Edith de Boer is the HR Director for Zimmer Biomet in Australia and New Zealand. Her career originally was in telecommunications and consulting in Europe. After leaving The Netherlands, Edith worked into the Australian medical research industry, before moving into a human resources role at Zimmer Biomet. Edith spoke to Australian Health Journal about her role and the organisation.
Promoting medical technology as an industry is important for Zimmer Biomet. The organisation runs a program called “Your future in STEM” helping girls at high school children consider STEM as a career, through to career professionals in the “Women-Inspired Network” or WIN as it’s commonly referred to. In clinical professions, the Zimmer Biomet “Women in Orthopaedics” program for female surgeons, acts in an advocate and support role.
Collaboration and work mindset of one team is very important for the organisation, as well as employees having a sense of belonging and being included. So whilst, talent can be difficult to find in the current market, Zimmer Biomet staff are together taking a journey of change that’s occurring across the industry.
Upbeat Edith’s energy is refreshing! Anyone looking to enter the medical technology industry and specifically the humans resources role can make a difference to people’s lives. Her advice? Be creative, work hard and have a growth mindset.
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Empowered nurses leading digital health enablement
Nurses have a pivotal role to play in the widespread implementation and adoption of digital health technologies throughout the healthcare sector for the primary purpose of improving safety and quality of patient care.
Australian Health Journal talked to two of Australian top leaders in nursing and in digital health on how the role of nursing is pivotal to the success of digital health in the Australian health system.
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New clinical research entity first to operate across both Australia and New Zealand
Over the past 30 years, 18,000 clinical trials that have been registered in Australia, with the sector contributing $1.4 billion to Australia’s economy annually. Trials are a critical aspect of evidence-based medicine, and are essential for testing how new treatments, tests and vaccines will work. In New Zealand they contribute $146 million to the New Zealand economy.
To capitalise on this unique position and growth, a coordinated multi-site clinical research operation was missing, until now.
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Maximising benefits, minimising harms in population health screening
Population screening is an important contributor to advancing health outcomes through the early detection of and successful intervention for chronic disease. The evolution of science, technology and evidence relating to diseases which are or may be amenable to a population screening approach deserve broad discussion and the sharing of expertise and evidence. They also warrant close scrutiny in context of health policy and health resource allocation considerations.
In March, Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) convened Screening Conference Conference 2025 with the theme of ‘Population Screening for Chronic Disease – Maximising Benefits, Minimising Harms’.
