Full-stack development + data

Useful applications.
Usable data.

I’m Andy Chan, a developer at the University of Houston’s Population Health department. I build the applications research teams actually want to use — and I bring their scattered data together so it can finally do its job.

See my work Email me
Portrait of Andy Chan
Houston, TX · University of Houston

Programs I support

  • AIM‑AHEAD
  • RCMI
  • CTPH

01 Selected work

Projects with a job to do

A few examples of how I build applications, connect data, and simplify everyday workflows for research teams.

Internal application · University of Houston

Service Ticket System

The problem. The research cores I support ran service requests through Crow Canyon NITRO — capable software, but difficult for staff to use day to day.

What I built. A replacement ticket system with a familiar online‑shopping style interface, so staff can submit a request and follow it from start to finish in one place.

The result. Requests, turnaround times, and service‑quality data now live in one place — and feed the service‑metrics reporting that goes into our NIH grant renewals.

  • Full-stack build
  • Service requests
  • Reporting data
More about the work

The system is designed around how core staff already think: browse services like a catalog, add what you need to a request, and track its status the way you’d track a package. The system captures service content, turnaround time, and quality for service‑metrics reports submitted to NIH.

Workflow illustration A request moves through four stages: request, track, complete, and report. Request Track Complete Report
Workflow illustration · request to report

Collaborative project

CTPH Research Catalog

Source repository ↗

  • Data pipelines
  • PubMed feeds
  • Collaborative

The problem. Researcher publications, grants, and biosketches need to be brought together across Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston.

What I built. Working with developers at Baylor College of Medicine, I contributed staged import pipelines, PubMed data feeds, schema mapping, and role‑based access control.

The result. A shared catalog that brings researcher information together across both institutions.

More about the work

My work includes importing and exporting researcher data, mapping source fields to the catalog schema, and contributing role‑based access control. This is a shared codebase, with contributions from both institutions.

Internal application · RCMI

Pilot Central

  • Web application
  • Peer review
  • Workflow

The problem. Pilot grant programs need to manage proposal submissions, reviewer assignments, and review feedback.

What I built. An internal hub where proposals are submitted, reviewers are assigned, and scores and comments come back to one place.

The result. Submissions, reviewer assignments, scores, and comments are managed in one internal platform.

More about the work

I built Pilot Central to support the RCMI pilot proposal workflow, from researcher submissions through peer review and scoring.

Internal application · Airtable

Investigator Reporting

  • Airtable
  • Automation
  • Analytics

The problem. Investigator reporting requires keeping submissions organized and reminding people to complete their reports.

What I built. An organized Airtable base with automations — submission tracking, reminder emails to investigators, and analytics over the collected data.

The result. Report submissions are organized in Airtable, with automated reminders and analytics based on the collected data.

More about the work

This is an example of improving a workflow within an existing platform rather than building a new application. I use Airtable to manage submissions and automate reminders.

02 About

Make it user‑friendly.
Make it simple.

That’s been my approach since my web‑developer days, and it still is at the University of Houston. Today I’m a full‑stack data specialist at UH Population Health, supporting AIM‑AHEAD, RCMI, and CTPH. I’m good at meeting people where they are: if a team is attached to a legacy tool, I learn the tool and improve the workflow inside what they already use. If they need something custom, I build it from the ground up.

The work is really about understanding what people want and giving them what they need. A lot of my job is migrating and unifying data out of older or redundant systems and into applications people actually want to open — like the ticket system that replaced Crow Canyon NITRO, whose data now feeds our service‑metrics reporting to NIH.

I also collaborate with Baylor College of Medicine developers on the CTPH Research Catalog. To keep learning, I recently built a self‑directed Power BI report using public NIH RePORTER data.

Education. M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction — University of Houston, 2019.

What I work with

Build
PHP/Laravel · React · Vue · JavaScript/TypeScript · Node · REST APIs
Connect
SQL · PostgreSQL · MySQL · REDCap · Qualtrics
Automate
Airtable + workflow automation · Power BI (self‑directed)

Earlier web work

Previous projects — listed for the record.

03 Contact

Have a workflow that could be simpler?

That’s usually where my favorite projects start. Send me a note and tell me what’s harder than it should be.

andy741231@hotmail.com github.com/andy741231