Prof Yee-Sin Leo

Professor Leo Yee Sin is the Executive Director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore.

As an adult Infectious Disease specialist, Prof Leo has led her team through multiple outbreaks in Singapore. These include Nipah in 1999, SARS in 2003, the pandemic influenza in 2009, Zika in 2016 and multiple surges of Dengue. She successfully managed Singapore's first imported case of the Monkeypox in May 2019. Her current priority is now in the fight against COVID-19.

Prof Leo has published close to 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Her experience and expertise in outbreak management is frequently called upon as advisor and conference speaker at the national, regional and international level. She has served in multiple World Health Organization workgroups on outbreak management, and as an international expert in scientific and research bodies.

Apart from her clinical and administrative duties, she is also heavily involved in research and teaching. Topics of her research interest include dengue, influenza, emerging infections, HIV and COVID-19.

She has won many awards among which are three National Day Awards including the most prestigious Public Service Star in recognition for her outstanding battle against SARS in 2003 and two Public Administration Medals in 2012 and 2020. Other awards include the Excellence Service Star Award 2005, Red Ribbon Award 2014, Lee Foundation-NHG Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 and the NUS Distinguished Alumni Service Award 2021.

Prof Leo is also named in BBC's 100 women list in 2020 and was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2022.

In April 2022, Prof Leo was conferred the title of Knight of the French Order of the Legion of Honour, by France's Ambassador to Singapore Marc Abensour on behalf of the President of the French Republic.