A companion between appointments: Hong Kong student’s AI tool for cancer patients

For cancer patients in Hong Kong, emotional distress can persist beyond the clinic, with a large combined analysis of multiple studies linking depression and anxiety to lower chances of survival.

Claudia Chan Shu-ying, a medical student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), is developing CancerCompanion, a digital companion designed to offer emotional support between appointments, including late at night when professional help may not be immediately available.

The system uses AI-powered conversations to offer structured support while directing medical questions to healthcare teams and flagging potential cases of self-harm for human review.

Chan is a finalist in the youth category of this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, co-organised by Sino Group and the South China Morning Post. She is taking a year out from her medical degree to complete a master’s degree in research medicine.