Jaclyn Chow is a dedicated and highly experienced Principal Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapist with over 14 years of expertise in delivering exceptional patient cardiorespiratory care and programmes to manage and prevent chronic disease.
Upon graduating from the Singapore Institute of Technology in 2014 and attaining a distinction in Masters of Science (Advanced Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy) from the prestigious University College London in 2016, she continued developing her clinical knowledge and expertise through her experiences with patients in various clinical settings such as the Neurological and Surgical intensive care units, respiratory wards and outpatient clinics. In addition, she took up numerous leadership positions within Tan Tock Seng Hospital and developed a proven track record in leading multidisciplinary teams, enhancing clinical practices, and implementing innovative treatment programmes that promote optimal recovery and mobility.
Expert in Pre and Post Major Surgery rehabilitation across ICU and outpatient settings
As the Physiotherapy lead of Surgery and the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) hospital committee, she played a crucial role in driving and implementing physiotherapy-led initiatives for critically ill patients to frail older adults with cancer undergoing thoracic or abdominal surgery. Since 2018, she led the development and implementation of an innovative prehabilitation programme for frail older adults planned for elective major abdominal surgery which resulted in the preservation of functional fitness of patients despite having undergone major abdominal surgery. For her work in improving Early mobilisation in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU), she was recognised at the Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress in 2019 where she won the prestigious Singapore Allied Health Silver Award together with Yan Ying. In the outpatient setting, she is adept in identifying individual needs and delivering evidence-based protocols for people recovering from surgeries involving sternotomies (such as thymectomy, CABG), Percutaneous Coronary Interventions and thoracic surgeries.
Expert in Respiratory Care and beyond
Her extensive experience across the different clinical inpatient and outpatient settings also led to a strong chest physiotherapy skillset in managing individuals with complex respiratory care needs. This includes ventilator weaning, tracheostomy care and management as well as breathing retraining for dysfunctional breathing and chest physiotherapy for individuals with asthma and bronchiectasis. The strive to deliver excellent cardiorespiratory care outside of the hospital led to the founding of Heart and Lung Physio in 2021- a centre dedicated to provide the best care for people with heart, lung conditions and cancer.
Expert in the management of Chronic Disease
Being a strong believer that Exercise Is Medicine, she is passionate and takes a unique approach to delivering individualised exercise programmes for individuals with medical conditions such as cardiac rehabilitation, diabetes rehabilitation, vascular rehabilitation and cancer rehabilitation. She upholds high standards towards developing personalised therapy plans, and utilising evidence-based practices to achieve outstanding patient outcomes. Her unique approach also led to the development of the world’s first mobile application “Heart-track” designed for the delivery of remote cardiac rehabilitation which improved patient participation and fitness. Committed to patient education and empowerment, with a strong focus on improving health and longevity through holistic approaches to health and wellness, she founded VIGOR in 2024 with her co-founder Yan Ying to provide a one-stop lifestyle change medical fitness centre where people come together to work towards better health.
Dedication to research and education
Apart from clinical work, she was given the honour to mentor junior staff and students and was awarded the Clinical Educator Award for 3 consecutive years from 2017 to 2020. She also dedicates her time to continuous professional development through the attainment of the ACSM Cancer Trainer certification to expand her expertise when treating individuals with cancer as well as the Advanced Oxygen Advantage Instructor certification to help individuals with breathing difficulties and breathlessness. She also engages in research initiatives to stay at the forefront of physiotherapy advancements and contributes to the available research through her publications.
Cardiac rehabilitation, Pulmonary rehabilitation, Cancer rehabilitation, Chest Physiotherapy, Advanced Respiratory Care, Weight management, Vascular and Diabetes rehabilitation, Long COVID rehabilitation, Neuro-geriatric rehabilitation
Jaclyn has a special interest in the adoption of technology in chronic disease management which led to the founding of Heart Track™, a mobile application to empower heart patients to exercise anytime, anywhere at their convenience. With her team, she went on to clinch the Automation, IT and Robotics Innovation Best practice medal award by the National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity awards 2021.
For her work in improving early mobilisation in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU), her project “Physiotherapy-led early rehabilitation from critical care to hospital” was recognised at the Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress in 2019 where she won the prestigious Singapore Allied Health Silver Award together with Yan Ying.
She was an invited speaker at various conferences such as the Singapore Rehabilitation Conference 2017 and Singapore Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation Symposium 2021 speaking on Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Chow, J. J. L., Teo, Z. H. T., Acharyya, S., Natesan, S., Cheong, S. K., Tony, S., Ong, Y. W., Li, Y. J., Wang, B., Chai, J. Y., Tam, H. Z., & Low, J. K. (2024). Recovery of surgery in the elderly (ROSE) program: The efficacy of a multi-modal prehabilitation program implemented in frail and pre-frail elderly undergoing major abdominal surgery. World journal of surgery, 48(1), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/wjs.12016
Chow, J. J. L., Fitzgerald, C., & Rand, S. (2023). The 2 min step test: A reliable and valid measure of functional capacity in older adults post coronary revascularisation. Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy, 28(2), e1984. https://doi.org/10.1002/pri.1984
Neoh EC, Chow JJL, Hoon V, Chow Y, Lee SB, Foo D. Self-directed cardiac rehabilitation using a novel game-based mobile application paired with sensor: is it feasible? (2023) Singapore Med J. Jan 31. doi: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2021-119. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36751840.
Wang B, Shelat VG, Chow JJL, Huey TCW, Low JK, Woon WWL, Junnarkar SP. Prehabilitation Program Improves Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Elective Liver Resection (2020). J Surg Res. Jul;251:119-125. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2020.01.009. Epub 2020 Mar 2. PMID: 32135382.
Galada, Aditya & Zhang, Jianmin & Yeo, Yong Kiang & Ser, Wee & Lin, Zhiping & Tan, Doris & Chow, Yvonne & Tony, Swapna & Chow, Jaclyn & Foo, David. (2018). ECG Signal Processing and Analysis for Data Arising from Rehab Patients Doing Exercises. 1-5. 10.1109/ISCAS.2018.8351328.
