Healthcare 2040 Day Two: Thursday, 20 March 2025


9:00 am - 9:10 am Opening Remarks from the Chair

Bettina McMahon - Chief Executive Officer, Healthdirect Australia
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Bettina McMahon

Chief Executive Officer
Healthdirect Australia

  • Exploring the role of leadership in driving transformative innovation 
  • Balancing cost, quality, and accessibility in delivering patient-centric care 
  • Preparing for the next generation of workforce needs through technology and training 
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Bettina McMahon

Chief Executive Officer
Healthdirect Australia

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Sinรฉad O'Brien

Deputy Chief Executive Strategy and Governance
SA Health

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Robert Marshall

Chief Strategy Officer
St Vincent's Health Australia

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Stewart Dowrick

Experienced Health Leader and Advisor
Former Mid North Coast LHD

9:50 am - 10:10 am Keynote | The future of the healthcare workforce: Blending human Touch with technological innovation in patient care

Bettina McMahon - Chief Executive Officer, Healthdirect Australia
  • Exploring the ways in which clinician and care roles will evolve over the coming decades as AI and automation reshapes responsibilities and opportunities in healthcare 
  • Ensuring that technology complements rather than replaces human interactions by integrating advanced technologies into care delivery without sacrificing empathy 
  • Preparing the workforce with digital skills and continuous training, equipping them to work effectively alongside AI and robotics 
  • Balancing innovation with human-centered care, envisioning a future where technology enhances patient outcomes while preserving compassionate care 
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Bettina McMahon

Chief Executive Officer
Healthdirect Australia

  • Addressing health literacy and English language barriers to ensure all patients can access and understand their healthcare options 
  • Enhancing healthcare access for remote and rural areas through telehealth and mobile health services 
  • Prioritising culturally appropriate and person-centred care for Indigenous communities by ensuring that healthcare systems and providers are aware of and responsive to Indigenous Australiansโ€™ cultural needs and experiences 
  • Innovating approaches to meet diverse accessibility needs, promoting inclusive and equitable healthcare for all communities 
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Dana Mouwad

Manager Strategic Partnership and Programs/Director of the Health Literacy Hub
Western Sydney LHD

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Simone Sandler

Head of Strategy and Planning, Enterprise Services
St Vincent's Health

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Brigitte Sigl

Consumer Consultant
Consultant

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Justine Swan-Castine

Director Aboriginal Engagement and Strategy Unit
Alice Springs Hospital

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Bettina McMahon

Chief Executive Officer
Healthdirect Australia

10:50 am - 11:20 am Keynote Presentation | Leveraging AI for timely diagnosis and management of ear disease in remote communities

Dr. Jafri Kuthubutheen - Clinical Professor, University of Western Australia
  • Exploring the transformative role of AI and telehealth in ear disease diagnosis for remote areas and communities where the burden of ear disease is high 
  • Discussing insights from a collaborative study with the University of Western Australiaโ€™s AI unit to integrate AI into the diagnostic workflow, offering GPs a reliable tool for diagnosing and managing ear disease 
  • Exploring AIโ€™s potential to support GPs to not just diagnose but also manage ear disease in circumstances when ENT specialists are not readily available 
  • Examining practical considerations in clinical workflows to ensure AI solutions are seamlessly integrated, acting as a digital assistant that can initiate treatment plans and reduce the time to care for patients with hearing diseases 
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Dr. Jafri Kuthubutheen

Clinical Professor
University of Western Australia

11:20 am - 12:00 pm Panel discussion | Redefining efficiency and patient flow management by integrating AI in hospital operations

Bettina McMahon - Chief Executive Officer, Healthdirect Australia
  • Examining applications of AI to optimise hospital operations through predictive staffing and resource allocation
  • Highlighting the use of AI tools in managing patient flow and reducing waiting times in healthcare facilities
  • Enhancing operational efficiency through AI driven predictive maintenance for medical equipment
  • Utilising AI-driven insights to improve patient satisfaction and care outcomes
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Bettina McMahon

Chief Executive Officer
Healthdirect Australia

Figuring out what the ultimate โ€œLab 4.0โ€ looks like is a tough task, but to be successful in your digital journey, it is important to focus on your goals as a business, and what suits objectives and your staff most. Different methods will suit different organisations โ€“ perhaps certain tasks must remain manual for your scientists to be efficient, while others are in dire need of digitalisation to drive efficiency and save lead time and costs. The question of finding a balance remains: will the lab of the future be fully automated, or is there a risk of creating complexity? Join our round-up panel discussion to hear what lab leaders wish to focus on going forward.

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Juliana Iles-Mann

ICT Program Director - Client and Business Services and Fusion (SWLIMS)
NSW Health Pathology

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Ellen Otte

Director, Cell Culture and Cell and Gene Therapy Developmentย 
CSL

12:40 pm - 1:00 pm Linking NSWโ€™s 64 Pathology Labs with Unified Lab Information Management System

Juliana Iles-Mann - ICT Program Director - Client and Business Services and Fusion (SWLIMS), NSW Health Pathology

As a key element of the SDPR rollout, New South Wales Health Pathologyโ€™s are implementing a single Lab Information Management System (LIMS). The project aims to enhance patient safety, quality, access, and equity while rethinking how pathology services are to delivered long-term. By centralising manual processes and data, NSW Pathology aims to reduce manual processing and inform and support cross functional data sharing.

  • Supporting a strategic shift towards utilising pathology data for population health insights and disease prediction
  • Focusing on change management and informing decisions by studying previous LIMS implementations
  • Showcasing the phased implementation approach
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Juliana Iles-Mann

ICT Program Director - Client and Business Services and Fusion (SWLIMS)
NSW Health Pathology

1:00 pm - 1:20 pm Presentation | Increasing Digital Innovation: How AI Can Help to Make Use of Experimental Data in the Laboratory and During Product Development

Sally Gras - Professor & Director, ARC Digital Bioprocess Development Hub, University of Melbourne

Digital innovation offers opportunities for new data-driven insights, products and services that can assist laboratories, including those involved in biotech and biopharmaceutical development. In this talk, Sally will discuss how AI and machine learning can be used, drawing on practical examples from The ARC Digital Bioprocess Development Hub. Sally will outline how experimental data can help to train new models to increase yield, reduce experimental time and potentially increase product stability, as well the barriers to deployment of these models and governance considerations. The need for increased digital literacy and opportunities for upskilling the Australian workforce will also be discussed. 

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Sally Gras

Professor & Director, ARC Digital Bioprocess Development Hub
University of Melbourne

Exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by healthcare startups in translating scientific or technological innovations into market-ready solutions.

  • How do startups align their innovations with the needs of healthcare providers, patients, and payers?
  • What strategies should startups use to connect with key stakeholders, including physicians, regulatory bodies and investors?
  • Highlighting the importance of product commercialisation โ€“ how can startups navigate the complexities of market adoption, especially when their products are technically advanced but may be misaligned or undervalued?
  • How can startups effectively navigate complex approval processes (e.g., TGA, FDA) and ensure compliance while maintaining agility in their development process?
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Harikesh Pushpapathan

Investment Manager
Stoic VC

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Zachary Tan

General Partner
Aegis Ventures

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Joseph Po

Health 10x Program Manager, UNSW Founders
UNSW Founders

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Kumaran Mani

Global Lead - A.Catalyst Mentoring Value Stream
AstraZeneca

2:00 pm - 3:20 pm Start-Up Pitchfest!

3:20 pm - 4:30 pm AWH Grand Prize Giveaway!

3:30 pm - 3:40 pm Closing Remarks from the Chair