Bringing you the latest news and updates from DHCRC
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A message from our CEO
Annette Schmiede
Mid-year already – and the momentum around digital transformation and investment across Australia’s health system is only accelerating.
Two major national reviews are currently underway, offering the promise of much-needed clarity for our health and medical research and development sector. At the same time, the recent election has delivered the Albanese Government a strong mandate to deliver on its ambitions: boosting economic complexity, lifting productivity from historic lows, and strengthening sovereign capability – all in the context of growing global uncertainty.
At the DHCRC, we have continued to focus on the core concept of innovation – not just as invention, but as a driver of improved health outcomes and smarter models of care. Innovation, underpinned by research and discovery, must be enabled to deliver value – through implementation, partnerships, and systems change.
Yet we continue to hear frustration from our digital technology industry participants about the challenges of doing business in Australia’s health sector. Despite
stated aspirations to increase the share of procurement directed to local companies, the proportion going to Australian businesses remains stubbornly low.
Meanwhile, the UK’s National Health Service has become a growth market for Australian health tech, with many of our companies finding traction in a larger, more coordinated system.
To better understand why, DHCRC recently joined industry partners on a visit to the UK, combining attendance at the NHS Confed Expo and HLTH Europe in Amsterdam with a series of strategic meetings across the NHS, the investor community, and policy and regulatory leaders. We explored in depth the NHS innovation and procurement ecosystem – and asked what lessons might apply in an Australian context.
Our visit coincided with the release of a preview of England’s new 10-year health plan, which is framed around three transformational shifts:
- From treatment to prevention
- From hospitals to community
- From analogue to digital
These priorities could just as easily guide a refreshed national vision for Australia. Reflecting on our own national health strategies, we asked: Are they still current? And do they provide the shared mission needed to unite the many players across Australia’s health landscape?
At HLTH in Amsterdam, one message rang clear: technology accounts for just 20% of successful digital transformation. The remaining 80% is culture. If Australia is to achieve genuine impact from digital health, we must also pursue cultural transformation.
This means developing a shared vision – across state and federal governments,
public and private providers, primary care, aged care, insurers, and community services. With 70% of health spending publicly funded, government has a powerful lever to align efforts – but coordination remains a major challenge.
Encouragingly, we’re seeing early signs of what’s possible through collaboration. The Sparked program is one example. The work of the Australian Digital Health Agency on national infrastructure and My Health Record is another.
At the DHCRC, we have sought to model collaborative innovation through flagship initiatives such as Aged Care Data Compare – helping demonstrate the power of data to drive system improvement.
We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity – not just to enable digital transformation, but to reorient our system toward transformational shift.
Let’s not miss it.
Warm regards,
Annette Schmiede
CEO
Latest News
DHCRC Sydney has moved offices. We are no longer situated at 3 Spring Street.
The new office address is:
Level 3, 180 George Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
Announcing the Aged Care Impact Series
Building on the experience and outputs from the Aged Care Data Compare (ACDC) flagship project, the DHCRC is investing in the development of a pilot SMART on FHIR App to demonstrate the feasibility to government and industry alike of a solution for standardising the functional assessment of older Australians and generating evidence-based quality indicators.
Our mission is to seek out and bring together champions for reform to support the groundswell for aged care data standardisation. The journey started with many of these champions joining us for the kick-off webinar last Thursday afternoon, highlighting why now is the time to shape the aged care data landscape to ensure we meet the needs of Australians through connected care.
Bringing patients along for the health data ride – Health Services Daily
Building public trust is the first step in unlocking the full value of Australia’s health data.
At Digital Health Festival, our Strategic Initiatives & Education Partnerships Lead, Keren Pointon, summed it up beautifully:
- Trust is earned, never assumed.
- Health data is a national asset—protect it, respect it, but above all, use it for good.
- Responsible data-driven research is how we deliver the next big leap in care for both patients and clinicians.
Collaboration to improve the patient virtual care experience
Australia’s first virtual hospital will serve as a test case to evaluate and enhance apps used by patients in virtual models of care as part of a new Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) project.
A new innovative research project involving the DHCRC, Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), Macquarie University, and Alcidion, aims to address current knowledge gaps and improve the experience of using patient-facing apps for virtual hospital remote monitoring.
A national Delphi study
Australian Catholic University is seeking expressions of interest from individuals with expertise across the Australian health and care environment to participate in a national Delphi study shaping the future of digital health and health information systems in Australia. As a member of the Steering Committee, we are supporting efforts to encourage volunteers working in Australia to sign up for this ACU project for research purposes.
This structured, multi-round consultation process will bring together clinical and non-clinical professionals from diverse care settings, geographic regions, and disciplines. The aim is to build a shared national vision informed by broad, representative expertise. This study has been approved by the ACU Human Research Ethics Committee (2024-3682E). EOI's close 13 July.
DHCRC research initiative to use AI predictive care to improve maternal outcomes for CALD women
The Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) has announced a collaborative research project with ASX-listed HeraMED and RMIT University focused on improving maternal health outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women through AI-enabled predictive care.
The project will develop an AI model to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes through integrating culturally diverse datasets. The CALD dataset will be a unique resource to inform clinical decision making and generate insights relevant to both healthcare providers and the broader health system.
Education Update
We’re excited to announce the official launch of the Australian digital health course directory — a new platform to help you find the Australian university digital health courses you need to fulfil your career potential. Whether you're a healthcare professional, student, or tech enthusiast, our platform makes it easy to:
- Search and compare courses from leading universities;
- Find the right course for your career goals;
- Explore topics across digital health “domains of expertise” as per the Australian Digital Health Workforce Capability Framework; and
- Stay updated with new and upcoming programs.
This compilation of courses supports best practice competence and confidence in delivering health and care using digital technologies and data. The directory is a partnership between the 37 universities participating in the Australian Council of Senior Academic Leaders in Digital Health, the MRFF NASCENT project (National infrastructure for real-time clinical AI trials) and the DHCRC, who have combined forces to build digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) workforce capability and capacity across the health, information technology (IT) and computer science workforces.
Digital health action plan unveiled
The Australian Council of Senior Academic Leaders in Digital Health has released its action plan, published in Australian Health Review, detailing two key action areas:
- Support digital health research and innovation to contribute to and accelerate the adoption of known and emerging benefits and evidence aligned with health system priorities.
- Train and educate a future-fit health workforce that can confidently adapt to evolving demands, technologies and opportunities.
An initiative of DHCRC, the Council was launched last year with 37 founding member universities coming together to advance and advocate for the application of digital technology, informatics and data science to health in Australia.
New insights from Nicki Newton on clinician adoption of decision support tools
Congratulations to DHCRC Emerging Leader Nicki Newton on the publication of her latest research in npj Digital Medicine. Nicki’s systematic review investigates how clinicians’ acceptance and use of clinical decision support (CDS) systems change over time. Analysing 67 studies published between 2007 and 2024, the review identifies 132 factors that influence adoption, from initial implementation through to long-term use. The findings reveal how perceptions shift and barriers evolve as users become more familiar with CDS tools. This important work provides valuable guidance for developers, health service leaders, and policymakers aiming to support safe, effective, and sustained use of CDS in clinical practice. Nicki is a PhD Candidate and Senior Research Officer at the University of Sydney.
Happy New Financial Year! Early Bird offer: Effective Telehealth Delivery microlearning for just $45
Take advantage of our Early Bird offer and enrol in Effective Telehealth Delivery for just $45. This innovative, bite-sized learning experience can be completed via mobile phone or web browser and is designed to fit into your life and work day. Created to develop your foundational knowledge and skills in virtual healthcare, this flexible microlearning pathway builds practical skills for delivering safe, effective, and person-centred telehealth consultations. Complete this short course at your own pace in just five minutes a day and gain a verified digital credential and certificate of completion to support your professional development journey. Whether you're new to telehealth or looking to refresh your virtual care skills, this course will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to make every client/patient interaction more effective.
Project Spotlight
From early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the DHCRC, along with Macquarie University, have partnered with a number of primary health networks in Victoria and NSW among other collaborators in successive research projects investigating how near real-time de-identified data from general practices could inform and help optimise care, first for COVID-19 and then extending to long COVID. This encompassed de-identified medication and patient data of over 7 million patient records. Here we provide a snapshot of this collaborative research project and the outcomes it has delivered for clinicians and consumers.
Professor James Boyd is a renowned data linkage expert who leads La Trobe’s Digital Health strategy. In conversation with DHCRC he shares his passion for big data and his focus on research that delivers real-world impact.
Upcoming Events
HIC 2025 - See you there!
HIC2025 is Australia’s leading digital health conference, uniting professionals from academia, industry, government, clinical practice, and the community to explore the future of healthcare. With a focus on Health, Innovation, and Community, the event encourages attendees to engage in meaningful dialogue, disrupt traditional models with cutting-edge solutions, and transform healthcare through digital empowerment. Held from 18–20 August 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, HIC2025 features over 150 speakers and offers a vibrant platform for sharing best practices, celebrating innovation, and building a collaborative, evidence-based future for digital health.
SAVE THE DATE: Ageing Australia National Conference
Under the theme “Age of Excellence: Inspire. Innovate. Impact,” the conference featured a dynamic program that included inspiring keynote addresses, concurrent sessions, specialised workshops, and interactive formats like fishbowl discussions.
