University, USA. During this time, Dr Tan learned and mastered positive communication and guidance techniques for children.

Prior to attaining her PhD, Dr Tan completed her Bachelor of Science with 1st Class Honours in Human Movement and Exercise Science at The University of Western Australia, Perth, specifically in the area of Motor Control and Development. Through the Unigym programme within the School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, Dr Tan taught fundamental movement skills and aquatic skills to children with motor learning difficulties which including those with developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia, perceptual-motor dysfunction or motor impairment.

Upon returning to Singapore, Dr Tan joined the defence science in Singapore as a research scientist. For three years, she was engaged in research for the enhancement of human performance in extreme environments and operations. Dr Tan still remains actively involved in research and continues to publish in internationally peer reviewed journals, mainly in the research areas of growth, maturation, and physical performance.

Dr Tan Swee Kheng then returned to academia and became an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education lecturing in the areas of physical education and sports science for the diploma, degree, and postgraduate programmes. She was also the outdoor adventure programme co-ordinator and the student advisor for the organisation of the NIE biathlons. While fulfilling her role as an Assistant Professor, Dr Tan was a visiting Kinesiologist with KK Women's and Children's Hospital where she initiated the 'Children on the Move' programme to assist children with special needs to acquire competence in movement skills in a positive and fun environment.

After leaving NIE, Dr Tan briefly joined Republic Polytechnic where she was instrumental in developing and crafting the Human Motor Control and Development module and the design of the movement skills laboratory for the School of Sports, Health and Leisure.

Dr Tan is returning to her first passion of assisting children acquire their competence in movement skills in a positive and fun environment. Dr Tan believes in providing the foundation for every child to possess the fundamental movement skills to deal with daily tasks and playground activities at home and at school. She believes fluency and ease in movement and activities are the keys to successful and effective play with peers and interactions with the environment. Self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-perception are enhanced which in turn positively impacts on the child's academic, emotional, athletic, physical and social development.

Dr Tan was formerly a national hockey player who started playing hockey at the age of 8 years. She was part of the team that won the first and to date only gold medal for Singapore Women's Hockey during the 1993 South East Asian Games. Dr Tan retired from hockey in 1999 to further her studies in the USA. Today, Dr Tan still maintains her competitiveness in sporting events such as marathons, biathlons, triathlons, and ironmans. She has run several local and overseas marathons including the 2002 Boston Marathon in Massachusetts, USA, and has taken part in several local aquathlons and triathlons. Dr Tan is also a one-time Ironman finisher. With her sporting background and sports science knowledge, Dr Tan believes in integrating and sharing her knowledge and experience beyond the classrooms and into the community.

Currently, Dr Tan lectures in the area of Sports and Exercise Science and has recently partnered adidas Singapore Pte Ltd, to lead in the monthly adidas Women's Run. In addition, she serves as the chairperson for the Singapore Hockey Federation coaching committee and is on the advisory board for two local magazines, Shape and Vanilla. Dr Tan also writes short articles for Shape magazine and Red Sports on a regular basis.