Our highlights

Events

Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) Showcase

In early December 2020, the Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute hosted a showcase at which the Swinburne research community learned more about the ongoing Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) and discovered potential research opportunities.

Having been launched in 2018 and been awarded $55 million by the Australian Government through the Department of Trade and Commerce, the DHCRC focusses on improving healthcare quality for everyone through evidence. This is accomplished by partnering with universities, industry and government to deliver transformational outcomes through expertise in health data research and knowledge application. The best and brightest PhD researchers are embedded with partner organisations to solve complex problems and deliver change. Swinburne is one of the university partners in the DHCRC and already has three projects underway and is working with the major flagship project Practice Analytics; it is also working towards starting another three projects.

Attendees had the opportunity to hear from three PhD students whose work is part of the DHCRC. Zhao Hui Koh partnering with SiSU Health on chronic illnesses; Thu Ha Dang working with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on a digital intervention to improve medication adherence; and Nalika Ulapane who is working with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on CLOTS (Consultation on Hematological Optimisation on Thrombosis in Surgery). Two Post Doctoral fellows on the DHCRC projects, Dr Chinedu Ossai and Dr Abdul Forkan, also outlined their involvement.

This was followed by a lively panel session during which the needs of our industry partners were outlined. Guest speakers were Associate Professor Kate Burbury from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Patrick Hannebery, SiSU Health’s Head of Analytics and Insights. Both guest speakers spoke about the incredible value for industry of partnering with Swinburne.

Professor Nilmini Wickramasinghe, Swinburne’s lead for the DHCRC, described the breadth and scope of the DHCRC. Professor Lisa Given, Associate Dean, Research and Development, from the Faculty of Health Arts and Design and Dr Kim Wark, Manager of Research Funding and Operations, Swinburne Research, outlined the practical administrative steps necessary for those who would like to participate in the DHCRC.

Further information about the scheme is available at the Digital Health CRC website.

If you require more information about how to participate in the DHCRC, please contact ihi@swinburne.edu.au 

The Telehealth Revolution

In June 2020 the Iverson Health Innovation and Data Science Research Institutes held a webinar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to explore examples of telehealth practices in Australia and examine both their advantages and disadvantages. 

Telecommunication based health services have been available for many years, but have remained an underutilised platform. Now a necessary alternative to traditional face-to-face consultations, this webinar discussed the current research on digital health systems and how this has the potential to revolutionise the health sector.
 

Australia-Korea bioengineering workshop

We held this workshop at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in February 2020 and were sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australia-Korea Foundation. Event organiser Professor Simon Moulton said the workshop was about connecting Australian and Korean researchers and clinicians working in bioengineering with the goal of developing research projects and programs. This would lead to long-term improvements in health outcomes through the development of projects that work on issues common to both Australia and Korea. Additionally, it is hoped it will lead to the exchange of students between Australia and Korea, which will provide valuable training and increased skills for the students. 

Over two days, 35 attendees discussed research topics ranging from drug delivery for cancer treatment and materials for tissue engineering through to the sympathetic nerve recording and its implications in cardiology. The workshop also had a dedicated PhD session that provided students with the valuable opportunity to share their work with their peers. The student session was particularly productive and gave Swinburne students and ECRs the opportunity to give an “invited presentation”, which will be beneficial for their future career development.

The second meeting is scheduled to take place at Inha University Korea in the first week of July 2020. It is hoped that a contingent of Australian researchers and clinicians can attend this meeting to further strengthen the networks established in Melbourne.

Professor Moulton would like to thank the following sponsors of the event: Swinburne, DFAT, the Australian Korean Foundation, the Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, BioFab3D Facility, Sunchon University Korea and Inha University Korea.