Crystal Jing Jing Yeo, M.B. BChir. (Distinction, University of Cambridge), Ph.D (Immunology, University of Cambridge), M.R.C.P.U.K., is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom, a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (ABEM), and a US Board-certified Neurologist, Neuromuscular Medicine specialist and Electrodiagnostic Medicine specialist. She holds medical registrations with the Board of Registration of Medicine in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, General Medical Council in the United Kingdom, and Singapore Medical Council.
Dr. Yeo is a physician-scientist who graduated from the University of Cambridge MB/PhD program with Distinction in Medicine, PhD in Immunology and Honors for top performance, including The Lewin Prize, Balfour Prize, Caroline Turle Prize, Cow and Gate Prize, Boyd Martin Award and William Harvey Studentship Award. Her PhD was on CD8 T cell differentiation. She completed neurology residency at the Texas Medical Center, where she received the highest scores in the country each year on the clinical neurology residency in-training exams. She went on to complete a prestigious Neuromuscular Medicine fellowship at Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, and again received the highest scores in the country on the clinical Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic training exams.
Dr. Yeo has been in clinical practice for more than 8 years and is the recipient of many competitive awards for scholarship and leadership from national organizations including the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM), American Neurological Association (ANA) and Movement Disorders Society (MDS). She is an alumnus of the AAN Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum (PALF) and Live Well Lead Well (LWLW) Leadership Programs, and the first neurology resident selected to be a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Muscle and Nerve, flagship journal of the AANEM.
She performs nerve conductions and electromyograms and specializes in treating patients with peripheral neuropathy and myopathies (metabolic, inflammatory, idiopathic and genetic), inclusion body myositis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, overlap myositis, necrotizing autoimmune myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, cramp fasciculations, sarcopenia, muscular dystrophy, congenital myopathy, myasthenia gravis, Lambert Eaton Syndrome, CIDP, AIDP, MMN, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, PLS, spinal muscular atrophy, Kennedy’s disease, plexopathy, ganglionopathy, spinocerebellar ataxia, HSP, radiculopathy, compression neuropathies, carpel tunnel syndrome, among many others under the large neuromuscular medicine umbrella.
Dr. Yeo returned to Singapore in July 2019 to take up joint appointments with A*STAR and NNI as a physician-scientist. She is passionate about making science useful for patients. She runs the Translational Neuromuscular Medicine Laboratory at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology to address important areas of clinical need in neuromuscular medicine. Preclinical and clinical models are used for translational research to understand the pathophysiology of disease, clinical implications, prevention of disease complications, potential therapeutic targets and optimal clinical management. As joint Medical Director of the Experimental Drug Development Center, she provides medical and scientific insight on clinical need, clinical plans for potential therapeutics and strategies used in testing and marketing drugs. She is also Associate Staff at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in the United States, where she works with leading experts on neuromuscular medicine and spinal muscular atrophy on clinical and translational studies in patients, including the development of biomarkers and use of novel therapeutics. Her academic faculty positions are Honorary Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor equivalent) at the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, and Adj. Assist. Professor at the LKC School of Medicine-Imperial College London and NTU Singapore. She is a Newnham Associate at the University of Cambridge.
She regularly presents at international conferences and has performed research, given talks and interviews, and written articles on new therapies in neuromuscular medicine including the use of anti-sense oligonucleotide nusinersen in spinal muscular atrophy, complement inhibitor eculizumab in myasthenia gravis, and free radical scavenger edaravone in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She was the 2019 Singapore delegate to the ASEAN-ROK program for policy to increase research and development and technology transfers among ASEAN countries, and chaired the 2021 ASEAN-ROK workshop discussions on science and technology in post-pandemic economies.
Dr. Yeo is also an innovator and leader in ways to address physician wellness, education, and diversity. She serves on the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Pipeline Subcommittee, which creates programs for high school, college and medical schools that attract Underrepresented in Neurology (UIN) students to Neurology and Neuroscience and supports their mentoring. She is active in education for the US Women Neurologists’ Group (WNG) and part of the Women Mentoring Excellence in Neurology (WoMEN) program, a collaborative effort between AAN and WNG. Her work on mindfulness and advocacy has been recognized by the AAN and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). She writes poetry and columns oriented towards the compassionate practice of medicine. These have been published in Neurology, the flagship journal of the AAN, Closler, from the Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. She serves as a facilitator for the National Conversation on Women’s Development with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
Outside of work, she enjoys playing the piano and holds an Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in the United Kingdom (ABRSM) Diploma in Piano Performance (Distinction). She has performed in competitions and concerts including the Newnham College 90th Anniversary of the Roll at the University of Cambridge. Her favorite composers are Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. She also enjoys tasting teas and having a good natter with friends over lapsang souchong and warm crumbly scones.
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