
Alternative CV
Dr Paul Tern works as a doctor by day, but in his spare time he finds and interviews people who have chosen to pursue more unconventional careers, hobbies or side projects. Focusing on the Asian context where traditional professional careers still rule, he explores the stories of individuals who have bucked the trend and built an alternative CV. Join him for some far-reaching conversations as he listens to their journeys, explores varied and interesting fields, and ultimately unearths advice and wisdom that we can all learn from. Come and be inspired - new episodes every Thursday.
Episodes
48 episodes
ACV 43: Lessons Learned From Juggernaut Companies And Small Startups (Dorothea Koh, Founder/CEO of Bot MD, Part 2)
BIODorothea Koh is the founder and CEO of a healthcare technology company, Bot MD. Bot MD is a mobile-based AI chatbot that provides an interface for doctors to quickly access information re...
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Episode 43
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42:53

ACV 42: Test Your Hypotheses With Low Code Experiments (Dorothea Koh, Founder/CEO of Bot MD, Part 1)
BIODorothea is the founder and CEO of a healthcare technology company, Bot MD. Bot MD is a mobile-based AI chatbot that provides an interface for doctors to quickly access information related to hospital policies, formularies, check ...
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Episode 42
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45:53

ACV 41: When Perseverance Meets Opportunity And Wise Mentorship (Dr Daniel Ting, Ophthalmologist / Medical AI Expert)
Dr Daniel Ting is the Consultant, Vitreo-retinal surgeon in the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC), Head of AI and Digital Innovation in the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), and an Associate Professor in Ophthalmology with Duke-NUS Me...
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Episode 41
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58:53

ACV40: The Doctor Who Built An AI Ecosystem (Dr Ngiam Kee Yuan, Group Chief Technological Officer, NUHS)
Dr Ngiam Kee Yuan is the Group Chief Technology Officer of the National University Health System (NUHS) Singapore overseeing technology deployment in Western Healthcare Cluster of Singapore. He is concurrently the Deputy Chief Medical Informati...
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Episode 40
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51:56

ACV39: [Masterclass] Exercise, Diets and Supplements For a Healthy Life (Dr Deborah Wong, Doctor / Entrepreneur / Fitness Guru, Part 2)
Dr Deborah Wong is a mother, general practitioner, entrepreneur and fitness guru. Shortly after graduating from medical school, she took over a pilates studio (Breathe Pilates), turned it around and expanded it into a successful and highly prof...
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Episode 39
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22:59

ACV38: Starting A Pilates Studio Business Straight Out Of Medical School (Dr Deborah Wong, Owner of Breathe Pilates, Part 1)
BIODr Deborah Wong is a mother, general practitioner, entrepreneur and fitness guru. Shortly after graduating from medical school, she took over a pilates studio (Breathe Pilates), turned it around and expanded it into a successful a...
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Episode 38
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44:33

ACV37: [Masterclass] Leading And Mentoring (Prof Ong Biauw Chi, Chairman, Medical Board, Sengkang Health, Part 2)
In this masterclass with A/Prof Ong, we discuss the fundamentals of leadership and mentorship.BIOA/Prof Ong Biauw Chi is Senior Consultant at Singapore General Hospital Department of Anaesthesiology. She was the Head of Anaes...
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Episode 37
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35:02

ACV36: Leading On The Ground (Prof Ong Biauw Chi, Chairman, Medical Board, Sengkang Health, Part 1)
In this episode, A/Prof Ong Biauw Chi and I discuss her on-the-ground style of leadership and the journey she took to become Chairman of the Medical Board in Sengkang Health.ABOUT A/PROF ONGA/Prof Ong Biauw Chi is Senior Cons...
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Episode 36
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31:26

ACV35: [Masterclass] On Angel Investing (Dr Dinesh Gunesekaran, Doctor / Entreprenuer / Angel Investor, Part 2)
In this episode, Dinesh gives a masterclass on raising angel investment for your startup. He also shares his perspective as an investor on how he evaluates founders and companies who have approached him for investment.BIODr. ...
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Episode 35
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36:47

ACV34: From Doctor To Entrepreneur To Angel Investor (Dr Dinesh Gunesekaran, Part 1)
I talk to Dr Dinesh Gunesekaran about his experience getting involved in a research project that used big data to gain insights into tuberculosis infections of the eye. From there, Dinesh got approached at a medical conference by his cofounders...
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Episode 34
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56:42

ACV33: How The Healthtech Startup Ecosystem Has Changed Post COVID-19
I speak to Buzz Palmer, Dario Heymann and Audrey Lok about how COVID-19 has reshaped the playing field for healthtech and medtech startups. We discuss interesting opportunities and ideas for founders to explore.BIOSBuzz Palmer (C...
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Episode 33
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59:02

ACV32: [Masterclass] Building Your Research Portfolio (Prof Francis Seow Choen, Colorectal Surgeon and Entomologist, Part 2)
I talk to Prof Francis about why we should do research, how to build a world class body of research work and how to go to attain the highest levels and become an internationally recognised expert.Dr Francis Seow Choen graduated with his...
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Episode 32
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40:49

ACV31: Mastering The Art Of Learning, Balancing Life And Other Leadership Lessons (Prof Francis Seow Choen, Colorectal Surgeon and Entomologist, Part 1)
In this podcast, I talk to Prof Francis Seow about how to approach learning when starting out in a completely new field; what it means by leading a "balanced life"; as well as how to be a useful leader.Dr Francis Seow Choen graduated wi...
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Episode 31
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58:08

ACV30: How to bring a Medtech product to market (Abel Ang, CEO of Advanced Medtech)
Mr Abel Ang is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Advanced MedTech Holdings, a US$200M global player in Urology devices and services. Previously, Abel has also served as the Senior Advisor to the CEO of Greatbatch Inc (NYSE: ITGR), as well as...
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Episode 30
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50:44

ACV Relaunch! (Season 2)
I promised to be back on August 6 but better late than never... Alternative CV is RELAUNCHING with Season 2!New this season: In addition to the usual guests who have pursued interesting hobbies / side projects and career...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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2:37

A Special Announcement
Alternative CV takes a break, until August 6th. Work commitments have increased with the COVID outbreak, and I have to focus on what's most important right now, which is caring for patients.Sign up to the email newsletter at http://alte...
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5:25

ACV29: Turning A Hobby Into A Business (Alvin Chow, CEO of DrWealth, Part 2)
Alvin and I discuss how he built an online audience and transformed his blog into a business. Alvin also gives a crash course on insurance and investing, and he shares some tips about how he curates the information he takes in.Alvin Cho...
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Episode 29
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1:02:02

ACV28: Teaching Yourself About Personal Finance (Alvin Chow, CEO of DrWealth, Part 1)
On this podcast, I talk to Alvin Chow about 0ur motivation behind the financial choices we make, effective strategies to approach a brand new subject area you want to learn about, and Alvin's journey from hobby personal finance blog to full-tim...
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Episode 28
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46:39

[ACV REWIND]: ACV09: The Greatest Superpower - Being Willing To Learn with Brennan Ong, Founder of Lawadvisor
On this episode, I speak to Brennan Ong about his entrepreneurial journey, and how he ended up leaving the legal profession to start a law tech startup.
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1:01:03

[ACV REWIND]: How to Get Going with Ali Abdaal, Doctor/Youtuber
About a year ago, I caught up with Ali Abdaal, who is a junior doctor in the Cambridge (UK) area who makes youtube videos about tech, productivity and tips for medical students. At that point in time had 200k subscribers on his Youtube channel....
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29:43

ACV27: My Top 5 Lessons of Season 1
In this episode, I talk about my job as a doctor in the department of Infectious Diseases managing COVID-19 suspects and patients, and I recap the top 5 lessons that I've learnt from 6 months of interviews.Here are my top 5 lessons from...
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Episode 27
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51:03

ACV26: Starting a Restaurant, Inventing Dishes, Appreciating Food and More (Rishi Naleendra, Michelin-starred Chef, Part 2)
Chef Rishi Naleendra talks about starting his own restaurant and building a team around him who shares the same culture of excellence. We chat about his creative process, as well as how one should simply enjoy any meal, be it fine dining or pla...
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Episode 26
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40:44

ACV 25: Work Hard and Build Your Skills (Rishi Naleendra, Michelin-starred chef, Part 1)
Chef Rishi Naleendra recounts his journey from part time kitchen hand, cleaning dishes to fund his university education, to becoming the first Sri Lankan to be awarded a Michelin star.Chef Rishi’s impressive culinary career includes sti...
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Episode 25
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31:44

ACV 24: Starting and Building a New Church (Pastor Tan Huai Tze of One Covenant Church Singapore, Part 1)
Pastor Tan Huai Tze discusses what to expect from a theological seminary education, and the challenges he faced growing a new church from scratch from his living room.Tze is the Lead Pastor of One Covenant, a church he started in his li...
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Episode 24
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56:42

ACV 23: Why I’ve Chosen to be a Pastor (Pastor Tan Huai Tze of One Covenant Church Singapore, Part 1)
Pastor Tze of One Covenant church discusses his decision to step away from a secular job and become a full time pastor.Tze is the Lead Pastor of One Covenant, a church he started in his living room (since outgrown) together with his wif...
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Episode 23
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52:59
