Dr Chad Han is a research fellow within the Cancer Survivorship Program at the Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University and Advanced accredited practising dietition (AdvAPD).  As an Early Career Researcher, he has a strong track record in health services research in the management of chronic conditions. His research area focuses on designing and implementing innovative models of care, particularly for cancer survivorship, diabetes, and fraility with a strong emphasis on health equity and culturally responsive healthcare. Within his role at the Cancer Survivorship Program, his research interests are directed towards examining the survivorship care needs of older cancer survivors.

He has published 26 peer-reviewed articles, 85% in Q1 journals, 50% as first or senior author, with over 100 co-authors across six countries. His work has received more than 540 citations in the last five years, with a h-index of 11 (Google Scholar) and a Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) of 1.24 (SciVal).

Research Impact

Dr Han's work has been translated into clinical practice, including the integration of a culturally tailored mHealth application, NOVI-Health for CALD populations at Singapore’s leading university hospital and the implementation of a nutrition knowledge assessment tool at Alexandra Hospital. His research on culturally appropriate nutrition assessment and barriers-enablers checklists for clinicians has been cited more than 65 times and requested by over 14 researchers across seven countries, informing models of care for diverse populations, including CALD communities in Vietnam, Peru, and India.

As a migrant to Australia from a Chinese-speaking Singaporean family, Dr Han brings lived experience to his advocacy for culturally responsive healthcare and health equity in cancer care. He is a steering committee member for the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations grant (2022, $300,000), which focuses on developing translated shared resources for cancer survivorship in Australia and Greater China. Dr Chan is the principal investigator (PI) of a cohort study comparing diet quality among older cancer survivors in Hong Kong and Australia (NSW). Additionally, he is co-investigator on a national study exploring digital health innovations to enhance cancer care support for Chinese- and Cantonese-speaking communities (DIAN-NAO study). He  also serves as the national trial manager for a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)-funded, type 2 effectiveness-implementation 1:1 RCT ($2,374,220, 2022, U1111-1275-6101) across five Australian states – AUS-NET, examines a nurse-enabled shared care model that strengthens the integration of primary care with acute care for people affected by neuroendocrine cancers.

Dr Han's research covers a comprehensive translational pathway, with a focus on RCTs involving complex, multidisciplinary interventions and has led/supported 5 RCTs in the past five years, 3 of which national grant-funded multi-site RCTs, including 2 that involved multi-ethnic CALD populations.

He also contributes to initiatives supporting vulnerable and minority populations, including serving on the steering committee for the Advancing Cancer Survivorship through Partnership between Australia and Greater China (AC2 Project) and as a core committee member of Queers In Science: South Australian Chapter, advocating for LGBTQIA+ health equity in oncology and beyond.

Dr Han has supervised two PhD candidates, one Masters student, two Honours students, and more than fifteen undergraduate students and early-career APDs, in Australia and regionally i.e., China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia.