The MediSafe controversy was a 2025 public controversy in Hong Kong concerning the authorship, external commercial development and data practices of MediSafe (), a medication-safety software project conceived by secondary-school student Clarisse Poon. Poon, then a Form Four student at St. Paul's Co-educational College, had entered versions of the project in a number of local and international innovation competitions, receiving awards including the Student Innovation Grand Award at the 2024 Hong Kong ICT Awards and a silver medal at the 2025 International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
The controversy began in June 2025 after online posts questioned whether the project had been independently developed by Poon and whether real patient data had been used. Scrutiny subsequently focused on AI Health Studio, a United States software company which had been contacted by Poon's parent in March 2024 in connection with the commercial development of MediSafe. The company later said that it had independently developed the commercial minimum viable product and that it had not initially been informed that its work would be associated with student competitions.
Separate investigations published in August 2025 by the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE) and Hong Kong Education City (EdCity) found that the MediSafe concept and student prototype predated the involvement of AI Health Studio. HKAGE accepted MediSafe as Poon's original concept and reported that, at the Geneva exhibition, she had presented a self-developed prototype rather than a professionally developed system. EdCity found that her earlier competition materials were highly similar to her later Hong Kong ICT Awards submission and found no indication that her competition submission or presentation was connected to commercialisation or optimisation activities undertaken by her parents. The Hong Kong ICT Awards judging panel unanimously upheld the project's eligibility and award.
Both investigations also reported that Poon's written competition materials described the patient information used as simulated rather than real patient data. HKAGE nevertheless found that some presentation materials contained potentially misleading wording and advised that it be corrected. On 22 August 2025, Poon's parents announced that they would voluntarily return the awards associated with the project, citing the effects of the controversy and online attacks on their daughter.
MediSafe
MediSafe is a web-based medication-safety application designed to identify potential prescription errors by comparing prescribed drugs with information including a patient's allergies, medication history and clinical conditions such as liver and kidney function. Materials published for the 2024 Hong Kong ICT Awards described the project as using artificial intelligence to cross-check drug and patient databases and issue warnings when a prescription or dosage potentially conflicts with the patient's medical circumstances.
At the 2024 Hong Kong ICT Awards, St. Paul's Co-educational College and Poon received the Student Innovation Grand Award for MediSafe. The awards ceremony was held on 22 November 2024. The final judging panel also recommended Poon for a Special Recognition Award. In April 2025, MediSafe received a silver medal at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
Development and commercialisation
Early development
According to the HKAGE investigation, Poon had presented the concept for MediSafe to a teacher by October 2023. In January 2024 she entered the project in the 26th Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, submitting a concept and prototype, and in February entered it in the JPC Innovation and Technology Competition 2023-24.
HKAGE said that the materials submitted for the January and February competitions included a 22-page presentation covering the problem being addressed, underlying principles, case examples, required application functions and proposed solutions. Based on the materials and email evidence it reviewed, HKAGE accepted MediSafe as Poon's original concept.
Poon subsequently submitted closely related materials to the Young STEAM Talent Award in April 2024, the Hong Kong ICT Awards later in 2024, the International Science Competition 2025 Hong Kong Regional Selection Finals in December 2024, and the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in February 2025.
AI Health Studio
HKAGE and EdCity both found that a parent of Poon began communicating with AI Health Studio in March 2024, after Poon had already entered MediSafe in the January and February competitions. According to EdCity, the discussions with the company used Poon's existing project materials, including its design concepts and operating principles, as the basis for exploring commercial collaboration.
In August 2025, AI Health Studio co-founder Ahmed Jemaa publicly stated that the company had been commissioned by Poon's mother and had developed the commercial minimum viable product, including its code, user interface and technical architecture, independently. Jemaa said that the company had not originally been informed that the application would subsequently be associated with academic competitions and argued that its involvement should have been disclosed.
The company had earlier described its work as having been developed "from scratch". HKAGE said in its final investigation report that this description was questionable because the commercial discussions had proceeded with reference to Poon's existing work, including its design concepts and operating principles. HKAGE did not attempt to determine responsibility for, or ownership of, the later commercial product, regarding the subsequent commercial negotiations as outside the scope of its investigation.
Early media coverage also drew attention to a date of 2022 which had appeared on an AI Health Studio webpage describing a medication-management project. HKAGE later reported that AI Health Studio had stated that the webpage was published in 2024 and that the reference to 2022 had been a placeholder. HKAGE concluded that the evidence it reviewed showed Poon's development of the project predated the relevant material on the company's website.
2025 controversy
Initial online concerns
On 13 June 2025, City University of Hong Kong student Hailey Cheng Hei-lam raised concerns on social media about MediSafe. Cheng questioned whether the technical complexity of the system was consistent with it having been independently developed by a secondary-school student and also raised questions about statements concerning the use of patient data.
The posts led to wider online discussion and media reporting concerning the originality of student innovation projects, the extent to which professional or parental assistance should be disclosed in student competitions, and the handling of medical data. Hong Kong authorities and competition organisers subsequently began inquiries into the project and its eligibility.
Questions concerning patient and drug data
Public discussion also focused on whether real patient information had been used to develop or test MediSafe. EdCity reported that Poon's competition materials identified the data used as being based solely on simulated patients, while her parents stated that the project did not use real patients' personal information.
HKAGE reached a similar conclusion regarding the competition materials. It found that Poon's written reports clearly described the information as being from simulated patients, but said that some presentation materials contained wording which could be misleading and advised her to clarify it. HKAGE also reported that the relevant drug database had confirmed that its data could be used for non-commercial purposes.
Investigations
Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education
HKAGE began its investigation in June 2025. Its review concerned competitions connected with the academy, including the Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, Young STEAM Talent Award, International Science Competition 2025 Hong Kong Regional Selection Finals and the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. The investigation considered the originality of Poon's competition concept and whether her participation complied with the relevant judging mechanisms and rules.
On 18 August 2025, HKAGE published its findings. It concluded that the available chronology supported MediSafe being Poon's original concept, citing the October 2023 communication with her teacher and the January and February 2024 competition submissions, which predated the family's contact with AI Health Studio in March 2024.
For the Geneva exhibition, HKAGE obtained a written response from the exhibition's Hong Kong representative stating that the competition primarily assessed originality and creativity. According to the response, Poon presented her concept to the judges using a self-developed prototype and did not use the professionally developed system for the presentation. HKAGE therefore accepted the organiser's decision that the entry complied with the competition requirements.
HKAGE said it could not establish a direct relationship between the subsequent commercial activities involving AI Health Studio and the work Poon submitted to the Geneva exhibition. It also recommended that student competition organisers strengthen disclosure mechanisms concerning professional technical assistance and third-party advice.
Hong Kong Education City and Hong Kong ICT Awards
EdCity, the leading organiser of the 2024 Hong Kong ICT Awards Student Innovation Award, separately investigated the eligibility of MediSafe. It sought information from Poon, her parents, AI Health Studio and other relevant parties. On 15 August 2025, EdCity and the final judging panel met to review the investigation findings.
EdCity reported that St. Paul's Co-educational College had supplied information confirming that Poon presented the concept and a prototype to the school and a teacher in October 2023. It compared materials from Poon's January and February 2024 competition entries with the material later submitted for the Hong Kong ICT Awards and found the concept and prototype to be highly similar. The judging panel therefore accepted MediSafe as an original concept developed by Poon.
EdCity also clarified that entrants to the Student Innovation Award were not required to submit a finished product or model. Entries were judged principally on innovation and creativity in information and communications technology, design functionality, market potential, and benefits and impact on intended users. The final judging panel considered that whether or not a finished product was displayed did not affect the judging outcome.
Regarding AI Health Studio, EdCity found that the parent began communicating with the company in March 2024 using the student's existing project materials as the basis for commercial discussions. It concluded that the MediSafe concept did not originate from the company and stated that there was no indication that Poon's competition submission or presentation content was connected to commercialisation or optimisation activities undertaken by her parents.
The final judging panel unanimously upheld MediSafe's eligibility and the award conferred on Poon.
Return of awards and school response
On 22 August 2025, Poon's parents announced that the family would voluntarily return all awards associated with MediSafe. They continued to maintain that the concept had been independently conceived by their daughter, while acknowledging that Poon's mother had approached AI Health Studio in connection with development of a commercial version. The family said that its decision to return the awards was motivated by the effects of the prolonged public controversy and online attacks on Poon.