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Ying Ying's journey from recovery to the discovery of her passion for healthcare innovation

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By Ying Ying, Grade 12, UWCSEA East and Communications Team
26 December 2024

For Grade 12 student Ying Ying, a ligament injury turned out to be the unexpected start of an incredible journey into Biomedical Engineering. What began as a personal challenge quickly became an opportunity to explore new ideas and create meaningful change. With the resources and support at Innovation@East, Ying Ying dove into this exciting field, using cutting-edge tools and a collaborative environment to bring her ideas to life. Read on to discover how she reflects on this transformative experience and how it has shaped her goals for the future.

Launching UWCSEA’s inaugural Biomedical Engineering competition, InnoMed: Engineering Health, has been an incredible journey. Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed the immense passion and creativity students have poured into their biomedical innovations, which has been truly inspiring.

From advancing glucose monitors to developing software that detects skin cancers and leveraging sophisticated Blender skills to model CAR-T cell therapy, students across High School have explored a remarkable range of ideas. I’m thrilled to see how this initiative has fostered a dynamic, vibrant, and engaged biomedical engineering community at East Campus, and I look forward to seeing more biomedical innovations to come!

– Ying Ying, Founder of the InnoMed: Engineering Health competition
 

About Ying Ying

A Grade 12 student with a deep commitment to biomedical innovation, healthcare AI, and pushing the boundaries of medical recovery, Ying Ying’s journey is one of both personal growth and discovery. Outside of academics, she enjoys exploring literature, cooking, and dancing.

Ying Ying’s journey in biomedical innovation and her drive to contribute to healthcare advancement is both inspiring and transformative. As a senior at UWCSEA East, she has not only immersed herself in the world of healthcare innovation, but she’s also leading the charge with initiatives like the UWCSEA East's very first biomedical engineering competition, InnoMed: Engineering Health. Through this platform, she’s sparked a wave of creativity, inspiring students to explore projects like skin cancer detection, improving glucose monitors, and even modelling CAR-T cell therapies.

A life-changing experience

Ying Ying’s passion for biomedical engineering began with a personal experience. After undergoing reconstructive ligament surgery, she was both anxious and fascinated. While the fear of surgery took over, what struck her was the precision of the medical tools and how they were used to make the procedure as smooth as possible. The skill and accuracy involved in the surgery sparked her curiosity about how these technologies could be developed further. Watching the medical team work with such precision, she realised that this intersection of healthcare and technology was where she wanted to be. That moment ignited a strong desire to contribute to the medical field through innovation, driving her towards biomedical engineering and fuelling her vision of making a tangible impact on healthcare systems.

Turning vision into reality

Despite UWCSEA’s strong focus on competitive events like robotics and math, Ying Ying noticed a gap when it came to opportunities in biomedical engineering. Determined to create space for herself and others who shared her passion, she launched InnoMed: Engineering Health. The competition not only allowed students to explore cutting-edge biomedical technologies but also gave them the chance to share their innovative ideas.

“The competition wasn’t just about winning; it was about giving students a chance to explore, experiment, and bring their ideas to life,” Ying Ying says. “It was incredible to see how everyone channeled their passion into meaningful projects that could make a real-world impact.”


When organising her inaugural biomedical engineering competition, Ying Ying aimed to inspire students to combine their passion for biomedical innovation with a focus on addressing real-world health challenges. She believed that integrating a social cause with technical skills like 3D printing, prototyping, and modelling could empower young innovators to turn their ideas into meaningful impacts. To encourage this approach, she designed the competition criteria to ensure students connected their biomedical solutions or physical prototypes to specific health problems.

During the evaluation process, Ying Ying was deeply moved by the personal touches students brought to their projects. Many tied their submissions to healthcare challenges they had thoroughly researched or observed firsthand—whether in themselves, their loved ones, or their communities. It was inspiring to see how they applied their knowledge and creativity to tackle these issues in ways that were both practical and innovative.

However, the journey to launching the competition wasn’t without its challenges. While Ying Ying was passionate about bringing her vision to life, she initially underestimated the complexities of managing such a large-scale initiative on her own. As someone new to organising events of this scale, she overlooked several key details and realised, just when she thought everything was on track, that there were significant gaps in her planning.

These challenges tested her confidence, and she often doubted whether she could complete the project. Thankfully, with the guidance and support of Mr Matthew Weaver, the Head of Innovation, Ying Ying was able to tackle the obstacles, regain her confidence, and successfully bring the competition to life.
 

Hands-on experience at A*STAR

Ying Ying’s journey into biomedical engineering has been shaped by a deep commitment to learning and innovation. Her internship at A*STAR’s Institute of Bioengineering and Bioimaging was a pivotal experience, where she worked on cancer treatment technologies, including radionuclide therapy. Through this hands-on clinical work, Ying Ying learned the importance of precision, patience, and collaboration in tackling healthcare challenges.

"At A*STAR, I focused on imaging data to evaluate the effects of radionuclide therapy. Watching tumours gradually diminish was an awe-inspiring reminder of how impactful biomedical innovation can be. This experience taught me how crucial it is to combine technical expertise with a passion for making a difference."

Driven by her passion for merging healthcare with technology, Ying Ying developed Rhythmo AI, a web application to support athletes and dancers in managing sports injuries. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies like machine learning and advanced AI models, she created a platform to analyse movement patterns, aid recovery, and enhance rehabilitation processes.

"Rhythmo AI was inspired by my own sports injury recovery. I wanted to create something that could make recovery more accessible and efficient. It was a challenging project, but it cemented my belief in the transformative power of technology in healthcare."

Aspiring to make a difference

From developing AI solutions to exploring targeted therapies, Ying Ying’s journey in biomedical engineering has been shaped by her passion for pushing the boundaries of innovation to improve lives. Looking ahead, she’s determined to make a difference in orthopaedic care by tackling the challenges of slow recovery. Having experienced the lengthy rehabilitation process herself, Ying Ying is focused on creating tools that not only help doctors diagnose conditions more accurately but also make recovery faster and more effective for patients. Driven by her desire to create real change, she is committed to advancing biomedical innovation and transforming healthcare for the better.

 

Advice for future innovations in UWCSEA

Ying Ying hopes her experience inspires other students to embrace uncertainty and pursue their passions with resilience. She encourages young innovators to make the most of the resources and support available, particularly from mentors like Mr. Weaver and spaces like the Innovation Lab, which are dedicated to helping students turn their ideas into reality.

"Don’t fear uncertainty. The Innovation@East Lab is there to support and guide you through the challenges of turning your ideas into reality. If you’re passionate about something, don’t let fear hold you back—embrace the process, learn from your mistakes, and make use of the resources available to you. Passion, perseverance, and support from mentors like Mr. Weaver will help you turn your dreams into impactful projects that benefit the world."