Special Session 4. AI for Public and Community Health: Emerging Research and Applications

 1. Brief Description

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how communities access, deliver, and experience healthcare particularly in resource-constrained and underserved settings across Asia and beyond. This special session brings together academic researchers working at the intersection of AI, data science, and public health, with a focus on scalable, community-centred solutions.
It is anchored by the AI4PEP (AI for Pandemic & Epidemic Preparedness) Malaysia hub at Sunway University, whose ongoing work on blockchain-enabled AI architectures for trustworthy digital health exemplifies the kind of rigorous, responsible AI innovation this session seeks to advance. Contributions will span predictive modelling, disease surveillance, health equity, and AI-assisted community outreach, offering a platform for cross-disciplinary dialogue on the responsible deployment of AI in public health systems.

 2. Special Session Chair

Prof. Angela Lee Siew Hoong, Sunway University, Malaysia


 3. Special Session Topics

Potential topics of interest include but are not limited to:
▪ AI-driven disease surveillance and outbreak prediction
▪ Predictive analytics for population health management
▪ AI for non-communicable disease screening in community settings
▪ Machine learning for health equity and underserved populations
▪ Natural language processing for public health communication
▪ AI-assisted maternal and child health monitoring
▪ Blockchain and AI for secure, privacy-preserving health data
▪ AI and IoT integration for pandemic/epidemic preparedness
▪ AI ethics, bias, and fairness in community health AI
▪ Federated and trustworthy AI for Global South health systems


 4. Introduction of Special Session Chair

Prof. Angela Lee Siew Hoong (Deputy Dean (Employability & Alumni)), Sunway University, Malaysia

Professor Dr. Angela Lee Siew Hoong is the Deputy Dean (Employability & Alumni) at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Malaysia. Recognised as a pioneer of Data Science education in Malaysia, she spearheaded the launch of Sunway’s Data Science degree in 2009, one of the first in the region, and has led curriculum innovation for more than a decade. Prof. Angela is a two-time SAS Global Forum Distinguished Educator Award (Asia Pacific) winner (2021 & 2024) and recipient of the National Outstanding Educator Award (2023). She has published extensively in the fields of Healthcare Analytics, Technology Adoption, Predictive Modelling, and AI in Education. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Data Science and the Journal of Business Administration Research. She has been an editorial board member of the Journal of IT in Industry & Journal of Computing Algorithm. She is also an active reviewer for international journals and conferences, including Vine Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems and the International Journal of Machine Learning and Computing. Her professional memberships include IEEE, MBOT, AIS, IFIP, MYAIS, and she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). She is also the founder of the SAS User Group Malaysia and Sunway Analytics Society. A frequent keynote speaker and thought leader, Prof. Angela continues to champion AI, analytics, and industry collaboration to drive innovation, healthcare transformation, and employability.