The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines digital health as mobile health (mHealth), health information technology (IT), wearable devices, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalized medicine. While global markets of digital health grow rapidly, its development also boosts in Southeast Asian countries due to high penetration rate of internet service and smart phones. On 17th Dec (2020), Taiwan-Thailand International Smart Healthcare Webinar brought theme topic “Advancing to Digital Healthcare,” hosted by Asst. Prof. Ting-Yuan Tu, PhD from Dept. of Biomedical Engineering in National Cheng Kung University. The webinar invited Asst. Prof. Hou Han Wei, Ph.D., School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Assoc. Prof. Panrasee Ritthipravat, Ph.D., Dept. of Biomedical Engineering from Mahidol University in Thailand, as well as Prof. Chien-Hsu Chen, Ph.D., Industrial Design Department from National Cheng Kung University to share their advanced perspectives and applications in digital healthcare.

Pic 1: Prof. Chien-Hsu Chen introduced design thinking and sport equipments for Indonesian elder people. 

        Prof. Chien-Hsu Chen, PhD, together with his Indonesian Ph.D. student, Elizabeth WIANTO, S.Sos., S.Sn., M.Ds, based on human centered design, an important mindset of design thinking, designed sport equipment to assist the long-term care of Indonesian elder people. Assoc. Prof. Panrasee Ritthipravat, PhD from Mahidol University shared how to train the coding skills and experiences for children. Her research focuses on cultivating children’s coding skills from their early age in Thailand, so that they can keep up with the up-to-date trends and ability for modern society. Asst. Prof. Hou Han Wei, PhD from Nanyang Technological University designed a new chip using a combination of microfluidics – tiny microscopic channels that can isolate white blood cells from blood – and electrical sensors, which can be applied to rapid and quantitative analysis of immune and vascular health.

Pic 2: Assoc. Prof. Panrasee Ritthipravat introduced the coding skills training experiences for children.

Pic 3: Asst. Prof. Hou Han Wei shared an innovative design of integrated microfluidics and impedance biosensors

        Based on wide use of smart phone in ASEAN countries, their development of digital and smart healthcare of their own advantages hopefully will bring greater mobility for growth in these emerging markets. Taiwan owns a complete supply chain of ICT technologies; digital health shall become its future opportunities. Taiwan Center for Smart Healthcare Science and Technology in Thailand organized MU-NCKU International Webinar Series on Smart Healthcare Science and Technology every month. By collaborating with Mahidol University in Thailand, experts and scholars from 11 Southeast Asia countries are enlisted to share the latest healthcare development, hoping to promote more collaboration possibilities and accelerate mutual exchange of outstanding talents, creating a win-win situation for regional development.