Singapore, 24th January 2025 : Three innovative teams made up of participants from
Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia and Thailand clinched the three prizes of the
inaugural Asia-Pacific Global
Health Innovation Hackathon 2025, held in Singapore . This
first-of-its-kind initiative, hosted by the International Collaboration Office
under the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the SingHealth Duke-NUS
Academic Medicine Innovation Institute and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global
Health Institute, brought together 16 dynamic teams from 13 Asia-Pacific
markets. The event focused on addressing the urgent intersection of health
challenges and climate change, fostering transformative and scalable solutions
for some of the region’s most pressing health issues.
A pitch session was held during the two-day
event, where each team presented their concepts to a panel of judges from
International Finance Corporation, the international non-profit global health
organisation PATH, Singapore Deep-Tech Alliance, and the World Health
Organization.
Team Lung Guardian – A diverse team
comprising members from Thailand, Malaysia, and Mongolia, who studied together
in the UK, developed an innovative solution to address paediatric respiratory
diseases and asthma. Their proposal features a child-friendly biosensor integrated
with AI-powered data analysis to monitor particulate matter, heart rates and
oxygen saturation, providing real-time alerts and empowering users with timely
health insights.
Team MyHeart Air – Hailing from
Malaysia, this team presented a promising application programming interface to
combat cardiovascular disease. Their solution offers real-time risk predictions
for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) based on localised air quality levels that
aims to reduce disease incidence and improve preventative care.
Team RodentWatch – This team from Indonesia
presented a platform that offers real-time surveillance data and creates risk
maps, highlighting alarming areas with rodent infestations and diseases to
facilitate targeted public information and interventions to protect
populations.
The three winning teams were awarded a six-month incubation programme, each
valued at SGD 25,000, to further develop their concepts into fundable
solutions. This programme includes mentorship from dedicated experts in health,
sustainability, and innovation for all team members. As part of the experience,
teams will take part in a two-week, in-person intensive incubation session in
Singapore. The rest of the incubation programme will be conducted with virtual
support and mentorship.
About the APAC Global Health
Innovation Hackathon 2025
Climate change impacts human health through
significant environmental alterations. Repercussions include deteriorating air
quality, which exacerbates respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, and
changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, which affect disease vector
distribution. Further, increased extreme weather events such as typhoons and
heatwaves contribute to water-related illnesses and heat strokes, while
climate-induced changes in food systems heighten the risk of undernutrition and
foodborne diseases. Climate change also has far-reaching consequences on mental
health and overall well-being . These multifaceted health impacts underscore
the urgent need for comprehensive climate adaptation strategies within
health.
To address these pressing issues, the hackathon convened teams of three to four
participants, comprising innovators, technical experts, researchers and
healthcare professionals. Participants hailed from Bangladesh, China, India,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand,
Philippines and Vietnam to develop potential data-driven solutions. During the
hackathon, participants received expert guidance from mentors from Duke-NUS
Medical School, the National Environment Agency, the National University of
Singapore, Open Government Products (OGP), Singapore Biodesign Fellows,
SingHealth, the World Health Organization and other participating organisations
to help them refine and implement their solutions.
Professor Ng Wai Hoe, Group CEO, SingHealth, shared, “Climate change is not
just an environmental issue; it's a pressing healthcare concern. Singapore’s
unique position as a densely populated, low-lying tropical city-state makes us
especially vulnerable to rising temperatures and evolving infectious disease
patterns. This hackathon, in line with our focus on transforming ideas to
impact, is a unique platform for participants to innovate at the intersection
of climate resilience and medicine to positively impact patient care. By
bringing together diverse expertise in innovation, research, and medicine, we
are catalysing solutions tailored to our communities' specific needs. Our goal
is to pioneer smart, sustainable healthcare initiatives that will meet the
challenges Singapore faces but be able to adapt and scale them across the
region and beyond."
“This
hackathon embodies the very essence of why we champion innovation — to find
creative solutions to pressing challenges, improve patient outcomes, and address
the impact of climate change through technology and collaboration. We are
organising the hackathon because by coming together across geographical
boundaries, healthcare professionals can bring different perspectives to common
problems and multiply the impact and reach of our innovations. This hackathon
set to empower healthcare professionals from more than 13 markets to harness
innovation, technology and redesigned workflows to create meaningful, scalable
solutions at the intersection of climate resilience and human health,” added Ms
Lee Chen Ee, Group Director, SingHealth Division of Innovation &
Transformation, and Co-Chair of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine
Innovation Institute.
“Healthcare
challenges transcend geographical borders. This event was an inspiring
opportunity to unite participants from across the Asia-Pacific region and
diverse backgrounds. Together, we harnessed collective expertise and
perspectives to catalyse groundbreaking and culturally attuned solutions.
Ultimately, we aim to transform these ideas into actionable steps toward a
healthier and more equitable future for all,” said Ms Vijaya
Rao, Director, International Collaboration Office, SingHealth, and Deputy
Director, Clinical Health Systems Programme, SDGHI.
This first-of-its-kind hackathon in the Asia-Pacific region was made possible
by the generous support of The Moh Family Foundation. Beyond the event, it
seeks to kick-start the establishment of a regional network of innovators in
climate health innovation who will advocate the urgent need for solutions that
can mitigate and manage adverse health outcomes. A post-event alumni network is
now getting set up to further enhance interregional collaboration and foster
the development of a thriving regional innovation ecosystem in climate
health.
About
SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre
The SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical
Centre (AMC) draws on the collective strengths of SingHealth and Duke-NUS
Medical School to provide our patients and community with the best outcomes and
experience.
By leveraging the synergies in clinical care, research and education created
through our Academic Clinical Programmes, Disease Centres and Joint Institutes,
the SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC fosters the exchange of scientific knowledge and
clinical perspectives to accelerate innovation and new discoveries, advance the
practice of medicine as well as nurture the next generation of healthcare
professionals.
SingHealth delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care
across a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics
and community hospitals. Offering over 40 clinical specialties, SingHealth is
Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster.
Duke-NUS, Singapore’s flagship graduate-entry medical school, nurtures
‘Clinician Plus’ graduates to become leaders in the global healthcare and
biomedical ecosystem, while scientists from its five Signature Research
Programmes and 10 Centres transform medicine and improve lives in Asia and
beyond.
For more information, please visit: www.singhealthdukenus.com.sg
About SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute
‘Advancing
Health and Wellbeing in Asia and Beyond.’ The SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health
Institute (SDGHI) is an enabling platform for global health activities across
the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre. Harnessing the strengths and
expertise of SingHealth and Duke-NUS Medical School, the institute aims to
address current and emerging health challenges across Asia and beyond. Working
in collaboration with partners globally, we seek to tackle prevalent health
challenges, strengthen health systems, and better insulate countries from
pandemics and disease threats.
For more information, please visit: www.duke-nus.edu.sg/sdghi