Prof David Chan

Lee Kong Chian Professor of Psychology Director, Behavioural Sciences Initiative Singapore Management University

David Chan is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioural Sciences Initiative at the Singapore Management University. His research in diverse areas of social-behavioural sciences, published in top psychology, management and methods journals, have been cited over 15,000 times in various disciplines. In 2020, a Stanford University study of researcher impact named him in the top one percent worldwide among all scientists across all disciplines. He is Elected Fellow of six international psychological associations. He has received numerous international scholarly awards such as the Distinguished Early Career Contributions Award, the Scientist-Practitioner Presidential Recognition Award and the Raymond Katzell Award in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In Singapore, he serves on numerous national councils, taskforces, scientific advisory panels and boards of directors, and he has received several national awards for his contributions. He writes by-invitation op-eds in The Straits Times and he is consultant to Channel NewsAsia on several documentary series.

Extending the Frontiers in Health through Evidence-based Contextualisation: Contributions from the Social and Behavioural Sciences

As we transform the healthcare ecosystem and shift to a more proactive illness prevention framework, it is critical to adopt an evidence-based contextual approach for different settings and population segments. This involves understanding the science underlying how people think, feel and behave in various situations, so that we can effectively apply principles to progress towards the twin goals of illness prevention and health promotion. Drawing on his wide-ranging expertise and experience in evidence-based applications of social and behavioural sciences, Professor David Chan will explain how various effective approaches are rooted in the core aspects of what constitute people-centricity. He will discuss how the science and practice of health and well-being, motivation, adaptability and resilience can help us better understand and apply people-centric approaches in ways that will enable individuals and organisations to not only survive but thrive as we live, learn, work and play amid rapidly changing challenges and demands.