Doing what I really love — research!

How did you hear about the Asia House Fellowship?

I came across the Asia House fellowship through the LKYSPP’s Alumni Newsletter. This was the first time the fellowship was being offered, so not many were aware of it. I attended Asia House’s introductory webinar, which inspired me to apply for the fellowship. My interest was in digital health innovation in the public sector — I had published an article on public health innovation, which helped me establish my knowledge. After two rounds of interviews, I was selected for the fellowship!

Only two out of almost 400 applicants worldwide were chosen for the Asia House Fellowship programme in 2022/23. Why do you think you stood out?

I knew that I was competing with some of the best aspirants from across the globe, so I made sure that I spoke about my strengths based on my own experience and qualifications. I connected my diverse research experience with my work at PS-Engage, a Singapore-based government relations consulting firm, to propose a project that was highly relevant for our times. The topic I proposed was the impact of cross-border health data sharing on digital health innovation in Asia.

In my application, I conveyed my strong conviction that this was a topic that was not only underexplored, but also had the potential to change the healthcare sector in the years to come. This is because healthcare resilience has become a strong priority for Asian governments after the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of them were considering digital health as a key source of foreign investment. Moreover, given that I had previously published a paper on public health innovation, I could convince Asia House of my capability to undertake this project successfully and independently while working remotely.

What was your reaction when you found out you would be an Asia House Fellow?

I received the news while on vacation with my parents. We were celebrating their 38th marriage anniversary in Ooty, a hill station in southern India, and it really made the whole day so much more special. My parents were very proud of me and supportive of my endeavour. It was a moment in my life where I felt truly accomplished as a researcher.

Give us some background on your research with Asia House.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a significant catalyst in accelerating digital health innovations in Asia. Governments in the region increasingly deployed digital applications to better manage the risks associated with the pandemic. The public sector in many countries displayed remarkable agility in terms of innovating themselves, or adopting useful innovations from elsewhere.

During this time, countries were more open to sharing data with other countries, as well as with multilateral organisations, so they could better grasp the scale of the pandemic and plan ahead to tackle it more effectively. While this was not in real time, cross-border data sharing enabled many of the innovations that were adopted across countries within a short time.



To give you an idea, I can send my health data today to anyone in any country via email or a social media account. This is because I am considered the owner of my health data, and have the right to share it with whomever I want. However, this is not the case for the doctor who is treating me for a medical condition, the hospital that is providing me with services, or the government of the country where I am receiving treatment.

As we go from the micro (individual) to the macro (government), things get far more complicated, especially due to the nature of my health data, which is personal and sensitive information as per existing laws in most countries. There are technological and legal processes involved at the organisational level, and regulatory requirements at the national and international levels, which affect how easily my health data can be transferred to another entity located in another jurisdiction within or beyond Asia.

In my project, I look at national as well as cross-border health data sharing across China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. These countries represent the unique contexts, regulatory approaches, and innovative capacities that dictate how health data is shared — or not shared. The country cases also identify the ways in which health data sharing, or the lack of it, helps or hinders digital health innovation in the respective contexts.

Tell us why it may be difficult for Asian countries to share their data.

A key barrier is the lack of a coordinating organisation that can enable countries to reach an agreement on global health data governance. Owing to the current geopolitical scenario, countries are unable to trust each other when it comes to their citizens’ personal data, which pushes them to restrict cross-border data sharing with tough data protection regulations. A global set of rules can enable countries to follow a common set of best practices, and put in place only the necessary checks and balances such that data sharing is still possible without risking privacy or hindering innovation.

In fact, the World Health Organization can address many of the current barriers to cross-border health data sharing. One of its initiatives is the Digital Health Competency Framework, which guides member countries to assess their own preparedness when it comes to health data sharing. While still in its initial phases, this could be a positive step towards the eventual development of a global health data framework.

What’s a challenge that you’ve encountered in your research?

A hurdle that I faced was the reluctance of some stakeholders to speak about health data sharing. For instance, I interviewed doctors who were interested in or had experience working in digital health, but most of them were not open to the idea of health data sharing. This is because it seems to create a fundamental friction with the basic tenets of the doctor-patient relationship, where healthcare providers are required to maintain patient privacy.

In contrast, I received more elaborate answers from technology experts and entrepreneurs in the digital health space. I realised that every stakeholder was perceiving the topic from their own vantage point, which was deeply influenced by their own experience. I learned to improvise during interviews — I would use the initial part of an interview to understand someone’s domain and experience, before actively posing questions that I believed they would find most convenient to answer.

When will you complete your research? What impact do you hope it will have?

I will complete my work with Asia House by September 2023. My research paper will be available for everyone to read, but it is primarily intended for Asian policymakers and business leaders.

For policymakers, the paper provides a set of policy recommendations that can be highly relevant to their country’s context. It helps policymakers recognise that strict data sharing regulations can affect how the digital health innovation landscape evolves in their respective jurisdictions. As such, governments must take a balanced approach, which means they should enable sharing while ensuring that data is well protected. This is only possible when they are able to learn from a varied set of approaches that are prevalent in Asia and across the world, and the paper serves as a good reference point.

For business leaders, the paper gives a picture of what they need to focus on to resolve the bottlenecks that hinder digital health innovation. It also identifies ongoing technological developments and approaches deployed by digital health startups in the region, which may overcome barriers and push cross-border digital health innovation. These case studies may help business leaders to understand that digital health in Asia is evolving at a rapid pace, and that they cannot afford to hold on to old paradigms when it comes to healthcare innovation.

Aiming to develop the next generation of business and policy leaders, The Asia House Fellowship Programme is a 12-month opportunity to conduct research after completing a Master’s or PhD programme. The Fellowship is open to all nationalities, and comes with a modest stipend. For more information, see https://asiahouse.org/fellowship/

LKYSPP Alumni Relations would like to feature more of our alumni in Leadership and Fellowship programmes. If you know of a classmate, fellow alumni, or programme that you think should be highlighted, please let us know at lkysppalumni@nus.edu.sg.