Ask Dr Adam Chee, what his favourite Chinese tea is and it would be the 'Yunnan Old Tree Pu'er Tea'. The art of drinking Chinese tea is one of many mindfulness activities that Dr Chee enjoys and allows him to recharge from work where he lends a global outlook to large scale digital transformation initiatives.
Read on as we speak to the personable Dr Chee on his latest portfolio as Chief, Smart Health Leadership Centre:
1. Hello Dr Chee, please tell us about your professional background
I am a Health Informatician by profession and have been working on digital transformation initiatives in various care-settings since 2002. Due to a global shortage of qualified experienced Health Informaticians, I was afforded numerous opportunities to spend considerable time in many countries around the world. I like to describe the diversity of these places in terms of the extreme temperature: -50°C during the deep winters of Astana, Kazakhstan and 50°C during the hot summer months of Dubai, UAE.
In terms of professional training, I hold a Doctorate in Industrial Technology (thesis on Health Informatics), three master’s degrees (Business Administration, Public Health and Applied Computing) and a ton of professional qualifications related to my domain. Interestingly, this has led to a common misperception that I “collected too many disparate degrees” but in reality, the qualifications are merely 'by-products' of my continuous development which is necessary as I deal with large scale digital transformational initiatives across the entire continuum of care which requires me to possess knowledge and skillsets to deal with a wide range of stakeholders across different levels and segments. This is also the main reason why I am still constantly learning, and I foresee myself continuing to do so in the distant future.
2. Could you share more about the modules/courses which you teach at NUS-ISS?
The first course I will be teaching at NUS-ISS will be Systems Thinking and Root Cause Analysis for Health Services, covering tools and strategies to help participants make informed decisions in complex situations and grapple with the unique challenges associated with care settings. This course is one of the five stackable training courses (which I will be involved with) that make up the Professional Diploma in Smart Health Leadership, which is designed to build key skillset needed for health and social sector transformation.
3. Why did you choose to teach at NUS-ISS?
I have always enjoyed teaching and served as adjunct faculty with several institute of higher learning around the region (including NUS School of Computing) as well as a visiting professorship with Taipei Medical University. The opportunity to join NUS-ISS came at a perfect time as I was unable to return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where I was one of the leads for the country’s digital health transformation initiative (part of the Saudi Vison 2030) due to COVID-19 induced travel restrictions. I chose NUS-ISS out of the various opportunities available at that time primarily because it is a practice-oriented education institution plus part of my work requires me to work on digital transformation collaborations with health(care) organisations and building up the smart health community of practice. I think this is a wonderful mix of scope and so far, it has been a joy.
4. What do you enjoy most about your work?
The Smart Health Leadership Centre’s mission is to transform the future experience of health through technology, data and design. As the Chief, I lead a talented team to accomplish the above mission by developing and blending the disciplines, skills and technologies through the delivery of practice-oriented training, mentorship-based consulting and industry-based applied research. More importantly, we have a very strong focus on collaboration, co-creation and innovation, this is where the Smart Health Community of Practice comes into play and it is the unique combination of all these elements that makes my work so enjoyable.
5. How do you keep up with the industry?
Part of my work includes the delivery of mentorship-based consulting and a good example would be the collaboration we have with Yishun Health to digitally transform the organisation as to meet the evolving needs of healthcare and address national challenges. This keeps me actively involved in the real-world implementations, in addition, I stay connected with the local and international ecosystems though my involvement with relevant professional societies. Example, I serve as the chairperson of HL7 Singapore and through my appointment as expert, digital health with the World Health Organisation (WHO), I get to tap on valuable resources and insights on a global level.
6. What are your favorite activities when you are not working?
I like to relax and recharge by spending time to think and reflect. I do this via three ways; meditation, 茶艺 (Cha Yi - the art of drinking Chinese tea) and reading widely across genres. This gives me an opportunity to quiet down and stimulate the mind at the same time. I also try to exercise so I can keep myself healthy but I reckon I need to put in more effort in this area.
7. Tell us something about yourself that very few people know.
I took a year-long advanced certificate in teaching english to young learners back in 2003 so I can serve as a professional volunteer, teaching English to children in resource-constraints settings and I have been part of various volunteer teaching programmes ever since. My last trip was back in June 2019 where I spent 3 weeks in the rural mountains of Chuxiong, Yunnan, China, teaching english to children from the Yi ethnic minority group at a state-own primary school. My family thinks I am doing this purely to contribute back to society but on a personal level, I feel that I benefit tremendously from such teaching trips as it allows me to spend quality time in rural regions where I can recharge myself mentally. A side benefit includes the awesome view of the landscape and wonderful stargazing sessions while being high up in the mountains：
