryland (United States) to explore the association between incidentbladder cancer and exposure to drinking water from chlorinated surfacesources. Cancer cases were White residents, enumerated in a 1975 countycensus and reported to the Washington County Cancer Registry (n = 294)between 1975 and 1992. White controls, frequency matched by age (± 5 years)and gender, were selected randomly from the census (n = 2,326)…

    A population-based case-control study was conducted in WashingtonCounty, Maryland (United States) to explore the association between incidentbladder cancer and exposure to drinking water from chlorinated surfacesources. Cancer cases were White residents, enumerated in a 1975 countycensus and reported to the Washington County Cancer Registry (n = 294)between 1975 and 1992. White controls, frequency matched by age (± 5 years)and gender, were selected randomly from the census (n = 2,326). Householdsreceiving municipal water, which generally derived from chlorinated surfacewaters, were treated as having ‘high exposure‘ and all others, as ‘lowexposure.’ Duration of exposure to type of drinking water was based on lengthof residence in the census household prior to 1975. Odds ratios (OR) werecalculated using logistic regression methods, adjusting for age, gender,tobacco use, and urbanicity. Bladder cancer risk was associated weakly in thegeneral population with duration o f exposure to municipal water. Theassociation was limited to those who had smoked cigarettes. In ever-smokerscompared with never-smokers with low exposure, the adjusted ORs for bladdercancer risk with increasing exposure were 1.3, 1.4, 1.4, 1.7, 2.2, 2.8,respectively, for 0, 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, > 40 years' exposureduration. The ORs in smokers were not diminished after adjusting for smokinghistory and intensity.

    Other authors
    • D. M. Freedman
    • K. P. Cantor
    • N. L. Lee
    • L.-S. Chen
    • C. E. Ruhl
    See publication

  • Transfection of Plasmodium falciparum within human red blood cells

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

    Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites within human red blood cells (RBCs) have been successfully transfected to produce chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). Electroporation of parasitized RBCs was used to introduce plasmids that have CAT-encoding DNA flanked by 5' and 3' untranslated sequences of the P. falciparum hsp86, hrp3, and hrp2 genes. These flanking sequences were required for expression as their excision abolished CAT activity in transfected parasites. Transfection signals from…

    Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites within human red blood cells (RBCs) have been successfully transfected to produce chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). Electroporation of parasitized RBCs was used to introduce plasmids that have CAT-encoding DNA flanked by 5' and 3' untranslated sequences of the P. falciparum hsp86, hrp3, and hrp2 genes. These flanking sequences were required for expression as their excision abolished CAT activity in transfected parasites. Transfection signals from native CAT-encoding DNA compared well with those from a synthetic DNA sequence adapted to the P. falciparum major codon bias, demonstrating effective expression of the bacterial sequence despite its use of rare P. falciparum codons. Transfected ring-stage parasites produced CAT signals at least as strong as transfected schizont-stage parasites even though ring stages are surrounded by more RBC cytoplasm than schizonts. The transfection of erythrocyte-stage P. falciparum parasites advances our ability to pursue genetic analysis of this major pathogen.

    Other authors
    • Y Wu
    • CD Sifri
    • XZ Su
    • TE Wellems
    See publication

Honors & Awards

  • Leadership at the Peak

    Center for Creative Leadership

  • LinkedIn Top Voice

    -

  • BoardAgender Mentoring Program for Aspiring Women Directors

    BoardAgender

    The Program aims to assist Mentees in meeting their directorship-related goals.

  • 2020 APAC Chamber of Commerce Awards - Executive of the Year

    Glue Up

    Executive of the Year Award recognizes the executives of Chambers who lead by example and help their Chambers grow, can drive innovation in their respective Chambers and the impact they are generating. The Judging Committee examined areas of leadership, management organization, member retention, year on year growth, members engagement, Chambers' value proposition and strategy, community involvement, and personal attributes.

  • Global Health & Travel Women of Substance

    -

  • Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific Women to Watch

    -

  • New Leaders Development Program

    Ogilvy & Mather

    NLDP is aimed at Ogilvy's up-and-coming young leaders and covers core components of managerial and leadership skills.

  • The "No" Man Award - The Way of the David Award

    Ogilvy & Mather Singapore

    The antithesis of the "yes" man and known for making some hard calls. You are the wise voice of dissent when everyone else says Go or Okay.

  • Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society, Lifetime Member

    Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society

  • Blue Ribbon Abstract

    American Society of Nephrology

  • Cardiovascular Epidemiology Pre-Doctoral Training Fellowship

    National Institutes of Health

    1994-1997

Languages

  • Japanese

    Elementary proficiency

  • English

    Native or bilingual proficiency

  • Mandarin Chinese

    Professional working proficiency

Recommendations received

21 people have recommended Dr. Hsien-Hsien

Join now to view

More activity by Dr. Hsien-Hsien

View Dr. Hsien-Hsien’s full profile

  • See who you know in common
  • Get introduced
  • Contact Dr. Hsien-Hsien directly
Join to view full profile

Other similar profiles

Explore more posts

Explore collaborative articles

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.

Explore More

Add new skills with these courses

See all courses