SINGAPORE – A doctor who started Singapore’s first dedicated clinic for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) was named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2025.

On March 19, Dr Chen Shiling was presented the award by its patron, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was the guest of honour at the award ceremony at Temasek Shophouse.

Determined to tackle gaps she saw in the healthcare system for people with ID, Dr Chen quit her job at a public hospital in 2013 and founded Happee Hearts Movement a year later.

The charity, which runs the IDHealth clinic, a community-based healthcare service in Upper Thomson Road, has since served about 500 people with ID and more than 1,000 of their caregivers.

At the ceremony, Dr Chen, 44, received a trophy, along with a $20,000 cash prize, a five-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties, and a pair of Singapore Airlines (SIA) business class tickets.

She was nominated alongside seven other finalists, including a former school canteen vendor, Ms Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi, 37, who provides free breakfasts for underprivileged children in her neighbourhood, and Mr Steven Goh, 47, who founded charity Helping Joy to help hoarders declutter their homes.

The finalists each received a certificate and a $5,000 cash prize, a three-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties, and a pair of SIA economy class tickets.

Speaking to ST after her win, Dr Chen said: “I’m really very grateful for all the people who have supported me, especially my patients and families who have journeyed with me over all these years.

“They have taught me so much about what it truly means to be human.” Dr Chen added that the award was a milestone which recognises the needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

She said half of the cash prize would go back to her patients and team, while the other half will go to other non-profit organisations.

“When I was struggling trying to make this happen, there were people who came to me, who believed in me… I hope to be able to do that for other people as well,” she said.

Dr Chen Shiling receiving the ST Singaporean of the Year 2025 award from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. With them are ST editor Jaime Ho (left) and Mr Iqbal Khan, president of UBS Asia-Pacific and co-president of UBS Global Wealth Management.

ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI

Now in its 11th year, the award – organised by The Straits Times – honours a Singaporean individual or group that has made significant contributions to society. It also pays tribute to those who have put Singapore on the world map or have gone beyond the call of duty to selflessly improve the lives of others. 

UBS Singapore has been the presenting sponsor of the award since its inception. The other sponsors are SIA and Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

This year’s award was decided by a panel comprising ST editors, UBS representatives and individuals who have made their mark in various fields. The panel also took into account the results of more than 9,000 votes from the public.

Two other accolades were added for the first time to recognise a broader group of Singaporeans.

The ST Singaporean of the Year (International Impact) award, which honours a Singaporean or local organisation that has made a positive impact outside of Singapore, was given to Mr Robert Kee, 77, a former entrepreneur who runs a charity helping impoverished children and families in Cambodia and Nepal.

Gymnast Amanda Yap, 16, won the other new accolade – ST Young Singaporean of the Year – which recognises a Singaporean under 18 who has shown courage, compassion, empathy, kindness or a spirit of service, and has made a positive impact among peers.

(From left) ST Singaporean of the Year (International Impact) award winner Robert Kee, ST Singaporean of the Year award winner Chen Shiling and ST Young Singaporean of the Year award winner Amanda Yap.

ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

Among the ceremony’s guests were past winners, including the 2025 recipient, Mr Koh Seng Choon, who founded a foodcourt, Dignity Kitchen, which employs people with disabilities.

SPH Media chief executive Chan Yeng Kit also attended the dinner event.

As a doctor in 2010, Dr Chen started organising health screenings for people with ID when she was volunteering with various social service agencies and discovered that many of their health problems were poorly addressed.

Patients with ID may not be able to communicate their pain and symptoms, instead expressing this through shouting or agitation, which can be mistaken for behavioural problems. They also have a higher prevalence of other health conditions, including mobility issues and sensory processing difficulties, said Dr Chen.

Her attempts to persuade government agencies, philanthropic groups and other organisations to set up a dedicated healthcare service for people with ID went nowhere, so she decided to start it on her own.

Dr Chen Shiling interacting with a patient. She founded Happee Hearts Movement, a charity which runs a community-based healthcare service that has served about 500 people with intellectual disabilities and more than 1,000 of their caregivers.

ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

IDHealth’s team, which is made up of doctors, nurses, social workers and allied health professionals, started seeing residents with ID living in adult disability homes in 2024. It plans to launch three new services in palliative care, dementia care and preventive health in 2026.

Mr Jaime Ho, editor of The Straits Times, said the nominees represent the very best of Singapore, and their stories show that heroism is not about a single grand gesture, but a consistent and even persistent commitment to causes beyond themselves.

Addressing the finalists, Mr Ho said: “You have shown us that even in a world that can feel complex and challenging, kindness, grace, and determined action remain our most potent forces.”

(Front row, from left) ST Singaporean of the Year 2025 finalists Edmund Wee, Robert Sim, Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi and Ganesh Kumar; ST editor Jaime Ho; ST Young Singaporean of the Year award winner Amanda Yap; President Tharman Shanmugaratnam; ST Singaporean of the Year award winner Chen Shiling; ST Singaporean of the Year (International Impact) award winner Robert Kee; Mr Iqbal Khan, president of UBS Asia-Pacific and co-president of UBS Global Wealth Management; and the other ST Singaporean of the Year 2025 finalists Peggy Yee, Steven Goh and Darryl Lee. (Back row, from left) Singapore National Olympic Council vice-president Mark Chay; New Life Stories CEO Saleemah Ismail; Mr Wong Wei Kong, editor-in-chief for the English, Malay and Tamil Media Group at SPH Media; SPH Media CEO Chan Yeng Kit; UBS Asia-Pacific chairman Edmund Koh; Ms Young Jin Yee, UBS’ Singapore country head and co-head for global wealth management for the Asia-Pacific; Ms Patricia Quek, UBS’ head of wealth management for Singapore and Malaysia; SIA’s divisional vice-president of public affairs Siva Govindasamy; Millennium Hotels and Resorts executive director Kwek Eik Sheng; and Temasek Shophouse CEO Yvonne Tay.

ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI

President of UBS Asia-Pacific and co-president of UBS Global Wealth Management Iqbal Khan said of the winners: “Guided by a deep sense of responsibility and sustained effort, they have used their unique skills – whether in healthcare, sport or business, to make a meaningful difference, not just in Singapore but far beyond its shores.”

Mr Kwek Eik Sheng, executive director of Millennium Hotels and Resorts, said: “From serving the vulnerable to creating inclusive opportunities and representing Singapore globally, each finalist reminds us that extraordinary impact begins with belief and conviction – and that our nation’s true strength lies in how we uplift, empower and encourage one another.”

SIA’s chief sustainability officer and senior vice-president of corporate planning, Ms Lee Wen Fen, said: “The remarkable work of this year’s recipients reminds us that small acts of kindness and compassion can create profound and lasting impact.”

Ms Yvonne Tay, Temasek Shophouse’s chief executive officer, said: “The nominees of the award remind us that every Singaporean can be a part of building a more connected and inclusive country that we call home.”

The 37-year-old former school canteen stall vendor started providing free breakfasts at an Ang Mo Kio void deck for underprivileged children in February 2025, after seeing how some of them would go hungry during recess so that their younger siblings would have money for food.

The mother of six, whose family lives in a two-room HDB rental flat in the neighbourhood, spends about $200 a month – along with donations from the community – to keep the programme running.

The chairman of home-grown publisher Epigram Literary Foundation significantly advanced Singapore literature, including by solving longstanding distribution challenges via a landmark agreement with five major South-east Asian publishers.

The 74-year-old’s determination to promote SingLit kept him going even after a cancer diagnosis in 2022, and he continues to lobby the Government for more support in the local literature scene.

The veteran lawyer, 61, has spent almost two decades advocating for people with mental health conditions, autism, intellectual disabilities and other invisible needs to have better access to justice.

Her push for change bore fruit in March 2025 when the Ministry of Law committed to a multi-agency task force to support individuals with invisible disabilities within the justice system, which Ms Yee is currently co-chairing.

The digital analytics consultant was given one of Wikipedia’s highest honours – the Wikimedian of the Year award – in August 2025 for his work in keeping the world’s largest encyclopaedia running smoothly.

Dedicating about 10 hours a week contributing to the platform, the 37-year-old has made more than 79,000 edits spanning a wide range of Singapore-related content. He also created and maintains the “Index of Singapore-related articles”.

Over the past four years, the 20-year-old has answered more than 70 calls for assistance, including those involving 65 cardiac arrest cases, as a community first responder on the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s myResponder app.

The Nanyang Polytechnic nursing student, whose friends call him “Batman”, carries a first aid kit at all times, responds to these alerts at all hours of the day, and often drops whatever he is doing to assist people in medical distress within his vicinity.

He transformed a barren nine-storey high hill in Woodlands into one of Singapore’s largest community gardens spanning 4,000 sq m and it is home to more than 350 plant species and 300 animal species, including multiple vulnerable species.

The 41-year-old, who was suffering from depression and had initially planted a pink hibiscus plant to help him cope with the grief of losing his mother, hopes that others can also find solace and joy in the garden.

He founded charity Helping Joy in 2012, which has decluttered more than 300 hoarders’ homes, and helped in other ways including replacing faulty equipment and furniture, and battling cockroach and bedbug infestations.

The former financial planner, 47, left his job in 2016 to focus full-time on the charity, which has supported more than 800 elderly people to date. Mr Goh and his team continue to care for beneficiaries through regular check-ins, and even provide funeral services for those with no family.