Emeritus Professor Sittampalam Shanmugaratnam (4 July 1928 – 6 August 2001), also known as Shan Ratnam, was a Singaporean obstetrician and gynaecologist.
He was professor and head of the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the National University Hospital of Singapore and specialized in human reproduction research.
His work placed Singapore at the forefront in the international medical arena and established himself as a prominent figure in world of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
As a young man, Ratnam began his career as a houseman (trainee medical officer) at the Singapore General Hospital in 1959.
His career as a research scientist and teacher continued at the National University of Singapore despite his official retirement in 1998, as Emeritus Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
He was a world authority on sex change operations, developing new techniques for transsexualism, embryo replacement, in vitro and controlled fertilisation.
[1] Many of his former students are now members in the O&G field including the current head of department at the National University Hospital, Dr P. C. Wong.