Dr Zubin Daruwalla wins Alumni of the Year for Professional Excellence

Dr. Zubin J Daruwalla (1996 cohort)  is a doctorpreneur, surgeon, futurist, thought leader, advisor, mentor, and patient and HealthTech advocate.

Whilst practicing, he is also a PwC Singapore Health Industries Leader and sits on PwC’s Global Health Leadership Team. He has delivered over one hundred talks and presentations, including multiple keynotes in more than twelve countries and across five continents. Together with the world’s two most watched surgeons is a co-founder of HiruX.

After graduating with Honours Degrees from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and before his move to bridge the clinical and corporate worlds, Zubin pursued training in Orthopaedic Surgery. His career as a surgeon in both the public and private sectors across multiple countries and cities, including Dublin, Oxford and Singapore has allowed him to gain a global perspective in providing his clients insights to solving their most complex challenges.

He has experience in Digital Health, Medical Education, HealthTech and MedTech, and is a consultant, advisor and mentor to several startups and individuals in these spaces locally and internationally.

In addition to being invited Faculty of Harvard Medical School, Zubin is also an invited External Advisory Board Member of the RCSI, an invited Project Evaluation Panel Member for Singapore’s National Health Innovation Centre’s Innovation to Commercialisation (I2C) Programme, and an Executive Committee Member of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore.

Returning to Tanglin in 2024 after being asked to be the first of a series of speakers to address the community on the future of health as part of the Centenary celebrations was incredibly meaningful and an absolute privilege. It brought back a flood of truly positive memories.  

To then be recognized with an award, especially in such a significant year for the school, makes things even more special.  It's a full-circle moment, and I'm deeply grateful to Tanglin Trust for this recognition. 

Receiving the Tanglin Alumni of the Year 2024 Award is a truly humbling honor. My time at Tanglin holds a treasure chest of cherished memories, a foundation upon which my personal and professional journeys have been built. It was here, within these walls, that I first discovered the joy of learning, the power of collaboration, and the importance of community.  The values instilled in me during those formative years – resilience, compassion, empathy, importance of giving back, and a commitment to excellence – have guided me every step of the way. To be recognized by the very institution that nurtured my early growth is incredibly special, and I am deeply grateful for this prestigious award.  It serves as both a reminder of the strong roots I have at Tanglin and an inspiration to continue striving to make as positive an impact I can make on the world. Thank you.