Dr Chang Sian Ying Heidi is a Colorectal and General Surgeon with subspecialty expertise in minimally invasive colorectal surgery, including transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS). She provides comprehensive surgical care for benign and malignant colorectal conditions, with a clinical practice grounded in patient-centred care.
Dr Chang’s broader clinical interests include colorectal cancer, benign colorectal disease, emergency colorectal surgery and common anorectal conditions. She is experienced in laparoscopic and minimally invasive techniques to support safe surgery and timely recovery. She also pioneered the department’s laser haemorrhoidopexy service, reflecting her patient-centric approach to care, as it offers improved post-operative pain profiles while maintaining similar recurrence outcomes.
Dr Chang is passionate about improving surgical outcomes for older adults undergoing both emergency and elective abdominal surgery. She values transdisciplinary collaboration and is actively involved in initiatives aimed at improving workflows and outcomes for elderly patients undergoing surgery. Her work addresses the impact of geriatric comorbidities—such as frailty, cognitive impairment, and functional decline—on surgical risk and recovery. These focus on optimising preoperative assessment, perioperative interventions, and postoperative support to return the elderly patient safely to the community. To this end, Dr Chang also leads community and interprofessional outreach efforts to increase awareness of the impact of our ageing population on our surgical services and the efforts to ensure that surgery is safe for them.
In addition, Dr Chang serves as one of the surgeon champions for the department’s participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. In this role, she supports data-driven quality improvement initiatives, risk-adjusted outcome monitoring, and evidence-based strategies to enhance patient safety, surgical quality, and outcomes.
Dr Chang is actively involved in medical education and professional development. This includes the training of medical students, junior doctors and post graduate specialist trainees, and supporting continuing medical education for primary care physicians and allied health professionals.
