Prof A Vathsala graduated with a BS degree from Auburn University, Alabama and studied Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She is trained in Internal Medicine in Singapore, in Renal Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital and in Transplantation at the University of Houston, Texas and the Cornell University School of Medicine, USA. After completion of her training in transplantation, Prof Vathsala was Director of the kidney transplantation program at SGH. She joined NUS and NUH in 2008, served as Head of Nephrology from 2008-2016 and was concurrently appointed Co-Director of the National University Centre for Organ Transplantation, NUH in 2009. She is passionate about the care of transplant patients and has been at the helm of many of the milestones in transplantation in Singapore, including combined ABO- and HLA-incompatible kidney transplantation and simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant. She has research interests in many areas in the field of transplantation including alloantibodies, desensitization, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics. She also has a special interest in preventive nephrology and diabetic kidney disease and initiated a programme at primary care to prevent progression of diabetic kidney disease which is now implemented nationwide. She has published widely and has received many awards for her clinical, teaching and research contributions. 

In 2020, Prof Vathsala was appointed Head of the Department of Medicine (DOM) at NUS and NUH to provide leadership to the 11 medical subspecialties under the Department. As Head of Medicine at NUS, she is responsible for medical undergraduate education for Medicine modules at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM) as well as the 3rd Year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Medicine Teaching Programme. She has, with her teams, reorganised undergraduate education at YLLSoM and these efforts have been rewarded by DOM garnering teaching excellence awards for Phase III and Phase V education in 2021, 2022 and 2023 at NUS. She has also worked with DOM subspecialties in optimising care to its patients, by embracing NUHS@Home, supporting the expansion of Acute Medicine, Geriatric and Palliative care and is helming the establishment of Centres of Excellence in Digestive Health and Diabetes at NUH, while supporting NUHS’ efforts in population health in the Western cluster of Singapore.