Poonam Pal

Poonam graduated with a Bachelors degree in Physiotherapy from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India in 2002. She then pursued a Masters degree from University of Otago, New Zealand and graduated in 2004. A scholarship funded by Vernon Willey Trust Fellowship and Health Research Council of New Zealand enabled her to pursue a doctorate from University of Otago. She graduated with a PhD titled Cumulative loads on the lumbar spine during wool harvesting in 2010.

She has worked in various public organisations in Singapore and her last employment was at Changi General Hospital where she worked for nearly a decade. In 2017, she was awarded with a Ministry of Health scholarship to embark on a clinical masters. She graduated with a Masters of Health Practice in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy from Auckland University of Technology with distinction.

Her areas of expertise are in managing spinal conditions (operative and/ conservative care). She specialises in the assessment and management of acute conditions at the A&E and continues with the continuum of care at outpatient clinics. She has a special interest in the management of chronic pain that has led her to become a certified Yoga teacher in March 2021. She was part of the multi-disciplinary pain service at Changi General Hospital and conducted the physiotherapy section of the multidisciplinary pyscho-educational program for chronic pain patients. Her interest in the management of spinal conditions has encouraged to also complete McKenzie Lumbar Spine Part A course in August 2021. She incorporates the principles of DMA clinical pilates in the rehabilitation of patients when appropriate. In addition, she has interest in sports coverage for para-athletes and had covered the Dubai Para Athletics Championship in 2019.

Administratively, she has led and managed the physiotherapy team at the A&E department. Some of the collaborative work with A&E department, Pain team and Spine team has led to fast track services for patients requiring earlier specialist appointments. In addition, she was actively involved in teaching junior outpatient physiotherapists and Singapore Institute of Technology students in their musculoskeletal placements.

Poonam moved into the private sector from January 2022. She is passionate about clinical services and incorporates principles of DMA clinical pilates, directional preference from McKenzie approach, clinical yoga and bio-psychosocial approach in managing her patients.