Your one-pager to global eczema eradication

What is TEEP?

Founded in 2018, The Eczema Eradication Project (TEEP) is an ambitious social project set to help eczema patients worldwide fight the tormenting disease of eczema. Our mission is to help 1 million people regain their quality of life by 2026. Our specific projects evolve: as of 2020, our focus is a health coaching program set up as a sustainable social enterprise targeting the Hong Kong moderate-to-severe eczema population.

Why eczema?

Eczema affects 300 million people around the world. In Hong Kong alone there are 200,000 patients. For outsiders, eczema is known for its dry, red, and itchy skin. For insiders, these physical wounds are only the surface symptoms which cascade silently into every aspect of our daily life.

To cite an extreme case on Father’s Day of 2018, 23-year-old local university nursing student Pang Ching Yu, killed her parents before commiting suicide. Stress, depression, and lifelong eczema were the leading factors of this tragedy. Her last words:

“People with eczema giving birth to kids are worse than poor people giving birth to kids,” one post read.

“If you’re poor, you can rely on your own hard work. With eczema, sorry, you have to suffer (your whole life) with no change.”

“[T]here’s nothing you can do except to wait and die,” and that her “social life (was) all gone.”

Isn’t it ironic that the very subject she was studying – the practice of nursing in the betterment of health – had failed her?

Why us? Why now?

vicious eczema cycle

Conventional medicine for eczema is unchanged since the 1950s. Steroids as the first line of treatment have long known to be a temporary fix and fail to address the root cause of eczema. The chronic use of steroid medications results in a vicious cycle of increasing drug intensity and lifelong reliance.

What is the solution?

The first step is to address the medical gap for eczema patients. This means broadening the full picture of all key factors that affect eczema. We go from standard care (pharamceutical intervention) to integrated care (whole body treatment).

Why should you join TEEP?

You are passionate, ambitious, and even somewhat angered by the lack of change in the medical paradigm resulting in the ineffective alleviation of pain and suffering of the eczema population.

The public health system is ineffective. Innovation is the only way to create value. It is the only way to break through the various barriers, delays, and lack of understanding to eczema recovery.

What is your plan to achieve the 1 million goal?

TEEP is a spirit attached with a guiding mission. Within it are people who brainstorm practical solutions. This means our concrete activities and focus evolve over time. Is it through wide-scale digital marketing? Is it through a skincare product? Is it through policy change? Is it through a social enterprise? There is no correct answer for it lacks a comparable example in the world today.

Below are our achievements since 2018 and targets for 2020 and beyond:

2018-2019

  • Team assembled into approx. 15 members
  • Conducted 5 pilot workshops, with 106 attendees
  • Conducted our 1st corporate wellness workshop
  • Established our instagram account (@teep_global)
  • Obtained Champion for inter-university HERDSA award for social service: 10K (advisor: Dr Mei Li Khong, LKS Faculty of Medicine)
  • Obtained Service 100 HKU funding: 6K (in pursuit of knowledge transfer and social service, supported by Prof Gray, Director of Common Core HKU)
  • Obtained Donations: 1K (donor is a parent of eczema-affected child)
  • Received honouable mentions by: Prof Gabriel Leung, Dean of LKS Faculty of Medicine, Prof Ian Holliday, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)

2020

  • Project team increasd to approx. 20 members
  • Obtained Runner-up in Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge 2019-20: 100K+ (including Wofoo SDG award 5K)
  • Obtained project grant from Enactus HKU: 5K
  • Goal: WeDerm business incorporation
  • Goal: train 1st cohort of WeDerm health coaches
  • Goal: pilot launch WeDerm Eczema Bootcamp
  • Goal: beta launch symptom tracker mobile app

2021

  • Goal: WeDerm achieves paying customers (TBC) in Hong Kong

2022

  • Goal: WeDerm expands into more of local population
  • Goal: B2B strategy

2023

  • Goal: WeDerm goes APAC, set up regional teams
  • Goal: Develop proprietary skincare product line

2024

  • Goal: expands WeDerm regional teams
  • Goal: Skincare product launch

2025-2026

  • Goal: WeDerm goes global

How can you join the mission?

If you believe in co-creating quantifiable, meaningful, and sustainable change, then we are a right fit. Here are ways you can join at various levels of engagement:

Method 1. WeDerm

  1. Health Coach (duration: min. 6 months)
  2. Paid Contractor
    1. Tech team
    2. R&D team (project basis)
  3. Affiliate System (referral commission)

Method 2. TEEP

  1. Volunteer (ad-hoc basis)
    1. Subject matter expert
    2. Guest speaker
    3. Event support
  2. Donor
  3. Advisor
  4. Refer Patients

Perks of joining:

  • SEEDS+ Masterclass (Free)
  • Workshops (Free)
  • Celebratory Meals (Free)
  • Annual Dinner (Free/Discount)
  • Special Events (Invitation)
  • Focus Groups (Invitation)

Say hi to teepglobal(at)gmail.com.

Credits

TEEP is only made possible with a team of masterminds.

2020-2021 Team (Current)

CEO Team

  • Harrison Li, R&D Lead
  • Keshia Kung, Pharmacology Lead
  • Michelle Lam, Medicine Lead
  • Nano Cheng, Nutrition Lead
  • Brain Lui, Kinesiology Lead

COO Team

  • Ryan Chan, Technology Lead
  • Sunny Tsoi, Software Developer
  • Blair Kim, UX Designer
  • Bryan Si, Health Coach Lead
  • Huiju Lim, Immunology Lead
  • Hazel Kwok, Coaching Consultant

CMO Team

  • Keshia Kung, CMO
  • Melissa Lo, Publicity Manager
  • Joann Ng, Contributor
  • Kitty Liu, Contributor

CFO Team

  • Michelle Lam, CFO
  • Annie Lui, Accounting Officer

2019-2020 Team

Product

  • Harrison Li, BSc Nutrition
  • Melissa Lo, BSocSc Political Science
  • Annie Lui, BBA(Law)&LLB
  • Keshia Kung, BPharm
  • Michelle Lam, MBBS

Innovation

  • Kylie Woo, BASc (GHD)
  • Anirudh Agarwal, BEng (CompSc)
  • Sunny Tsoi, Master of Data Science (MDASC)
  • Ryan Chan, BEng(Hons) Eletronic Engineering | PhD Engineering

Research

  • Teeko Li, PhD Candidate in Public Health (Epidemiology and Statistics) | Ex-PKU MMedSc & BSMed Preventive Medicine
  • Kitty Liu, BEd&BSc | Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
  • Huiju Lim, MPhil Pathology
  • Jennifer Leung, BSc Food & Nutritional Science, Chemisty
  • Brian Lui, BBA Wealth Management, Kinesiology
  • Nano Cheng, BSc (Hons) in Food Safety and Technology | MPhil Food & Nutritional Sciences | PhD Neurodegeneration
  • Bryan Si, LLB LSE | MBBS HKU

Publicity

  • Alan Yau, BSc Biochemistry
  • Vincent Chu, BSc Biological Sciences, English
  • Joann Ng, BSocSc
  • Julie Wong, LLB

Design

  • Bhavisha Hemnani, BASc (Design+)
  • Kitty Cheung, BDS
  • Blair Kim, BBA (IBGM)

Outreach & Engagement

  • Shaina Huang, BBiomedSc | MPhil Cancer Biology
  • Hazel Kwok, BSc (Speech)
  • Rosy You, MEd
  • Vanessa Ho, BSS(GL)&LLB | PCLL

2018-2019 Team

  • Alan Yau, Bachelor of Science (II) | Biochemistry
  • Christelle Fu, Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science (IV)
  • Darren Tang, Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) (V)
  • Harrison Li, Bachelor of Science (V) | Food & Nutritional Science
  • Hazel Kwok, Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences (II)
  • Huiju Lim, Master of Philosophy (Pathology) (II)
  • Joann Ng, Bachelor of Social Sciences (II)
  • Jennifer Leung, Bachelor of Science (IV) | Food & Nutritional Science, Chemistry
  • Keshia Kung, Bachelor of Pharmacy (IV)
  • Michelle Lam, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (V)
  • Nokki Lam, Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science (IV)
  • Rosy You, Master of Education (II)
  • Vanessa Ho, Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) (V)
  • Vincent Chu, Bachelor of Science (V) | Biological Sciences, English