Project: Equitable Health Services Delivery Through Technology-Enabled Patient Activation Channels
Chan Chi Ling, M.S., is a 2025–26 Singaporean Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice. Chan is founder and CEO for Equitech Collective, a software enterprise that builds Speedback (speedback.com) and other AI-first digital health infrastructure in Southeast Asia. Prior to this, she served as consultant for innovation and research to the World Health Organization in the Western Pacific region and had a decade of experience in the Singapore public service, where she held senior appointments in Govtech Singapore, Smart Nation Digital Government Group, and the Office of the Prime Minister.
Her work to modernize health care technology in the health ministry enabled Singapore’s pandemic response through the national COVID-19 vaccination rollout, activation of 22,000 health care workers, and more systematic management of test and vaccination records. Chan has served as health care technology advisor for public and private health institutions across Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Pacific Islands.
Chan graduated from Stanford University with a master of science degree in symbolic systems (human computer interaction) and a bachelor’s degree in political science (honors). For her work in the public and people sectors, she was recognized as recipient of the 100 Women in Technology award by the Singapore Computer Society.
Project Overview: Chan’s project will leverage technology to address disparities in health services delivery and patient activation, aiming to break the “iron triangle” of health care: access, affordability, and quality. Through implementation research in the United States or Singapore, the project will focus on developing scalable, technology-driven solutions to improve outreach strategies and equitable access to health care for underserved populations. Key activities include analyzing systemic barriers through surveys, interviews, and observational studies, collecting outreach metrics, and patient-reported outcomes. Insights will guide the codesign and piloting of a technology intervention, such as AI-powered platforms or mobile applications, with a health service delivery organization. The intervention will be tailored to improve patient activation, with metrics and demographic priorities determined collaboratively. Expected outcomes include actionable insights on health activation barriers, policy recommendations, and a replicable model for integrating technology into health outreach. Findings will be shared through professional networks, academic channels, and open-source platforms, with tools made accessible for broader adaptation.