Innovation

Driving health innovation in Asia-Pacific and beyond

The Asia-Pacific region faces pressing health challenges from pollution, overpopulation, inequality, and climate change which strain health systems and threaten social wellbeing.

At the same time, breakthroughs in biological sciences, digital technologies, and policy are transforming global health. Innovations – like the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines – show the potential for fast-tracked solutions.

Yet, despite this potential, Asia-Pacific at large struggles to adopt new healthcare technologies due to limited resources, regulatory barriers, and gaps in innovation capacity. These challenges impact key areas such as maternal, newborn and child health, infectious disease response, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

We work with regional and global partners to accelerate high-impact health innovations. By supporting the design, testing, implementation and scaling of new solutions, we aim to overcome systemic barriers and drive transformative healthcare advancements. Our work spans policy, strategy, research, evidence generation and integration — ensuring sustainable impact across diverse health systems.

Integrating

a global health focus within existing programs for the design, refinement and introduction of new and existing innovations to respond to major burdens-of-disease across Asia-Pacific countries.

Identifying

and responding to systems-related requirements that enable the adoption of innovations-at-scale.

Advancing

local capacity for innovation science among to seed more effective national and regional responses to pressing global health challenges.

Key focus areas

Climate-health innovation

Enabling and supporting an Asia-Pacific network of social impact focused innovators and entrepreneurs with a special focus on innovations relating to heat adaptation and greening the operations of health services.

Health related AI and digital health services

Examining questions of adoption, uptake and integration.

Frugal innovation

Tackling access barriers of affordability and quality in global trauma care and surgery.

Graduate Certificate in Global Health Innovation

“The most transformative breakthroughs in history have been driven by bold innovation in health and medicine. However, we continue to face unprecedented challenges: vast inequalities in health access, escalating healthcare costs, shortages of skilled health professionals, and growing threats to lives and livelihoods from climate change. These realities demand fresh thinking, new solutions, and an unwavering commitment to change.”

Dr Jonas Karlström
Associate Professor, Lead, Global Health Innovation & Programme Director, Graduate Certificate in Global Health Innovation, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute

Resources

Frameworks, Action Plans & Strategies

Regional Health Innovation Strategy for the Western Pacific
Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), this strategy outlines a vision and recommends key actions for governments to leverage health innovations to solve problems, accelerate impact, and shape the future of health and well-being.

Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework
Endorsed by WHO Member States, this framework engages health and non-health actors to support prevention, preparedness, readiness, and response to multi-hazard public health emergencies, strengthening the resilience of health security systems at various levels.

Regional Framework on the Future of Primary Health Care in the Western Pacific
This WHO framework outlines five key attributes of primary health care, including being people and community-centered, continuous, high-quality and equitable, integrated, and innovative.

Digital Health Implementation Guide for the Pacific
Published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), this guide offers resources for planning and implementing digital health systems in Pacific island countries to support improved decision-making and service delivery.

Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies (APSED III)
APSED III provides a framework for Member States, WHO, and partners to work together to strengthen preparedness and response to emerging diseases and public health emergencies in the region.

Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP)
Based in Thailand, HITAP evaluates health technologies and programs, providing evidence-based assessments to inform policy decisions and promote health innovation.

International Decision Support Initiative (iDSI)
iDSI is a global network supporting countries in making better decisions about allocating resources for healthcare, thereby promoting health innovation.

Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund)
An international public-private partnership based in Japan, the GHIT Fund invests in research and development for anti-infectives and diagnostics targeting diseases that predominantly affect the developing world, fostering health innovation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Publications

Qin Xiang Ng, Clyve Yu Leon Yaow, Hiang Khoon Tan, Marcus Eng Hock Ong, Heta Kosonen, Jonas Karlström - Systematic review of the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of non-pneumatic antishock garments in low- and middle-income countries: lessons for global health: BMJ Global Health 2025;10:e017681. https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/2/e017681
Rawat A, Hsu K, Ameha A, Pun A, Hassen K, Simen-Kapeu A, Rafique N, Oulare M, Karlstrom J, Hussain S, Rasanathan K. Learning from countries on measuring and defining community-based resilience in health systems: Voices from Nepal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ethiopia. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2024;13:7996. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.7996. Epub 2024 Sep 7. PMID: 39620540; PMCID: PMC11496758. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4629.html
Ting Fang Tan, Arun J Thirunavukarasu, Liyuan Jin, Joshua Lim, Stanley Poh, Zhen Ling Teo, Marcus Ang, RV Paul Chan, Jasmine Ong, Angus Turner, Jonas Karlström, Tien Yin Wong, Jude Stern, Daniel Shu-Wei Ting. (2023). Artificial intelligence and digital health in global eye health: opportunities and challenges, The Lancet Global Health, 11(9), e1432-e1443. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00323-6
Rawat A, Ameha A, Karlström J, Taddesse L, Negeri EL, Detjen A, Gandrup-Marino K, Mataruse N, Källander K, Tariku A. Health System Considerations for Community-Based Implementation of Automated Respiratory Counters to Identify Childhood Pneumonia in 5 Regions of Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2023;12:7385. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.2023.7385. Epub 2023 Oct 18. PMID: 38618793; PMCID: PMC10699823. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4512.html
Rawat A, Pun A, Ashish KC, Tamang IK, Karlström J, Hsu K, Rasanathan K. The contribution of community health systems to resilience: Case study of the response to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. J Glob Health. 2023 May 12;13:04048. doi: 10.7189/jogh.13.04048. PMID: 37166272; PMCID: PMC10173893. https://jogh.org/2023/jogh-13-04048
Rawat A, Karlstrom J, Ameha A, Oulare M, Omer MD, Desta HH, Bahuguna S, Hsu K, Miller NP, Bati GT, Rasanathan K. The contribution of community health systems to resilience: Case study of the response to the drought in Ethiopia. J Glob Health. 2022 Oct 23;12:14001. doi: 10.7189/jogh.12.14001. PMID: 36273279; PMCID: PMC9588157. https://jogh.org/2022/jogh-12-14001

Articles and Blogs

Mahadzir, D., & Sandalova, E. (2025, February 24). From lifespan to healthspan: Why childhood nutrition is key to the new longevity. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/02/lifespan-healthspan-longevity-childhood-nutrition/

Webinars

Watch the dedicated episodes on AI and global health:

Podcast Interview

Newsroom

Media Release: SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre hosts inaugural Asia-Pacific hackathon on health and climate

Get in touch

For more information about our innovation programme or to get involved, please contact us at sdghi@duke-nus.edu.sg.