Dr Chan graduated from medical school in University college, Dublin, Ireland in 1982. Thereafter he obtained his post graduate training in the UK, at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital for registrar training and subsequently Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital for Senior Registrar training.  He also did two Fellowships in Spinal Surgery, in Hong Kong and Leeds respectively.

After completing his post graduate training in the UK, he was appointed as a Consultant, Orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in UK, where he spent 22 years as an Orthopaedic spinal surgeon. He finished his post in Exeter in May 2018 and took up his current position as Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon at Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore.

His practice spans all pathologies, with the exception of intradural pathology. His work ranges from microsurgery to the lumbar and cervical spine to complex reconstruction surgery for tumours, fractures, and degenerative conditions. He has a special interest in anterior spinal surgery also have a spinal deformity correction practice.