Dr Michael Wong’s expertise and generous efforts to promote Endourology led to his election to the Board of Directors of the prestigious International Society of Endourology in 2006 which is based in USA. He is the only urologist from ASEAN to sit with the other world opinion leaders and experts in Urology. This is the highest peer recognition one can achieve.

He is also the only urologist from ASIA to be appointed Co-Chairman of the World 2nd International Consultation in Stone Diseases. This consultative committee of urology experts meets about every 4 years to discuss and map out the guidelines and direction for the rest of the world’s urologists in their management of kidney stone diseases. This appointment recognises that Michael is a world leader.

Dr Michael Wong has been the Founder and President of the Asian Society of Endourology since 1998. This network of eminent Asian urologist made it their mission to impart their skills and expertise to junior members. His contribution to urology to the region especially impressed Thailand and Japan. In 2006, the Thailand Urological Association conferred him the title of Life Honorary Member, the only Singaporean thus recognized. In 2003, he was made the Life Honorary member of the Japanese Endourology & ESWL Society.

From within Asia, many urologists have learnt from his vast experience and training. Dr Michael Wong is the Founder and the Chief Trainer for the Singapore General Hospital Regional Endourology Fellowship Programme. Since 1998, even established urologists, including those from as far as Pakistan, China and Indonesia, have come to Singapore to learn the minimally invasive techniques of Percutaneous NephroLithotomy (PCNL). To see how he is able to creatively manipulate the endoscope to remove large stones embedded in the kidney completely in more than 98% of the time, via a mere 0.5 cm cut in the skin. Traditionally, large stones are removed manually by making a large incision over the skin and splitting open the kidney. Recovery is thus slower and more painful.

He has also traveled extensively to share his surgical skills and teach in surgical live-demonstrations and workshops in many countries such as USA, Italy, Holland, Scotland, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, India and China.

In 1993, after completing his post-graduate Fellowship in General Surgery from Edinburgh and Singapore, Dr Wong left for the USA for one year to become the first Singaporean Urologist to obtain an American Fellowship in Endourology and Urolithiasis at the Institute of Kidney Stone Disease in Indiana. Dr Michael worked with the highly acclaimed Dr James E Lingemann, who remains his mentor and friend.

Dr Michael Wong was inspired to continue training in America in a completely different subspeciality and obtained a Fellowship in Female Urology and Neurourology at the Methodist Hospital, Indiana, another Singaporean first. He worked with Dr Peter Knapp who invented the Vaginal Wall Sling to cure urinary incontinence in women with abnormal urethral function. Dr Michael Wong specializes in the complex surgical treatment of urinary incontinence which have failed previous surgical treatments and the repair of bladder-vaginal fistula which are usually complications of previous operations.

He co-founded the Asian Society of Female Urology in 1998 with his fellow urologists and gynaecologists. He is currently the Secretary General. In 2000, Dr Michael Wong set up a joint service, The Male Fertility Clinic, with Dr Julianah Abu from the Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology at the Singapore General Hospital. This clinical service enabled couples to have their treatment managed together at the same time, in the same clinic. This especially benefited couples with a male cause for infertility as otherwise, the diagnosis is usually delayed because the male partner is rarely consulted and examined until much later.

When the Robotic-assisted laparoscopic machine became available in Singapore, Dr Michael Wong was the first to undertake a residency programme in Robotic Urologic Surgery in 2004 at the University of Irvine, California, USA, to perform procedures such as radical prostatectomy.

Dr Michael Wong is a member of the Singapore Kidney Transplant Surgical Team since 1991. He is accredited by the Ministry of Health to perform kidney transplantation.