Gam Preenapun — Data Science

With a passion for research, data science and apps, Chiang Mai University medical student Gam Preenapun is determined to make a positive impact in her community by discovering innovative solutions that improve public health.

Gam was first introduced to the world of coding and Swift at a high school camp. Hooked on a new way to solve problems, she watched YouTube tutorials to teach herself the basics of app development with Xcode on Mac.

“MacBook is my favourite Apple device. I use it for all my coding, and it’s easy to use with Xcode. It’s stable, reliable and can run all day.”

Today, Gam applies her coding skills to develop app prototypes focused on health and wellness. One example is Girl Guard, a project she created using Playgrounds in Xcode on Mac for women to help combat sexual harassment.

“I was inspired to develop this app concept based on hearing my friends’ stories, as well as my own personal experience and knowing how scary it can feel to travel alone.” Girl Guard includes features called “Fight Like a Girl”, which sounds a siren to call for help, and “Trustworthy Friend”, which simulates a conversation with others to help deter potential harassment.

Girl Guard has received positive recognition from Gam’s community, and was also recognised as one of Apple’s 2021 Swift Student Challenge winners. This feedback has reinforced Gam’s desire to focus her studies and passions on creating tools that promote well-being in society.

For med school, Gam loves using iPad for drawing and sketching her next inventions. She uses Apple Pencil with GoodNotes on iPad to bring anatomy and biochemistry notes to life, and Keynote to create compelling presentations that showcase her data research — which is focused on improving access to healthcare in rural communities across Thailand and beyond.

“My goal is to find solutions that help people at scale — to support a brighter future for today and future generations.”