Interests
Melissa Chan
Service Designer and Social Entrepreneur
We need to build collective conversations around brain health and co-create strategies to meet the long-term social, emotional and physical care needs of persons living with dementia and carers.
Current Work
Melissa works with health and community care organizations to lead service design, innovation, and knowledge translation projects. Her work centers around brain health, aging, dementia, and carer support, focusing on bridging research and practice to deliver evidence-based interventions to diverse populations.
Personal Hero
My Father
Words of Strength
Listen, empathize, connect, co-create, build
Vision
To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, we need to build collective conversations around brain health and co-create strategies to meet the long-term social, emotional and physical care needs of persons living with dementia and carers.
Strategy
Melissa uses design and development as tools to provide intervention for persons living with dementia and their carers. These solutions aim to increase personalisation, lower barriers for seeking help, and improve the quality of life for users.
Impact
Melissa is looking to dive deeper in the design to support individuals across the continuum of health and disease. By working with Atlantic Fellows from different backgrounds, she aims to scale brain health awareness and intervention strategies in her region.
Motivation
Singapore's aging population will mean a higher incidence of dementia and caregiver burnout. Melissa believes that we must collectively tackle the issues from several angles to support healthy and at-risk populations and individuals living with dementia and their carers.
Education & Experience
Melissa has worked with health and community care organizations across Asia and Europe, leading service design and knowledge translation projects. She recently led the development of the GetBrainHealthy platform at the University of Luxembourg and has spearheaded multiple initiatives for dementia care, including CARA by Dementia Singapore, a national platform that supports the safe return for persons living with dementia. She is also Founder of Project We Forgot, a resource platform for caregivers navigating the dementia journey.
Previously, Melissa worked with ECON Healthcare Group and Homage, an on-demand care technology solution, collaborating with corporations, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and social service organisations in Singapore and Malaysia. A former President of the World Young Leaders in Dementia (WYLD) Network, she has championed dementia innovation across disciplines and borders. Melissa’s work is inspired by her father who was diagnosed with young-onset dementia when she was 14.
Featured Publications
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Melissa
a NoteHave ideas for global brain health or a collaboration? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send an introductory note.
