Michael is currently the Dean (Research & Knowledge Exchange) at the University of the Arts Singapore. A distinguished creative health practitioner and researcher, he has an interdisciplinary background in art and design, humanities, and social sciences.​ As a leading advocate for arts and design in health development, both locally and internationally, Michael uses his expertise as a practitioner, researcher, and educator to explore and shape the culture of care through creative practices aimed at promoting human flourishing.

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His notable contributions include extensive collaborations with key stakeholders such as the Agency for Integrated Care, National Arts Council, Duke-NUS Medical School, and SingHealth. He is currently working with a team of eminent international colleagues in arts and health on a WHO Lancet Global Series commission where he is co-leading a systematic review exploring arts participation as a health behaviour for Non-communicable Disease (NCD) prevention and health promotion.

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Michael was an Associate Professor in Art and Design at Lab4Living, Sheffield Hallam University (UK) and his passion for nurturing a new generation of leaders in the field has led him to develop courses such as the Arts, Ageing and wellbeing module for the MSc Applied Gerontology, Nanyang Technological University, the MA in Design for Health at Sheffield Hallam University, and academic supervision (PhD, MFA, MA, BA) at the intersection of creative practice, health, and wellbeing.

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Michael has served as a grant reviewer (e.g., The Leverhulme Trust, UK; AHRC, UK; NAC Singapore), PhD examiner, and peer reviewer for international journals focused on creative practice and health (e.g., Arts and Health, Wellcome Open Research, The Gerontologist, Frontiers). He has also held advisory roles, including external examiner for Arts and Health at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and as a board member for Design for Health journal.

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