Hong Kong’s influential role in advancing digital health
The future of healthcare relies on global collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to pioneer these efforts
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Digital health technologies are revolutionising healthcare, as developments in technologies such as AI drive improvements in diagnosis and treatment protocols. The marriage of AI and health is not only inevitable but will also bring sweeping changes to healthcare, according to Anderson Shum Ho-cheung, vice-president for research at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK).
Shum was one of the expert speakers to participate in the 2025 THE Digital Health Asia event. Held in September 2025, it marked the first time an event from THE’s Digital Health series was hosted in Asia. It featured more than 50 speakers from across the world, who came together to explore the future of digital health. The key themes of the event were AI and health data, biotechnology and digital health, and collaboration and commercialisation.
“There will be more and more demand for digital health solutions,” said Shum in an interview held before the summit. “With AI, we can process a lot more data and samples.” Especially in areas such as medical imaging, AI is improving diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, catalysing transformative changes in health systems.
But there is more to digital health technologies than analysing data – it needs to be a global effort. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that health challenges transcend national and regional boundaries, said Shum. “Healthcare is a very important problem – not only for a certain city or country,” he said. “It is a global problem and we all need to work together.”
Cross-sector, interdisciplinary and cross-border cooperation is vital to safeguarding long-term health and well-being for all. Hong Kong is ideally situated as a hub to facilitate this. The city has an important role to play as a “super connector”, Shum said. It can enhance access to health tech entrepreneurs and innovators worldwide while enabling the flow of Chinese digital health breakthroughs into the international arena.
“Hong Kong has that ability to connect different parts of the world and is very uniquely positioned,” he said. “It is a focal point where exciting developments in areas such as digital health are taking place right now. Our city has the potential to become a global hub for digital health innovation.”
Hong Kong is also home to leading research institutions. “With its world-class universities and research institutions, alongside a growing pool of AI talent, Hong Kong’s vibrant ecosystem can make a profound contribution to global health,” said Shum.
The city is well-prepared for a digital health revolution, he said. “We have top-notch universities, a lot of investment and interest, and expertise in health.” The city can help ensure that the new solutions offered by digital health technologies are accessible to everyone.
CityUHK stands as an example of how international collaboration and engagement can yield research excellence. The university continues to champion global collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange, fostering forward-thinking innovation to address global health challenges.
Find out more about City University of Hong Kong.