When your internship and class is 9,631 km away from home…

What are you currently doing in Stockholm, Sweden?
I’m on the 1-year NOC programme in Stockholm, interning at a Swedish medical technology company called Byon8, and studying at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Why did you choose to go on the NOC programme?

How can we best push forward innovations so as to optimize patient care and minimize the burnout of healthcare professionals in the future? I have been repeatedly asking myself this question as I observed healthcare challenges locally and internationally; especially in direct patient care in the midst of an ageing population trend. NOC places a heavy emphasis on experiential learning in a diverse world, and this convinced me that NOC will give me the best head start in shaping well-organized solutions to solve complex questions in healthcare through innovations.

What do you mean by healthcare innovation?
“Innovation involves the deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful products.”¹ In Singapore’s healthcare institutions, there are multiple ongoing projects that aim to improve patient safety, increase the quality of care and reduce costs: https://www.ihis.com.sg/Project_Showcase/Healthcare_Systems. In Sweden, there are many new health technology companies wanting to disrupt the healthcare scene with their innovative products: https://www.investstockholm.com/investment-hotlists/life-science-hotlist/

Wait, what is NOC?

I would not have searched and known about these existing healthcare innovations if not for my involvement in NOC. NOC stands for NUS Overseas Colleges, and it offers students opportunities, resources and mentorship at one of several leading technopreneurship locations worldwide. Students work full-time at a start-up company while studying entrepreneurship courses at a partner university.

What are you doing at Byon8, and how does Pharmacy complement your job?

Byon8 is focused on developing the next generation of healthcare globally using smart, digital solutions. Our flagship product is AITOPYA, a diagnostics support software that aims to empower both healthcare professionals and patients by shortening waiting time, improving workflow efficiency and the understanding of treatment plans. I really hope to bring this technology to Singapore someday!
As we are a start-up company with a small team, I have a diverse job scope. Currently, my main roles are market access and research, digital and events marketing, human resources and business development support. I am also starting to support the medical development team with pharmaceutical-related information as I am their first hire with a pharmacy background. How can we ensure that healthcare professionals and patients can quickly and correctly understand medication treatments for the various diseases on AITOPYA’s user interface? This is where my studies in pharmacotherapeutics have really come in useful. Very importantly, I get to work with colleagues with great personalities, multi-disciplinary backgrounds and nationalities. The unique combination of people, healthcare innovation and company vision at Byon8 has allowed me to truly enjoy my time here.

Can you share with us one exciting experience thus far?

At Byon8, I manage events marketing, which includes sourcing for opportunities related to medical technology that we can go for to increase our market presence. One opportunity I found was an international competition for start-ups. We applied for it, and passed two rounds of screening. I am happy to share that, out of 55 international applicants, we emerged as one of the top 5 finalists for the 2018 Health Tech Startup of the Year Award! Four of us flew from Sweden to UK to represent our company in the finals of the competition, as well as to participate in a booth exhibition. This gave me the exposure to different types of healthcare innovations championed by other companies, as well as people from around the world keen on improving and changing healthcare.

Any words of advice to those considering to go for NOC?

This is my personal opinion and it might sound cliché, but those who are considering should possess the following attributes: Proactiveness to explore and develop oneself, resilience and the ability to walk the talk. To embark on this programme, I had to file for a delay in graduation. It was a very tough choice with many considerations to make, but I do not regret choosing to go on NOC. It is definitely worth it!

References
¹http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/innovation.html

Article written by Yeo Mei Ching Sharon (Class of ’20), edited by Dr Chng Hui Ting (Class of ’08, NUS Pharmacy academic faculty)