Joanna Loy, Director, Digital Empowerment, SingHealth, Singapore

1. How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive? 

As Director of Digital Empowerment at SingHealth, I work with staff from across healthcare clusters as well as external technology partners, such as Apple, to translate innovative ideas into practical, scalable solutions.

A key focus of our solutions is in finding ways to empower staff to embrace technology confidently, so that they can leverage on it to improve their own work processes. Through the Digital Competency Centre, I promote the adoption of Microsoft 365, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and Open Government Products (OGP).

I design inclusive programs that democratise access to low-code/no-code platforms and self-service digital tools, ensuring all staff can participate meaningfully in digital transformation regardless of their background or technical proficiency. 

By staying attuned to emerging trends and lowering technology barriers through workshops and peer learning, I ensure our technologies remain equitable and accessible to staff, patients, and citizens. 

2. What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

I have actively supported telehealth implementation and adoption across SingHealth. A key milestone was the rollout of the SingHealth Video Consult Platform (VCP), which enables secure video consultations for a wide range of clinical specialties, making telehealth accessible to thousands of patients and citizens.

By integrating VCP into our digital ecosystem, telehealth is now a sustainable, cluster-wide service delivering real impact. 

SingHealth’s telehealth and remote care initiatives – MIC@Home, Telepaeds, and SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP)’s Acute On-Demand Telehealth, have transformed care delivery. MIC@Home allows patients to receive hospital-level care at home, improving comfort while reducing hospital congestion. 

Telepaeds provides paediatric teleconsultations, and Acute On-Demand Telehealth allows patients to meet their polyclinic doctors virtually and receive medication at home, expanding access for seniors and those with mobility challenges. These programmes have reduced barriers to care, and empowered families to manage health in familiar environments.

3. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?  

This year, my most impactful project was the SingHealth cluster-wide staff empowerment journey led by the Office of Digital Empowerment (ODE). We drove adoption and upskilling in M365, RPA and OGP, reaching over 31,000 staff and training 624 users. Through focused activities such as hackathons, staff generated more than 300 solution submissions.

Empowerment efforts included hands-on workshops, brown bag sessions, use case clinics and peer sharing, designed to move staff from awareness to ability and reinforcement. We formalised recognition for citizen developers, celebrating achievements, and inspiring colleagues to innovate.  

Many of our citizen developer projects have shown great results. For instance, PEACH (Perioperative AI CHatbot) saves up to 660 hours of doctors’ time, equivalent to $200,000 in costs annually. 

4. What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people?  

I learned that healthcare staff are not only ready but passionate about embracing digital technologies. The overwhelming response to empowerment training and the rapid growth in citizen-developed IT solutions exceeded my expectations.

Staff eagerly participated in workshops and built solutions for real operational needs. Empathy and active listening, as well as inviting staff to share their pain points at work, have directly shaped our initiatives, proving that real change happens when people are empowered and trusted to lead it.

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5. We hear a lot about AI. What’s a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?  

At SingHealth, we advance AI through both large-scale research projects and staff-driven innovation. My department focuses on empowering staff to build practical AI solutions using low/no-code platforms, directly addressing operational pain points. Examples include Proph Abby for antibiotic recommendations and the CIRB Bot for ethics reviews.

By uplifting staff literacy in the AI domain and enabling hands-on experience with these accessible tools, we lower barriers to participation and tailor solutions to real needs. This approach not only makes government services more inclusive and trustworthy but also prepares our workforce to lead and adopt more advanced AI technologies in the near future.  

In parallel, SingHealth continues to invest in sophisticated AI initiatives, such as predictive analytics and clinical decision support, further enhancing trust and responsiveness in healthcare services. 

6. How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?  

We are scaling digital competency and citizen development across SingHealth. In the coming year, we plan to deepen GenAI literacy, expand staff training, launch learning pathways for those seeking to build more advanced solutions, and pilot new AI and automation use cases.

Our hands-on approach includes practical clinics and peer sharing. We are increasing staff awareness of safe and ethical AI use, reinforcing cyber-security best practices, and strengthening governance for new technologies. The most opportunity lies in empowering staff to build and deploy their own AI-powered solutions, making digital transformation accessible, relevant, and sustainable for everyone in our organisation. 

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?  

Focus on solving real problems that matter to users. Take time to understand their daily challenges and design solutions that are practical, accessible, and safe.

Serving all citizens means continuously improving and remaining accountable. By grounding your work in real needs and committing to inclusion and trust, you will build a career that truly makes a difference.

8. Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?  

I am inspired by my SingHealth leadership team, who consistently live out our organisational values and set the standard for integrity, compassion, and service. My career mentors within SingHealth have shown me that responsibility in public service means being accountable not just to myself, but to the citizens and patients we serve.

I am also reminded that my family and I are users of public sector services, including healthcare. This personal perspective motivates me to ensure that the solutions and improvements we drive are truly meaningful, accessible, and trustworthy for everyone, because the impact of our work reaches not only our community, but also those closest to us. 

9. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be? 

I would build a patient digital twin – an intelligent, secure platform that gives every individual a real-time, personalised view of their health. This would integrate data from wearables, medical records, and lifestyle inputs to provide predictive insights and personalised recommendations. 

My goal is to help people take ownership of their health data, understand risks, and make informed decisions. This project would democratise healthcare knowledge, empower people to manage their health proactively, and become true partners in care. 

10. Outside tech, what excites you the most? 

What excites me most outside technology is helping people discover new ideas, learn from diverse experiences, and connect meaningfully with others. I find great value in curiosity, lifelong learning, and exploring different perspectives, whether through reading, travel, or engaging in thoughtful conversations.