Elizabeth THAM
Elizabeth THAMAssociate Professor
[email protected]

Office Location – MD1 Level 15

Affiliations

  • Head of Division & Senior Consultant, Division of Paediatric Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Department of Paediatrics, Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children’s Medical Institute, National University Hospital
  • Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
  • Principal Investigator, NUS Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation (SynCTI)
  • Principal Investigator, Human Potential Translational Research Programme (HPTRP)s, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS)
  • Adjunct Senior Principal Scientist I, Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science and Technology (A*STAR)

Biography

A/Prof Elizabeth Tham graduated with MBBS from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2007 and was awarded the Jane Prize in Paediatrics. She received her specialist training in Paediatrics and Neonatology at NUH and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). She is currently Senior Consultant & Head of Division, Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, KTP-NUCMI and Associate Professor, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS.

In her clinical practice, she sees all General Paediatric conditions with a special focus on children with allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis, food and drug allergies, allergic rhinitis and asthma. She is particularly passionate about improving the care and quality of life for children suffering from atopic dermatitis (eczema).

She is also a Clinician-Scientist actively involved in research in the fields of Food Allergy, Skin Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHAD). She has been awarded several national grants, such as the NMRC-Clinician Scientist –Individual Research grant –New Investigator Grant, the NMRC Research Training Fellowship, the NMRC Transition Award (TA), NMRC Clinician-Scientist Award (CSA), NMRC Clinician-Scientist Individual Research Grant (CS-IRG) and NMRC Population Health Research Grant (PHRG). Her work has also been published in many regional and international journals and her goals are to develop interventions that can be translated into clinical practice for allergic disease prevention and to improve clinical care. A/Prof Tham also enjoys teaching students and junior clinicians and has mentored many undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows over the years.

Professional Appointments

– Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore (NUS)
– Assistant Dean (Research), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore (NUS)
– Vice Chairman (Research), Medical Board, National University Hospital
– Head, Research Integrity and Compliance, Research Office, National University Health System (NUHS)
– Head, Division of Paediatric Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children’s Medical Institute, National University Hospital
– Deputy Head, Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM), National University of Singapore (NUS)

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)  Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore    2025 
Master of Clinical Investigation (MCI)  National University of Singapore  2018 
Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (FAMS)  Academy of Medicine, Singapore (FAMS)  2016 
Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, RCPCH (UK)  Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, RCPCH (UK)  2011 
Master of Medicine (Paediatric Medicine)  National University of Singapore  2011 
Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery  Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore  2007 

Research Interest

  • Atopic Dermatitis  
  • Food Allergy 
  • Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 
  • Skin & Gut Microbiome in allergic diseases  

Current Research Projects

  1. Assessing the prevalence, metabolic aberrations, and mental health burden of Food Allergy in Singaporean Children – The Singapore Food Allergy Story (SFAS) – funded by the NMRC Population Health Research Grant (PHRG)
  2. Host-microbial interaction pathways predictive of atopic dermatitis disease severity – funded by the NMRC Clinician Scientist-Individual Research Grant (CS-IRG)
  3. Atopic DErmatitis research Program for patienTs (ADEPT) – funded by the NMRC Large Collaborative Grant (LCG)
  4. A bioengineered probiotic approach for immunoregulation and restoration of skin barrier

function in Atopic Dermatitis – funded by the NMRC Clinician Scientist Award (CSA)

Selected Publications

  1.  Suaini NHA, Koh QY, Toh JY, Soriano VX, Colega MT, Riggioni C, Furqan MS, Pang WW, Loo EXL, Van Bever HP, Shek PL, Goh AEN, Teoh OH, Tan KH, Lee BW, Godfrey KM, Chong MF, Tham EH. Maternal and Infant Dietary Patterns Are Not Related to Food Allergy Risk in Singapore Children: GUSTO Cohort Study. J Nutr. 2024 Jul;154(7):2157-2166. Epub 2024 May 11. PMID: 38740185; PMCID: PMC11282467. [IF: 3.3]
  2. Tham EH, Chia M, Riggioni C, Nagarajan N, Common JEA, Kong HH. The skin microbiome in pediatric atopic dermatitis and food allergy. Allergy. 2024 Jun;79(6):1470-1484. Epub 2024 Feb 3. PMID: 38308490; PMCID: PMC11142881. [IF: 12.0]
  3. Tham EH, Leung ASY, Yamamoto-Hanada K, Dahdah L, Trikamjee T, Warad VV, Norris M, Navarrete E, Levina D, Samuel M, van Niekerk A, Martinez S, Ellis AK, Bielory L, van Bever H, Wallace D, Chu DK, Munblit D, Tang ML, Sublett J, Wong GWK. A systematic review of quality and consistency of clinical practice guidelines on the primary prevention of food allergy and atopic dermatitis. World Allergy Organ J. 2023 Apr 25;16(4):100770. PMID: 37168277; PMCID: PMC10165145. [IF 3.9]
  4. Suaini NHA, Yap GC, Bui DPT, Loo EXL, Goh AEN, Teoh OH, Tan KH, Godfrey KM, Lee BW, Shek LP, Van Bever H, Chong YS, Tham EH. Atopic dermatitis trajectories to age 8 years in the GUSTO cohort. Clin Exp Allergy. 2021 Sep;51(9):1195-1206. Epub 2021 Jul 31. PMID: 34310791; PMCID: PMC7611621. [IF:6.1]
  5. Chia M, Naim ANM, Tay ASL, Lim K, Chew KL, Yow SJ, Chen J, Common JEA, Nagarajan N, Tham EH. Shared signatures and divergence in skin microbiomes of children with atopic dermatitis and their caregivers. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022 Oct;150(4):894-908.
  6. Suaini NHA, Loo EX, Peters RL, Yap GC, Allen KJ, Van Bever H, Martino DJ, Goh AEN, Dharmage SC, Colega MT, Chong MFF, Ponsonby AL, Tan KH, Tang MLK, Godfrey KM, Lee BW, Shek LP, Koplin JJ, Tham EH. Children of Asian ethnicity in Australia have higher risk of food allergy and early-onset eczema than those in Singapore. Allergy. 2021 Oct;76(10):3171-3182.
  7. Zhong Y, Samuel M, van Bever H, Tham EH. Emollients in infancy to prevent atopic dermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Allergy. 2021 Sep 30.
  8. Tham EH, Shek LP, Van Bever HP, Vichyanond P, Ebisawa M, Wong GW, Lee BW; Asia Pacific Association of Pediatric Allergy, Respirology & Immunology (APAPARI) (2018). Early introduction of allergenic foods for the prevention of food allergy from an Asian perspective-An Asia Pacific Association of Pediatric Allergy, Respirology & Immunology (APAPARI) consensus statement. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology: Official Publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 29(1):18-27. doi: 10.1111/pai.12820
  9. Tham EH, Lee BW, Chan YH, Loo EXL, Toh JY, Goh A, … Shek LP (2017). Low Food Allergy Prevalence Despite Delayed Introduction of Allergenic Foods-Data from the GUSTO Cohort. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In Practice. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2017.06.001
  10. Tham EH, Dyjack N, Kim BE, Rios C, Seibold MA, Leung DYM, Goleva E. Expression and function of the ectopic olfactory receptor OR10G7 in patients with atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019 May;143(5):1838-1848.e4. doi: