REFRAMING WOMEN’S HEALTH AS A SYSTEM-WIDE AGENDA ACROSS INNOVATION, REGULATION, WORKFORCE AND POLICY
With
Professor Robyn Norton AO
Founding Director, The George Institute for Global Health &
Professor of Public Health,
Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney &
Emeritus Professor, Imperial College London
PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | July 2026
In May 2026, Professor Robyn Norton AO, played a prominent role at the inaugural Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) Women’s Health MedTech Summit, Breaking the Silos, held in Sydney.
Professor Robyn Norton AO FAHMS is one of the two Founding Directors of The George Institute for Global Health, Professor of Public Health at UNSW Sydney and Emeritus Professor of Global Health at Imperial College London. Robyn co-established The George Institute’s Global Women’s Health Program and more recently the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine, where she co-leads the Business Translation Working Group. Robyn is a director on the board of the Black Dog Institute, a member of the Women in MedTech Committee of the MTAA and a member of Chief Executive Women. She also chairs the NHMRC’s Gender Guidelines Development Committee and the Advisory Board of the Network of Excellence in Women’s Health at Imperial College London.
Suiting her significant contribution to global health research, her involvement extended beyond being a keynote speaker—she helped frame the strategic direction of the summit and the broader conversation around women’s health innovation in Australia.
The summit itself was designed to address longstanding gaps in women’s health research, medical technology, clinical trials and policy by bringing together clinicians, researchers, industry, investors, government and consumer advocates. Following the event, MTAA reported that almost 200 participants attended and used the discussions to inform a Women’s Health Action Plan aimed at driving future MedTech policy and innovation.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Professor Norton on her research journey, the early stages of the George Institute for Global Health and the priorities for advancing women’s health.
Source: Adapted from MTAA Women’s Health MedTech Summit speaker profile and agenda
Media access credit: Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA)
-
Ready to unleash the potential of the pharmacist health workforce
Last week, Associate Professor Fei Sim the National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), the peak body representing 39,000 pharmacists across Australia’s health system, spoke to Australian Health Journal about the release of the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce – Scope of Practice Review. The review and final report sets out to create a clear pathway for health professionals to contribute more to our health system and practice to their full and top of scope.
-
Calls for National Social Prescribing Scheme
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) and Mental Health Australia are urging the government to implement a national social prescribing scheme to tackle Australia’s mental health and wellbeing crisis.
Mental ill health is a growing problem in Australia and has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2017, GPs across Australia have rated mental health as the most common presentation they see as part of the RACGP’s annual Health of the Nation survey. Approximately 20% of patients consult their GP for what are primarily social problems.
-
App helps Chronic Sleep Deprivation
Earlier this year, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health researchers developed SleepSync, the world’s first app that personalises sleep-wake cycles for shift workers to improve their sleep and overall mood.
The research, led by Dr Jade Murray, was published in the journal, Digital Health. Australian Health Journal met with Dr Murray to hear how the application has evolved and been used in personalisation of sleep habits for health care shift workforce.
