Clinical research on orbital diseases (2020 —). With Dr. Andrea Kossler, I am working on several projects concerning orbital diseases. These include: 1) clinical outcomes of patients taking teprotumumab, a new first-in-class medication for thyroid eye disease; 2) proteomic analysis for biomarkers in patients with thyroid eye disease; 3) surgical approaches for treating patients with eye tumors; and 4) computer-aided diagnosis of cancers around the eye through CT and MRI scans.

Clinical research on retinal disorders (2017 —). As a member of the research group led by Dr. Chun-Ju Lin of the Department of Ophthalmology, I research the effectiveness of new surgical and medical interventions for retinal disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, epiretinal membranes, and retinal infections. In addition, I perform epidemiological analyses of retinal diseases among the Taiwanese population.

Stem cell therapy for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (2014 — 2018). In the lab of Dr. Matthew Harting of the Department of Pediatric Surgery, I researched mesenchymal stem cell-derived vesicles as therapy for congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a condition in which infants are born with defects in their diaphragm. In addition to performing cell and protein studies, I designed and carried out simulations of the clinical delivery of subcellular vesicles in rodent models.

Soft Tissue and Orbital Range of Motion (STORM) diagnostic device (2018 —). Facial traumas can lead to orbital bone fractures that entrap soft tissues around the eye. Diagnosis of this condition requires ophthalmologist expertise that low-resource settings lack. With Dr. Benjamin Erickson, I am developing the portable STORM device, which automatically assesses the location and severity of this entrapment. This technology has several pending patents and is undergoing clinical validation. In parallel, we have created surgical devices for treating orbital hemorrhage and for better positioning orbital implants.

Computer-aided diagnosis of diabetic macular edema (2021). Working with Dr. Ted Leng, I analyzed optical coherence tomography scans of diabetes patients to help build a machine learning algorithm that can rapidly diagnose diabetic macular edema, a major cause of vision loss worldwide.

Digital health investing (2021 —). At GSR Ventures, a $3 billion venture capital firm focusing on digital health, I help identify companies developing transformative artificial intelligence-enabled healthcare solutions particularly in the areas of computer-aided diagnosis, home health, telemedicine, and remote patient monitoring. I’m especially interested in technologies that facilitate distributed care — health care that extends beyond the hospital, delivered wherever and whenever is most convenient and effective for patients. In addition, I perform industry and market analyses and carry out diligence activities for potential investments.

CERC Design Fellowship (2021). Stanford’s Clinical Excellence Research Center (CERC) develops and disseminates cost-saving innovations that target conditions consuming the bulk of U.S. health care spending. As a Design Fellow, I researched care delivery models to expand access to primary care and improve the quality of end-of-life care, applying interdisciplinary approaches in design thinking, implementation science, and digital health. I also studied how increasing patients’ control over their own health data can help them take charge of their health and wellbeing.

A digital platform to help parents follow their child’s care in the hospital (2017 — 2018). For parents of hospitalised children, an important source of stress and anxiety is ambiguity about the hospital treatment plan. To address this issue, I co-founded a company to develop an electronic health record-integrated mobile app that helps parents keep track and understand their child’s diagnostic and treatment plans. Through a partnership with Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, I directed market analyses and led presentations at digital health conferences. We were named Finalist at the Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition.

Telemedicine network in rural Taiwan for eye health (2017 — 2019). Collaborating with the departments of ophthalmology at China Medical University Hospital and National Taiwan University Hospital, I established a network of mobile eye clinics across Taiwanese indigenous villages. I trained teams of physicians and optometrists in using a smartphone-based retinal camera and established a database for exchanging medical images and other health information. The telemedicine stations constituted an eye health screening system that reached 10,000+ patients.

Editorial advisory board member (2021 —). As a member of “The Lab,” the collaborative advisory board of MedPage Today, I focus on health care delivery innovation and issues that impact value-based health care. MedPage Today is a leading health care trade publication. In addition to advising journalists on stories to report, in this capacity I also contribute op-eds, interviews, and expert commentary.

COVID-19 digital contact tracing in the United States (2021 — 2022). Working with Linux Foundation Public Health, I led an investigation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the development and effectiveness of Exposure Notification, the bluetooth-based digital contact tracing protocol developed by Google and Apple during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings, along with our policy recommendations on technology-enabled pandemic surveillance, was published in Public Health Reports, the journal of the U.S. Public Health Service.

COVID-19 education, advocacy, and health policy (2020 — 2021). As a medical consultant for Covid Act Now, a nonprofit that provides local-level data analysis and insights on the COVID-19 pandemic, I led reviews of the peer-reviewed scientific literature on COVID-19 and created a newsletter that was distributed to 250,000+ daily readers. I also advised state and county-level policymakers on strategies for implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions such as masking, testing, and social distancing in public spaces.

Task force on COVID-19 health policy (2020 — 2021). As part of a joint task force comprising physicians, health policy experts, and epidemiologists from Stanford’s Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention and RAND Health, I led an initiative integrating the latest findings on the mechanism, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19, to develop health policy proposals for managing COVID-19. Our efforts have resulted in published guidelines for combating hospital outbreaks and preventing transmission in schools.

Design of a hospice system in Ethiopia (2017). Working with Dr. Salahadin Abdi of the Department of Pain Medicine, I designed a new hospice system based in Harar, Ethiopia, to be implemented in a community of ~20,000 people. After analysing local culture and healthcare policies to integrate modern practices of palliative medicine with the cultural understanding of disease, death, and dying, I produced a report that included a personnel organization scheme, cash flow mechanisms, and strategies for staff recruitment.

Health economics of eye care in rural India (2015). Working at the New Delhi-based Venu Eye Institute, I accompanied ophthalmologists on medical mission trips to rural regions in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. After assessing prevalent socioeconomic barriers to eye care, I developed health education and outreach materials, streamlined referral practices, and contributed to creating social service support networks for patients.