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)
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Lens on patient care & allied health workforce across settings
The CEO of Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA), Bronwyn Morris-Donovan spoke with Australian Health Journal about the following:
The structure and priorities for AHPA
The setting and disciplines in Allied Health
Allied Health representation in the Strengthening Medicare Task Force
Importance of a data strategy and interoperability in delivery of allied health services
Key allied health priorities hopefully addressed in Federal Budget.In the lead up to the Australian Federal Budget in May 2023, Australian Health Journal reached out to peak health industry bodies to hear about their priorities, either noted in pre-budget submissions lodged with Federal Government in January 2023 or in recent forums such as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.
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Australian Healthcare Week 2019: Pitch Fest Finalist Coviu
Telelheath startup company Coviu was a Pitch Fest Finalist at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week Expo in Sydney. The Coviu platform has been developed as an spinoff from CSIRO and allows healthcare businesses offer video consultations to their own patients. It differs from being just a ‘talking head’ platform that Skype or Zoom could offer, by providing clinical tools integrated within the app. Anne Dao spoke with Co-founder and CEO Silvia Pfeiffer about the company and platform’s journey to date and its longer term goals.
Coviu helps healtcare businesses by helping fit in more consultation during that day and reducing no-shows for appointments. Also given the nature of the dispersed population, the application reaches to rural and regional areas where patients are a long distance from their healthcare provider. The company is focused on the Australian market and aims to enter the US market next year
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The 2019 John Deeble Lecture and Panel Discussion
The John Deeble Lecture and Panel Discussion was established by the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association to commemorate the life and achievements as distinguished scholar, health economist and health policy leader, Prof John Deeble AO.
