ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY HEALTH ALLIANCE TACKLE TOMORROW’S NATIONAL HEALTH CHALLENGES TODAY Trends report identifies prototyping targets for breakthroughs in digital and hybrid futures
With
Vishaal Kishore,
Professor of Innovation and Public Policy
RMIT University &
Executive Chair, RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab &
Director – Impact, RMIT University, Melbourne
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Melbourne | June 2025
Vishaal Kishore, a Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at RMIT in Melbourne, serves as the Executive Chair of the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab and RMIT’s Director of Impact. Led by the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab, the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance combines the best minds, technologists, industry capabilities and academic resources to solve pressing industry and social challenges through technology-driven innovation. The NIIN aims to pool insights and expertise to address national health challenges, marking its first vertical focus on health.
Last year a “Sandbox” was established to serve as a digitally rich collaboration and prototyping studio designed for privacy and security, ready to innovate in aged care and healthcare. The “Sandbox” housed at RMIT-Cisco’s Health Transformation Lab is a digitally-enabled mock care setting where researchers, startups and health system professionals work together on prototypes for the future of health. The Sandbox enables a frictionless pipeline from idea to implementation. The inclusion of autonomous robotics, has created a space where the most futuristic visions for health can be trialled, tested, and translated into practice.
The Health Transformation Lab emphasises user engagement, prioritising the voices of clients and clinicians to design solutions based on their needs rather than assumptions. This practice aims to ensure that any technology developed gains traction in health systems only if it genuinely reflects user requirements.
The NIIN Health Alliance has identified urgent needs in the healthcare system, considering the rapidly evolving technological landscape. As part of their strategic planning, they reviewed nearly 10,000 articles and reports to outline pivotal trends for the future in the publication “Health x Digital Transformation Report 2024-2025”.
In this report, a significant focus has been on the implications of augmented intelligence, remote patient monitoring, digital simulations, adaptable systems, and leveraging advancements in biotechnology, aiming to prepare the healthcare sector for emerging challenges and opportunities in the coming years.
Source: Written from transcript and health transformation lab website by AUDIENCED
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Recognising service in health regulation
In April 2023, Professor John Skerritt retired from his position of Deputy Secretary Health Products Regulation Group, a role he has been in since 2012. During his time at the TGA he had line responsibility for over 1200 staff involved in the regulation of therapeutic goods, regulation of gene technology and industrial chemicals and control of drug import, export and production.
At this year’s ARCS 2023 Conference, ARCS Australia CEO Dr Shanny Dyer paid tribute to Professor Skerritt and his service to the Australian health industry. She led a tribute with fellow industry heads, Elizabeth de Somer, CEO, Medicines Australia, Anne Harris, Managing Director, Pfizer Australia & New Zealand, Deon Schoombie, CEO, Consumer Healthcare Products Australia, Ian Burgess, CEO, Medical Technology Association of Australia and Arthur Brandwood, President ARCS Australia.
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A New Era in Primary Health Care Nursing
Coinciding with this year’s International Nurses Day, this week’s Federal Budget has had some significant outcomes for the primary health care, nursing workforce.
The Federal Budget delivered on 9th May 2023, APNA believes will strengthen Australia’s primary health care (PHC) system by addressing growing nursing shortages, seeing more nurses hired where they are needed, and better utilising the largest workforce in PHC of nearly 100,000 nurses to their full potential to reduce the pressure on the health system.
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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.
