This April, we celebrate the Women in Tech by spotlighting the inspiring women of HealthTech who create an impact through empathy and innovative problem-solving. While technology often focuses on technical know-how and system efficiency, Adele, Shalini, Vicky and Yan Chun approach challenges with a broader lens – infusing empathy into tech solutions, bridging the gap between users and innovation, and taking bold steps out of their comfort zone to tackle healthcare’s most pressing needs.
Whether they are navigating clinical workflows, enabling innovation ecosystems, or transforming data into actionable insights, this article exemplifies how problem-solving in HealthTech and Synapxe can be both human-centred and transformative. Their stories reflect how women can shape the future of healthcare by recognising their unique strengths and adopting a special approach to problem-solving.
The Empathy Advantage
In HealthTech, empathy is a powerful catalyst for innovation, ultimately benefitting patients with various health conditions. For the women driving change in this space, understanding the human side of healthcare is as critical as mastering the technology behind it.
Shalini, a Lead Analyst for the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR), emphasised the importance of empathising with the challenges that healthcare professionals face, particularly when patient results go unacknowledged.
“My team and I took the time to identify issues in the current processes within NGEMR, practiced active listening and continuously gathered feedback from users to address their pain points. This was crucial, especially when delays in timely acknowledgement of results could lead to missed or delayed diagnoses for patients.”
Want to find out more about how Shalini practices empathy at work? Read her interview here.
Similarly, Adele, a Clinical Informatics Specialist, and Yan Chun, a former Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician turned Data Analyst, recognised the systemic gaps in healthcare, such as difficulties interpreting the illegible handwritten patient notes from some doctors and the burden of tedious administrative workloads. By empathising with the healthcare professionals, they are working to enhance workflows and alleviate common frustrations in clinical settings. Find out more about their contributions below.
Adaptability in Action
Our women in HealthTech have also outlined the advantages of adaptability for thriving in the ever-evolving industry landscape. The ability to pivot, learn and navigate new landscapes enables the women in tech to bring about unique solutions.
Vicky, an Assistant Director in the Innovation Capabilities Enablement (ICE) Department which fosters industry partnerships and collaborations with Public Healthcare Institutions and startups to co-develop HealthTech solutions, attributes her success to always seeking new knowledge, new challenges and being in unfamiliar environments to push the boundaries of status quo.
“In my role, I need to be a jack-of-all trades. By knowing a little about everything – from digital health and AI to cybersecurity – I am able to engage meaningfully with collaborators across industries and help innovators integrate their solutions within Singapore’s public healthcare.”
Learn more about the demands of Vicky’s work in her interview here
Yan Chun’s journey also reflects this spirit of adaptability. Her unconventional career switch from practising TCM to being a Data Analyst highlights how adaptability allows diverse skill sets to flourish in tech environments. Her analytical and diagnostic skills developed in the clinical field have translated effectively into the world of data and AI.
Adele shared a similar career trajectory, drawing on her clinical experience as a nurse to support system improvement and digitisation of medical records.
Their ability to pivot careers with an open mind and a desire to learn allowed them to contribute solutions that make healthcare delivery more efficient and user-centric.
Read about Yan Chun’s unique career journey and Adele’s story.
