Robert Hewitt
Founder at Biosample Hub- Claim this Profile
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French Professional working proficiency
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Bio
Kee Peck Tan
I was interviewed by Dr Robert Hewitt in 2002 to join National University Hospital as an IT Analyst to assist him in setting up a database system for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. My first impression of him is of a humble, polite, patient and a visionary leader. NUH-NUS Tissue Repository was started initially with very limited resources with only one member of staff in the laboratory. In a short period of time, Robert managed to secure fundings for the establishment of the Tissue Repository (TR) and Hospital-based Cancer Registry (HCR) and develop them into an efficient service to support biomedical research at National University Hospital. With his leadership and many years of experience gained in multiple biobanks around the world, Robert guided all of us in TR to a higher level of work perfection and transformed TR into a safe and efficient facility with high standards. Robert has a very keen sense for IT technology and in spite of him being a medical professional without any IT background, he greatly impressed me by designing and developing an informative website for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. On a personal level, Robert is honest and a man of integrity. He is easy to get along with and is very supportive to his subordinates. I am grateful for the numerous learning and growth opportunities I was given over the years working with him. I certainly enjoy Robert both as a mentor, colleague and as a friend.
Rajeev Singh
Robert is a great leader and a very fine human being. Working with him, you never realised that you were 'working' and still accomplished so many things. He has a great way with people and there wouldn't be a person who has not been taken up by his smiling demeanour and his calm, responsible attitude. He has been my mentor in the biobanking world and I will always hold him in very high esteem. Wish I could work with him, all over again !
Kee Peck Tan
I was interviewed by Dr Robert Hewitt in 2002 to join National University Hospital as an IT Analyst to assist him in setting up a database system for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. My first impression of him is of a humble, polite, patient and a visionary leader. NUH-NUS Tissue Repository was started initially with very limited resources with only one member of staff in the laboratory. In a short period of time, Robert managed to secure fundings for the establishment of the Tissue Repository (TR) and Hospital-based Cancer Registry (HCR) and develop them into an efficient service to support biomedical research at National University Hospital. With his leadership and many years of experience gained in multiple biobanks around the world, Robert guided all of us in TR to a higher level of work perfection and transformed TR into a safe and efficient facility with high standards. Robert has a very keen sense for IT technology and in spite of him being a medical professional without any IT background, he greatly impressed me by designing and developing an informative website for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. On a personal level, Robert is honest and a man of integrity. He is easy to get along with and is very supportive to his subordinates. I am grateful for the numerous learning and growth opportunities I was given over the years working with him. I certainly enjoy Robert both as a mentor, colleague and as a friend.
Rajeev Singh
Robert is a great leader and a very fine human being. Working with him, you never realised that you were 'working' and still accomplished so many things. He has a great way with people and there wouldn't be a person who has not been taken up by his smiling demeanour and his calm, responsible attitude. He has been my mentor in the biobanking world and I will always hold him in very high esteem. Wish I could work with him, all over again !
Kee Peck Tan
I was interviewed by Dr Robert Hewitt in 2002 to join National University Hospital as an IT Analyst to assist him in setting up a database system for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. My first impression of him is of a humble, polite, patient and a visionary leader. NUH-NUS Tissue Repository was started initially with very limited resources with only one member of staff in the laboratory. In a short period of time, Robert managed to secure fundings for the establishment of the Tissue Repository (TR) and Hospital-based Cancer Registry (HCR) and develop them into an efficient service to support biomedical research at National University Hospital. With his leadership and many years of experience gained in multiple biobanks around the world, Robert guided all of us in TR to a higher level of work perfection and transformed TR into a safe and efficient facility with high standards. Robert has a very keen sense for IT technology and in spite of him being a medical professional without any IT background, he greatly impressed me by designing and developing an informative website for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. On a personal level, Robert is honest and a man of integrity. He is easy to get along with and is very supportive to his subordinates. I am grateful for the numerous learning and growth opportunities I was given over the years working with him. I certainly enjoy Robert both as a mentor, colleague and as a friend.
Rajeev Singh
Robert is a great leader and a very fine human being. Working with him, you never realised that you were 'working' and still accomplished so many things. He has a great way with people and there wouldn't be a person who has not been taken up by his smiling demeanour and his calm, responsible attitude. He has been my mentor in the biobanking world and I will always hold him in very high esteem. Wish I could work with him, all over again !
Kee Peck Tan
I was interviewed by Dr Robert Hewitt in 2002 to join National University Hospital as an IT Analyst to assist him in setting up a database system for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. My first impression of him is of a humble, polite, patient and a visionary leader. NUH-NUS Tissue Repository was started initially with very limited resources with only one member of staff in the laboratory. In a short period of time, Robert managed to secure fundings for the establishment of the Tissue Repository (TR) and Hospital-based Cancer Registry (HCR) and develop them into an efficient service to support biomedical research at National University Hospital. With his leadership and many years of experience gained in multiple biobanks around the world, Robert guided all of us in TR to a higher level of work perfection and transformed TR into a safe and efficient facility with high standards. Robert has a very keen sense for IT technology and in spite of him being a medical professional without any IT background, he greatly impressed me by designing and developing an informative website for NUH-NUS Tissue Repository. On a personal level, Robert is honest and a man of integrity. He is easy to get along with and is very supportive to his subordinates. I am grateful for the numerous learning and growth opportunities I was given over the years working with him. I certainly enjoy Robert both as a mentor, colleague and as a friend.
Rajeev Singh
Robert is a great leader and a very fine human being. Working with him, you never realised that you were 'working' and still accomplished so many things. He has a great way with people and there wouldn't be a person who has not been taken up by his smiling demeanour and his calm, responsible attitude. He has been my mentor in the biobanking world and I will always hold him in very high esteem. Wish I could work with him, all over again !
Credentials
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Learning to Teach Online
Coursera Verified CertificatesSep, 2014- Nov, 2024
Experience
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Biosample Hub
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United Kingdom
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Research Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Founder
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Jul 2020 - Present
Biosample Hub (BH) is a not-for-profit that connects BIOTECHs with BIOBANKs for ethical biospecimen access. The BH web platform allows free communication and unrestricted match-making between the two sides. No contract needs to be signed in order to use the platform. Ethical features include biospecimen traceability and financial transparency. Biosample Hub (BH) is a not-for-profit that connects BIOTECHs with BIOBANKs for ethical biospecimen access. The BH web platform allows free communication and unrestricted match-making between the two sides. No contract needs to be signed in order to use the platform. Ethical features include biospecimen traceability and financial transparency.
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Biosample Management Ltd
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United Kingdom
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Biotechnology Research
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Director
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Dec 2018 - Present
This is a consulting company offering support on biobank business planning, biospecimen sourcing and collaboration between academic biobanks and biotech or pharma companies. This is a consulting company offering support on biobank business planning, biospecimen sourcing and collaboration between academic biobanks and biotech or pharma companies.
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Azenta Life Sciences, Sample Sourcing Services
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Canada
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Biotechnology Research
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1 - 100 Employee
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Biobanking Specialist
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Nov 2017 - Nov 2018
Responsible for enhancing biobanking interactions between industry (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and academic biobank partners. Also for communications with biobank partners. Responsible for enhancing biobanking interactions between industry (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and academic biobank partners. Also for communications with biobank partners.
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Co-Founder & Manager
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Sep 2010 - Oct 2017
Robert was Executive Officer of ESBB (www.esbb.org) since he co-founded this biobanking society at a stakeholder meeting in Milan, Italy in August 2010. ESBB is a biobank society for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ESBB has held 7 annual conferences so far in Marseille, France (2011), Granada, Spain (2012), Verona, Italy (2013), Leipzig, Germany (2014), London, UK (2015), Vienna, Austria (2016), Stockholm, Sweden (2017). ESBB is an independent legal entity, being registered as an association under French law (loi 1901). http://www.esbb.org
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Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
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United States
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Book and Periodical Publishing
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1 - 100 Employee
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European Editor of Biopreservation & Biobanking
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2009 - 2016
Robert accepted this role in May 2009 and played a key role in introducing changes to this journal that contributed to its approval for MEDLINE and PubMed indexing in 2014 and its growing impact factor. These changes included: • New name: 'Biopreservation and Biobanking'. Previously the name was 'Cell Preservation Technology'. • Widening of journal scope to include the full range of biobanking issues from biospecimen science through to ethical, legal and social issues. • Recruitment of 11 new section editors to cover: Biospecimen Research, Quality Assurance and Control, Preservation Processes, Preservation Engineering, Research Biobanks, Therapeutic Biobanks, General Management, Informatics, Facilities & Automation, Legal & Ethical Issues, Social Issues • Introduction of new article types including: Standard Operating Procedures, The Experts Speak, Biobank Profiles.
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International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER)
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Canada
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Biotechnology Research
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1 - 100 Employee
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President (and other appointments), ISBER Biobanking Society
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2005 - 2013
Robert had the following ISBER appointments: • Member of Governing Council, 2005 - 2013 • President of ISBER from 2008 - 2009 (first president of the society outside USA). • Chair of the Program Committee planning the 2008 annual meeting in Bethesda, MD, USA. • Chair of the Local Organising Committee for 2007 annual meeting in Singapore (first meeting of the society in Asia). • Chair of the Marketing Committee, 2007-2008 • Chair of the Publications Committee from 2010 - 2013 As President he established the Publications Committee and the Long-Range Planning Committee and won support for the establishment of regional chapters of ISBER which led to formation of the Asian Chapter in May 2009. As Chair of the Marketing Committee he revitalised the committee, the ISBER newsletter and established the post of newsletter editor. As Chair of the Local Organising Committee for 2007 annual meeting in Singapore, he gained local support from National University Hospital, National University of Singapore, Singapore Bioethics Advisory Council and Singapore Tourism Board. He organised ISBER's first biobanking conference in Asia. As Chair of the Publications Committee (which he founded) he generated ISBER support for the journal Biopreservation and Biobanking and strengthened links with the publisher, Mary Ann Liebert.
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National University of Singapore
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Singapore
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology
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2002 - 2009
As an Assistant Professor in Pathology, Robert established a new biobank that became a leading participant in the Singapore Tissue Network (STN) and also established a closely linked hospital-based cancer registry running on North American guidelines (NAACCR). He obtained multiple grants from the Singapore Cancer Syndicate (SCS) and built up a team of 20 people including a pathologist, molecular biologist, informatician, nurses, technicians and cancer registrars. He established collaborations with a number of biotechnology companies. He hosted the 2007 ISBER annual meeting in Singapore, which was the first meeting of the society in Asia. He also brought a cancer registrar training program to Singapore, run by April Fritz (formerly of SEER). Both the biobank and the hospital-based cancer registry continue to run now under the leadership of Dr Eng Chon Boon. See: http://medicine.nus.edu.sg/tissue/
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King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center
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Saudi Arabia
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Hospitals and Health Care
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700 & Above Employee
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Senior Scientist
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2000 - 2001
Robert established a new biobank at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, which provided biobanking services to the research centre. Robert established a new biobank at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, which provided biobanking services to the research centre.
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Imperial College London
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Research Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Pathology, Hammersmith Hospital, ICSM
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1998 - 2000
Robert started biobanking with Professor Gordon Stamp and Professor El-Nasir Lalani to establish the Human Biomaterials Resource Centre (HBRC), a biobank with collaborative links to various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Robert started biobanking with Professor Gordon Stamp and Professor El-Nasir Lalani to establish the Human Biomaterials Resource Centre (HBRC), a biobank with collaborative links to various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
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National Cancer Institute (NCI)
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United States
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Research Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Fogarty Research Fellow
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1994 - 1998
Robert studied in the Lab of Pathology, headed by Dr Lance Liotta. Experimental studies on the cell and molecular biology of tumour invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer. Robert studied in the Lab of Pathology, headed by Dr Lance Liotta. Experimental studies on the cell and molecular biology of tumour invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer.
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University of Nottingham
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United Kingdom
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Research Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Clinical Lecturer & Honorary Registrar, Department of Histopathology, Queen's Medical Centre
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1988 - 1994
Robert obtained basic training in histopathology, taught medical students and established his own research lab for studies on the molecular pathology of tumour invasion. Robert obtained basic training in histopathology, taught medical students and established his own research lab for studies on the molecular pathology of tumour invasion.
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Education
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1978 - 1983
University of London
MB BS, Medical Degree -
1979 - 1980
University of London
BSc (Hons), Immunology and Microbiology -
1984 - 1988
University of Glasgow
PhD
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