Dr Cheong Wei Yang

As Deputy Secretary (Technology) at MOH, Dr Cheong deploys technology against COVID-19, and develops the health research and innovation ecosystem to achieve Healthier SG – i.e. population health, precision health and preventive health. He sits on the Board of Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS).

Prior to MOH, he was Deputy CEO of National Research Foundation (NRF), where he oversaw the implementation of the S$19 billion Research Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020 plan and led an inter-agency effort to develop the S$25 billion RIE 2025 plan.

Dr Cheong was also Divisional Director (Planning) in MOE. Beyond educational policies, he shaped educational research at National Institute of Education, international benchmarking and partnership efforts. As Deputy Director (Manufacturing & Services) at MTI, he oversaw EDB, and the Secretariat for Economic Strategies Committee chaired by Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. As Head Fiscal Strategy at Ministry of Finance, he shaped Singapore’s long-term fiscal sustainability.

He served on the Boards of URA; ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute; NMRC; EDDC; DxD Hub; National Additive Manufacturing Programme; Singapore Food Story R&D Programme and NRF Holdings. He continues to serve on the Boards of Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute of Singapore (ACTRIS), Centre for Research & Development in Learning (CRADLE), National Clinical Trial Steering Committee (NCTSC) and Precision Health Research Singapore (PRECISE).

As a Rhodes Scholar and PSC Scholar, he obtained his DPhil/Mphil in Economics from Oxford, and his S.B. in Chemical Engineering and S.B. in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.