Title: Exercise, Health & Sports Performance in a Warming World
Date: 16 May 2026, Saturday
Time: 2 – 4pm (Singapore Time, GMT +8)
Venue: NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Novena Campus (Clinical Sciences Building, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308232)
Venue capacity: ___ pax
FREE Registration: ___
Dr Fabian Lim
PhD, FACSM, SFHEA
Programme Director, Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Visiting Distinguished Professor, College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam
Exploring Current Evidence in Exertional Heat Stress and Injury
Environmental heat affects human physiology and functions in the forms of discomfort, limitations in work performance, and increased risks of heat injury. The aetiology underlying these effects of heat are not the same and not necessarily connected. However, the strategies to mitigate such risks are often broad and non-specific, targeted primarily at controlling the rise in body temperature and limiting exposure to environmental heat. Such approaches in mitigating the effects of heat stress are grounded on the classical models of heat injury, which dates back more than a century.
This presentation presents the notion that thermoregulation and heat intolerance are different both in concept and physiology, and that heat is not the only driver of heat injury. Growing evidence from animal models and pathology further shows that heat stroke is associated with a compromised immune system, gut-related endotoxemia and systemic inflammation, which is poorly predicted by heat stress. The exploration of this evidence should lead to more effective design of strategies to mitigate the effects of heat on human function and health.
Speaker Profile
Dr Fabian Lim is Programme Director for the Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, which he has led since 2018, in collaboration with Changi General Hospital. This programme is endorsed by the Singapore Medical Council and aims to enhance Sports Medicine knowledge and skills among doctors in primary care settings.
Dr Lim is also Visiting Distinguished Professor at the College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam, and in 2025, was recognized as the Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University and Elsevier.
Dr Lim pioneered human physiological research in the Singapore Armed Forces and translated many of his research findings to benefit soldier health, safety and performance. He was also the founding Executive Director of the Singapore Sports Institute, where he charted the national strategy for athlete development pathway. Trained as an Exercise Physiologist (PhD) and complemented with an MBA, Dr Lim is a champion of integrative research that promotes collaboration across a wide spectrum of expertise. He specialises in translating R&D solutions to enhance human adaptations in health, ageing and performance in civilian, occupational and sport settings.
Dr Choo Hui Cheng (Kester)
PhD
Senior Sports Physiologist, High Performance Sport Institute (HPSI), Singapore
Sports Performance in a Warming World: Field Insights from Singaporean Athletes
In this seminar, Dr Choo will share field-based physiological monitoring conducted during Olympic test events, Singapore local races, and the Southeast Asia Games, focusing on core temperature responses and the level of heat strain experienced by Singaporean athletes during competition. These observations will be discussed alongside published reports of elite athletes reaching core temperatures exceeding 40°C, highlighting the substantial thermal demands that can accompany high-level performance.
Dr Choo’s presentation will explore what these findings suggest about thermoregulatory strain, athlete safety, recovery demands, and the implications of heat stress on training quality and performance sustainability. Particular attention will be given to the challenges and opportunities of preparing athletes for competition in increasingly warm environments, especially within tropical settings.
Beyond characterising heat strain, Dr Choo’s presentation aims to contribute to broader discussions on advancing knowledge in heat resilience, acclimation, and practical heat mitigation strategies. By integrating local field data with current scientific evidence, the presentation seeks to highlight the importance of continued research and evidence-based approaches to support athlete preparation and safeguard health and performance in a warming world.
Speaker Profile
Dr Choo Hui Cheng (Kester) is an exercise physiologist whose work focuses on heat stress, thermoregulation, and human performance in hot and humid environments. Her research examines physiological responses to thermal strain in athletes and other heat-exposed populations, with the aim of advancing strategies for heat resilience, performance optimisation, and the prevention of heat-related illness. Through field and applied research, she has contributed to understanding how athletes adapt and perform under challenging environmental conditions, particularly in tropical climates.
Asst Prof Yeo Tee Joo
MBBS (S'pore), MMed (Internal Medicine), MRCP (UK), Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist (ACSM), MCI, FESC (EU)
Senior Consultant & Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, National University Heart Centre, Singapore
Heat, HIIT & Heart Health in those at High Risk
This talk will outline the impact of heat on the cardiovascular system, focusing on potentially vulnerable and at-risk populations such as athletes and those with occupational exposure. Identification and management of the spectrum of heat-related illnesses/injury will also be covered. Finally, mitigating strategies for navigating climate change will be discussed.
Speaker Profile
Assistant Professor Yeo Tee Joo is presently a Senior Consultant with the Department of Cardiology at the National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS). He also serves as the Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit, NUHCS.
He graduated from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore in 2004 with MBBS and obtained MRCP (UK) and MMED (Int Med) in 2009. In 2013, he received specialist accreditation in Cardiology, and was also certified as a Clinical Exercise Specialist by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Asst Prof Yeo was awarded the MOH Training Scholarship to complete subspecialty fellowships in Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute from 2014 to 2015, and Sports Cardiology at St George's University of London from 2015 to 2016. He is also passionate in research, obtaining a Master of Clinical Investigation (MCI) from NUS in 2015.
Asst Prof Yeo is a World Health Organisation (WHO) Ischaemic Heart Disease Rehabilitation 2030 Development Group Member (Since 2019), and also the country representative for the International Council for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (ICCPR). He is also a Board Member of the Singapore Heart Foundation.
Dr Vitali Lipik
PhD
R&D Director, Sportmaster Group of Companies Pte Ltd
Adjunct Assistant Professor School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Evaluation of Cooling Technologies in Sport Apparel
Dr Lipik’s presentation provides a comprehensive evaluation of cooling mechanisms in sports apparel used in the sporting goods industry. First, the primary channels of heat dissipation from the human body - conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation - are introduced and analysed, highlighting their relative contributions under different physiological and environmental conditions. Next, experimental and industrial methodologies for assessing the cooling performance of textiles are discussed, including infrared thermography, in situ skin temperature measurements using wearable sensors, and measurements of heat flow from the human body. Next, several cooling strategies in apparel are then presented. Radiative heat dissipation is explored with boron nitride additives, which enhance infrared emissivity and interfacial heat spreading. Thermal conductivity-based approaches, including metallized yarns, are evaluated for their ability to facilitate heat transfer away from the body. Finally, the impact of moisture management on cooling during physical exercise is examined. An experimental comparison of several T-shirt designs demonstrates that efficient sweat transport and evaporation significantly improve cooling performance by removing latent heat from the body.
Overall, the findings suggest that while advanced materials such as boron nitride and metallized yarns contribute to cooling, efficient moisture management systems provide more tangible and effective thermal regulation in sports apparel. These insights offer important guidance for the design of next-generation performance textiles.
Speaker Profile
Dr Lipik obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Belarusian State Technological University in 1999. He completed his Ph.D. in 2002 through a co-tutelle program between the University of Montpellier II and Belarusian State Technological University. In 2016, he earned an MBA with a specialization in Innovation from Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Dr Lipik has more than 24 years of experience in academia, 11 years in research and development, and 4 years as a scientific consultant. His earlier research focused on polyester synthesis, plastic waste recycling, sustainability, and the development of biodegradable polymers. His current work centers on the development of functional textiles designed to positively influence the human body, enhance thermal comfort, and support sports performance, recovery, and related applications.