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LONDON: Professor Tan Seang Lin, a leading fertility expert from Penang, has been honoured with a prestigious professorship at University College London (UCL) — one of the world's top universities.
Unveiled in an elaborate ceremony on Jan 21, the Professor Tan Seang Lin, Dr Grace Tan and Origin Elle Fertility Distinguished Chair in Women's Health, is now a permanent position at the UCL Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health.
This makes Dr Tan the first Malaysian, first Penangite, and first Penang Free School alumnus to receive such an honour.
He received his training in Singapore and the United Kingdom, where he was a fellow at Middlesex Hospital, now part of UCL, before continuing at King's College Hospital.
Dr Tan later co-founded the London Women's Clinic on Harley Street alongside esteemed specialists Professor Howard Jacobs, Stuart Campbell and Nobel Laureate Robert Edwards.
An internationally recognised infertility expert, he has been instrumental in simplifying in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Under the mentorship of Edwards, the pioneering scientist behind IVF and recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Dr Tan refined his expertise and went on to make groundbreaking contributions to the field.
A trailblazer in fertility treatment, Dr Tan has transformed in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), making it more accessible and effective.
He founded the McGill Reproductive Centre and led the team that achieved the world's first air-transported IVF and ICSI pregnancies.
His groundbreaking work in in-vitro maturation (IVM) and egg freezing (vitrification) has helped countless women, especially young cancer patients, preserve their fertility.
In 2005, his team made medical history by achieving the first-ever live birth from an egg that was matured through IVM, frozen, thawed, and fertilised, which is a breakthrough that transformed reproductive medicine.
More than a personal honour, the distinguished chair named after Dr Tan and his wife, Dr Grace Tan, is an endowed chair, which is a prestigious academic position funded by a dedicated financial endowment.
This ensures sustained research and innovation in women's health, with approximately £240,000 (around RM1.5 million) generated annually to support UCL's work in the field.
Such chairs attract leading experts, drive pioneering discoveries and create lasting contributions to medical science.
"This comes at a significant time, as UCL has been designated the UK's centre of excellence for artificial intelligence (AI)," Dr Tan said.
As of last year, the university boasts 32 Nobel Prize laureates and three Fields medallists among its alumni and academic staff.
"I'm hoping that my closer ties with UCL will allow us to explore AI-driven solutions to solve some of the mysteries in fertility and fertility preservation," he said.
Through this generous endowment, Dr Tan and his wife are paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in women's health research, creating a lasting impact that will benefit future generations worldwide.