By Oxford Orthopaedics
By Oxford Orthopaedics
MBBS, MRCSEd, MMed (Orth), MCI (NUS), FRCSEd (Orth), FAMS, PhD
Clinical Interests
Dr Francis Wong is one of the few orthopaedic surgeon-scientists in Asia with a PhD in cartilage regeneration, and is considered by many as a “true cartilage surgeon-scientist”.
He trained at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where he completed his MBBS, Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery, and later a Master of Clinical Investigation and finally his PhD. He was the first orthopaedic surgeon in Singapore to earn a PhD in cartilage regeneration, and is globally known for bridging surgical care with cutting-edge research in biologics and regenerative therapies. He was also the first South-east Asian to be awarded the Vericel-ICRS (International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society) Clinical Travelling Fellowship. Dr Wong learnt the best cartilage restoration and regeneration techniques from world renowned centres from North America and Europe, and have since applied them to Singapore.
MBBS, MMed (Ortho), MCI (NUS), FRCSEd (Orth), FAMS, PhD (Cartilage Regeneration)
Clinical Interests
Dr Francis Wong is one of the few orthopaedic surgeon-scientists in Asia with a PhD in cartilage regeneration, and is considered by many as a “true cartilage surgeon-scientist”.
He trained at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where he completed his MBBS, Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery, and later a Master of Clinical Investigation and finally his PhD. He was the first orthopaedic surgeon in Singapore to earn a PhD in cartilage regeneration, and is globally known for bridging surgical care with cutting-edge research in biologics and regenerative therapies. He was also the first South-east Asian to be awarded the Vericel-ICRS (International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society) Clinical Travelling Fellowship. Dr Wong learnt the best cartilage restoration and regeneration techniques from world renowned centres from North America and Europe, and have since applied them to Singapore.
As a former Research Director at Sengkang General Hospital and Campus Service Chief for the SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre, Dr Wong led several nationally funded projects in biologic cartilage repair, bone marrow-derived therapies, and exosome research, all while performing complex knee surgeries and teaching the next generation of surgeons.
His passion lies in preserving native joint function and avoiding early joint replacement. He does this through advanced arthroscopic techniques, scaffold-based cartilage repair, and biologic augmentation.
His journey as a surgeon-scientist is grounded in two principles: “Always preserve what nature gave, and let science guide what’s next.”
Touched by how often patients are told “you just need a joint replacement,” he has spent over a decade developing techniques that aim to repair and regenerate rather than replace. He has taught these principles globally and continues to serve as faculty in international cartilage restoration masterclasses, training surgeons from around the world.
Dr Wong works closely with a network of radiologists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and cartilage-trained rehab specialists to deliver end-to-end care from imaging to recovery.
Always preserve what nature gave, and let science guide what’s next.
As a former Research Director at Sengkang General Hospital and Campus Service Chief for the SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre, Dr Wong led several nationally funded projects in biologic cartilage repair, bone marrow-derived therapies, and exosome research, all while performing complex knee surgeries and teaching the next generation of surgeons.
Always preserve what nature gave, and let science guide what’s next.
His passion lies in preserving native joint function and avoiding early joint replacement. He does this through advanced arthroscopic techniques, scaffold-based cartilage repair, and biologic augmentation.
His journey as a surgeon-scientist is grounded in two principles: “Always preserve what nature gave, and let science guide what’s next.”
Touched by how often patients are told “you just need a joint replacement,” he has spent over a decade developing techniques that aim to repair and regenerate rather than replace. He has taught these principles globally and continues to serve as faculty in international cartilage restoration masterclasses, training surgeons from around the world.
Dr Wong works closely with a network of radiologists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and cartilage-trained rehab specialists to deliver end-to-end care from imaging to recovery.
Scientific Chair, Singapore Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting
Completed term as Executive Committee Member, Singapore Orthopaedic Association (2019–2023)
Appointed as Assistant Treasurer, Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Research Society
Published his AMIC+BMAC cartilage repair surgical technique in Arthroscopy Techniques, defining the way of how AMIC+ is performed arthroscopically
Published the landmark study “Intra-Articular Injections of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes and Hyaluronic Acid Improve Structural and Mechanical Properties of Repaired Cartilage in a Rabbit Model” in Arthroscopy and introduced MSC exosomes as the next regenerative therapy to the international community of orthopaedic surgeons
Appointed Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Graduated as Pioneer Clinician Scientist Resident under the NUHS Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programme
During his residency, published multiple high citation cutting edge publications including: “Injectable Cultured Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Varus Knees With Cartilage Defects Undergoing High Tibial Osteotomy: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial With 2 Years’ Follow-up”, published in Arthroscopy– currently cited more than 400 times.
Dr Wong has authored over 85 peer-reviewed publications in areas such as cartilage regeneration, orthobiologics, joint preservation surgery, and musculoskeletal healing. His research is internationally recognized, with a Google Scholar H-index of 27 and over 2400 citations. Additionally, he has secured over SGD $2 million in national and institutional research funding .
By Oxford Orthopaedics
