Professor Ho Lai Yun is the Founding Head of the Department of Neonatology (1986-2004) and is currently Emeritus Consultant, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Clinician Mentor to Department of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine. He pioneered and established many multidisciplinary perinatal programmes in Singapore. He also initiated congenital hypothyroidism screening and universal newborn hearing screening in the 1990s, which have become national programmes since then. He established neonatology as the first paediatric subspecialty to be recognised by the Singapore Medical Council.

Prof Ho is also the Founding Head of the then Child Development Unit (CDU), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) (1997-2008) and is presently Senior Consultant and Advisor of the Department of Child Development, KKH.    Prof Ho started the CDU as the Development Assessment Clinic at SGH in 1991. He has been the Director, the cross-clusters Child Development Programme, Ministry of Health, since 2002.

Prof Ho is an eminent Professor of the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, and is currently the Advisor, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Program (Paediatric Medicine). He is also Clinical Professor of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (YLL-SoM NUS), and was the Associate Dean, SGH and Outram Campus, YLL-SoM, from 2004 to 2012. He was Master, Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2006-2008. He is senior Consultant, Ministry of Health, Singapore, serving in the Specialists Accreditation Board, and Division of Manpower Standards and Development since 2006.

Prof Ho is recognised locally, regionally and internationally as a strong advocate of child welfare and protection, early childhood education and intervention. He has been actively involved in various community projects that addressed social and educational issues, such as child abuse and neglect, bullying in schools, parenting attitudes, pre-school education, children with special needs, and mental health in children and youth. He plays a leading role in building an inclusive, family-focused and community-based early childhood intervention ecosystem in Singapore. He received awards for his works in improving child life and health in the region.