Excited by the constant advancements in medicine, Gerard Ee uses his knowledge to help those who seek longer, healthier lives.
What’s your story?
I graduated from St George’s, University of London, in 2009 and began my career training in orthopaedic surgery, becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2013. I founded The Clifford Clinic in 2014, shifting my focus towards dermatology and aesthetic medicine.
As the clinic grew, I realised appearance was only one part of ageing well. Patients wanted to stay strong, sharp, active and independent for longer. This led me to explore preventive health, longevity and performance medicine, using evidence, technology and objective measurement to help people protect both their healthspan and appearance as they age.
What excites you most about your industry?
It’s the pace of progress. Advances in aesthetic devices, lasers, injectables and new ingredients are making treatments more precise, targeted and personalised, while helping us address concerns that were previously difficult to treat. At the same time, our understanding of beauty is evolving. Increasingly, people want to look healthy because they are healthy, rather than simply trying to look younger. I believe the future of aesthetic medicine lies in combining better technology with a more holistic approach to ageing, helping people maintain their skin health, confidence and overall wellbeing, and look and feel their best at every stage of life.
What drives you in your career to push beyond what other people consider normal?
Curiosity, together with a healthy degree of scepticism. I have always been interested in what might be possible beyond the usual way of doing things. At the same time, medicine has taught me that new does not automatically mean better.Whenever I encounter an emerging treatment or technology, I ask three questions: What does the evidence show? Who is likely to benefit? How will we know whether it has worked? That approach has taken us into areas such as longevity medicine, physiological testing and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I enjoy innovation, but only when it can be translated into meaningful outcomes for patients.
What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?
Critical thinking has been one of the most useful skills I have developed, alongside the ability to communicate complex information clearly. A treatment may sound scientifically impressive, but patients need to understand what it can realistically achieve, its uncertainties and whether it is right for them.
I have also learnt the value of taking calculated risks. Growth rarely comes with complete certainty, whether you are expanding, investing or pursuing new opportunities. I try to understand the potential downside, prepare carefully and distinguish thoughtful risk-taking from impulsive decisions. Ultimately, progress requires being willing to act even when some uncertainty remains.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Do the fundamentals well before looking for shortcuts.
That applies equally to health and business. In health, no expensive treatment can replace regular exercise, good nutrition and adequate sleep. In business, there is no substitute for doing good work consistently, treating people well and earning their trust.
We are naturally attracted to the newest solution or technology. I have learnt, however, that innovation works best when it builds on strong fundamentals rather than attempts to replace them.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by people who remain curious, active and open-minded regardless of their age or success. I find older athletes, experienced clinicians and business leaders who continue learning especially inspiring.
Medicine changes constantly, and the moment you assume you already know enough is often the moment you stop improving. I particularly admire people who can hold strong views without becoming overly attached to being right. That combination of experience, humility and intellectual honesty is something I try to bring to my own work.
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
I have been struck by how different a person’s functional health can be from how healthy they appear. Someone may look well and have an unremarkable routine health screening, yet assessments of cardiovascular fitness, strength, body composition or metabolic health can reveal areas that deserve attention.
It reinforced for me that ageing well cannot be judged from appearance or standard blood tests alone. We also need to understand what the body can actually do, then use that information to make practical changes at an earlier stage.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would have paid attention to preventive medicine much earlier.
Traditional healthcare often becomes most active after a disease has already developed. I am now particularly interested in the years before that, when someone may still be considered healthy but has begun losing strength, aerobic fitness or metabolic resilience.
Identifying those changes earlier creates a greater opportunity to act through exercise, nutrition, sleep and appropriate medical care. I would have incorporated that philosophy into my practice much sooner.
How do you unwind?
I cycle. It gives me exercise, time outdoors and, importantly, space to think.
Medicine and running a business both involve making decisions throughout the day. Cycling forces me to concentrate on something completely different for a while. I usually return physically tired but mentally refreshed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also feeds my interest in performance and longevity. When you enjoy being active yourself, you appreciate why preserving physical function as you grow older matters so much.
What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘ah ha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your career?
The major shift was realising that healthcare should ask not only, “What disease does this person have?” but also, “What function are they at risk of losing?”
Living longer has limited value if those additional years are accompanied by a preventable loss of mobility, cognition or independence. That changed how I think about The Clifford Clinic.
Aesthetic medicine remains an important part of what we do, but our broader purpose is to help patients preserve their confidence, health and function as they age.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Laughing at Wall Street: How I Beat the Pros at Investing (by Reading Tabloids, Shopping at the Mall, and Connecting on Facebook) and How You Can, Too by Chris Camillo.
What I took from the book is the importance of observing what is happening around you rather than relying entirely on conventional analysis. Valuable signals can appear in everyday behaviour, consumer habits and cultural changes before they become obvious to everyone else.
The broader business lesson is to remain observant, think independently and be prepared to act when you recognise an opportunity that others may have overlooked.
Shameless plug for your business or career:
The Clifford Clinic is a doctor-led medical practice integrating aesthetic medicine with preventive health, longevity and performance medicine. Founded by Dr Gerard Ee, it has grown alongside an ambulatory day surgery centre supporting plastic and reconstructive surgery, urology and orthopaedic surgery. We believe ageing well involves more than appearance. Our work combines minimally invasive aesthetic treatments with personalised health assessments, physiological testing, structured longevity programmes and hyperbaric oxygen therapy where appropriate. We follow the evidence, measure what matters and focus on outcomes that support confidence, function and long-term health.
How can people connect with you?
Website (Contact Form): drgerardee.com/about
Website: https://cliffordclinic.com/dr-gerard-ee/
Social Media Links?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gerard-ee/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drgerardee/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgerardee/?hl=en
This interview is part of the CallumConnects series.