Mentoring at Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine 2025

Healthcare innovators from across Southeast Asia tackled chronic disease and mental health challenges in Bangkok’s premier health-tech hackathon

The NUS Medicine Digital Advanced Technology Accelerator (DATA) joined forces with MIT Hacking Medicine to mentor multidisciplinary teams developing breakthrough healthcare solutions. Over five intensive days, clinicians, technologists, entrepreneurs, and researchers collaborated to address some of the region’s most pressing healthcare challenges—from diabetes management to mental health stigma.

Healthcare Challenges Addressed

Teams focused on developing actionable solutions across four critical areas:

Chronic Disease Management

• Diabetes monitoring and intervention technologies that improve patient adherence and clinical outcomes
• Cancer care delivery systems enhancing treatment accessibility and care coordination

Mental Health Innovation

• Evidence-based addiction treatment methodologies leveraging digital therapeutics
• Interventions addressing mental health stigma to increase help-seeking behaviours

Cross-Border Collaboration

The hackathon brought together Southeast Asia’s emerging health innovation community with global expertise from MIT’s healthcare innovation ecosystem. This collaboration addressed a fundamental challenge: healthcare solutions must be clinically rigorous whilst remaining culturally appropriate and economically viable for regional markets.

DATA mentors guided teams through rapid prototyping, clinical validation frameworks, and business model development—translating ambitious ideas into implementable healthcare interventions.

Building Regional Capacity

Events like Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine strengthen Southeast Asia’s healthcare innovation infrastructure by:

• Creating networks between clinical practitioners and technology developers
• Providing hands-on experience in rapid healthcare solution development
• Demonstrating pathways from concept to clinical implementation
• Fostering knowledge exchange between regional and international innovators

This mentorship reflects DATA’s commitment to developing Singapore and the broader region’s digital health ecosystem beyond its own cohort startups.

Event Details
Dates: 31 October–4 November 2024
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Organiser: Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine
Format: Five-day healthcare innovation hackathon