Hailey How, MPH '25, Wants the Tech Sector and Public Health to Work Together

Why It Matters

Integrating AI‑driven communication tools into public health can dramatically improve access and outcomes for underserved populations, showcasing a scalable model for tech‑health collaborations.

Key Takeaways

• Tech and public health integration accelerates healthcare delivery
• Founder leverages AI to streamline family-provider communication effectively
• Personal health challenges inspire focus on unheard patient needs
• Leaving Google to build OneCare reflects mission-driven entrepreneurship
• Resilience through repeated failures fuels innovative public health solutions

Summary

Hailey Howe, a 2025 Harvard Chan MPH graduate, is on a mission to fuse the rapid pace of technology with the slower-moving public‑health ecosystem. Raised in a Malaysian slum where limited medical access led many to die before 70, she later discovered a 45% hearing loss that sharpened her ability to perceive unspoken needs. After a decade at Google Cloud, where she witnessed tech advancing at "100 miles per hour," Howe left to launch OneCare, an AI‑powered communications layer that links families directly with providers.

Her startup aims to close the speed gap by automating and personalizing interactions, allowing caregivers to receive timely guidance and reducing administrative friction. Howe emphasizes that innovation demands embracing “failures and failures,” a mindset forged through her personal health challenges and professional setbacks. She describes her deafness as a "gift" that helps her hear what isn’t said, underscoring the empathy driving OneCare’s design.

Key moments from her talk include the stark contrast between tech’s velocity and public‑health’s inertia, the anecdote of her grandmother’s photo symbolizing the stakes of systemic failure, and her candid advice to her younger self: keep having fun and stay courageous after each setback. These narratives illustrate both the human and technical motivations behind her venture.

If successful, OneCare could serve as a template for scaling AI‑driven health communication, especially in underserved regions where traditional infrastructure lags. By aligning tech’s speed with public‑health goals, Howe’s approach promises faster, more equitable care delivery and may inspire other entrepreneurs to bridge similar gaps.

Original Description

"I'm trying to get tech and public health to work closer to each other."

Hailey How, MPH '25, grew up in Malaysia in an area where poverty and a lack of access to health care meant that many in her community died before the age of 70. How's experiences as a child have catalyzed her work in public health. As the founder and CEO of a health care start up, The One Care, she's working to leverage technology to help families coordinate care for their loved ones. How describes her journey from Malaysia to Google to Harvard – and beyond.