Working Group 2023

Digital Health Week is supported by a Working Group with member representation from the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and UNSW. The Working Group is a valued group, responsible for creating engaging content and providing guidance across the scientific program and event organisation. The group members’ expertise and research interests are diverse and the team is inclusive of early career researchers and HDR student representatives. If you would like to contact the Working Group, please email your questions or comments to melissa.brunner@sydney.edu.au.

	Dr Krestina Amon is a lecturer and researcher in the theme of Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health in the School of Medical Sciences, and a leadership group member of the Cyberpsychology Research Group at the University of Sydney. She has research experience in child and adolescent mental health, and a strong interest in the use of innovative digital health technologies and social media in research and study recruitment. She has worked on a number of research projects utilising technology for improving health outcomes, and for teaching in higher education. Her current research is focused on the use of social media platforms and other online communities by healthcare professionals. Twitter: @KrestinaAmon.
	Dr Adeola Bamgboje-Ayodele (Adeola - name is pronounced as spelt) is a Research Fellow in Human Factors, within the Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health theme. Adeola is currently working on a Digital Health CRC project focused on using decision support for more responsive care, better patient outcomes and greater efficiency. Their role is aimed at using human factors methods to determine how to improve the fit between clinical decision support systems, its users (typically but not limited to clinicians) and the entirety of their work system. Current research interests are in human factors, usability evaluation, implementation science, clinical decision support systems and virtual models of care. Twitter: @Adeola_B1.
	Dr Rahul D Barmanray is an endocrinologist and general physician at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. He is currently completing his PhD in the field of inpatient diabetes with his early PhD work awarded Young Investigator's Awards of the Australasian Diabetes Society and The University of Melbourne. He is particularly interested in the ability of technology to improve patient care, healthcare outcomes, and the patient experience. Rahul is also a committed educator and develops and delivers education to endocrinology advanced trainees through the Australian Diabetes Society, to medical students of the University of Melbourne, and to Cub Scouts at 6th Melbourne Scout Group. Following his PhD work he plans to pursue his passions for diabetes, education, and technology as a clinician-researcher in these fields.
	Dr Peter Brown is a postdoctoral fellow at the UNSW Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering and is conducting research in the field of data driven telehealth services. His background is in full-stack software engineering, contributing to and maintaining the codebases powering critical remote patient monitoring telehealth mobile applications. As the academic coordinator of the Tyree Foundation Institute of Health Engineering (Tyree IHealthE) Connected Health Network Laboratory (CHANL), Peter is responsible for developing the scope and schedule of new projects, offering guidance and assistance including the delivery of training workshops on health application development, regulatory requirement expectations, and barriers constraining the design and development of mobile health applications. He is currently supervising approximately 30 undergraduate thesis students working with CHANL on biomedical software engineering projects.
	Conference Chair Dr Melissa ‘Liss’ Brunner is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Acquired Brain Injury Communication Lab and Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. She is an early career researcher and certified practicing speech pathologist with clinical and research expertise in acquired neurologic disorders. With research experience and collaborations that extend across interdisciplinary health care contexts, Liss has specialist skills in qualitatively driven social media and digital health mixed methods research. Her doctoral research laid the necessary groundwork in understanding the complexity of the issues surrounding people with a traumatic brain injury in using social media and how it may (or may not) be addressed during their rehabilitation. Liss strongly believes in using social media for research translation (in particular on Twitter as @LissBEE_CPSP) and believes that Digital Health Week is a fantastic opportunity to continue building meaningful connections and inclusion for all stakeholders in the Digital Health space.
	Ysobel Cranfield is part of the FMH Networks support office and manages the Digital Health and Informatics Network (DHIN) at The University of Sydney. Ysobel’s background is in Biomedical Sciences, having previously worked in paediatric oncology clinical trials with the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network before joining the FMH Networks support office in March 2022. Ysobel is currently studying a Master of Sustainability with the University of Sydney and is excited to translate this knowledge into the event management of Digital Health Week 2023. Ysobel is very much enjoying learning about the innovative projects, minds, and stories in the digital health and informatics world! Find the Digital Health and Informatics Network (DHIN) on Twitter.
	Dr Sathana Dushyanthen is a Medical Educator, Lecturer and Researcher with specialisation in Cancer Sciences. Her work strives to use innovative educational principles, tools and teaching methods to develop engaging and contemporary curriculum. She successfully led the development of the brand new wholly online Master of Cancer Sciences at the University of Melbourne and currently leads the Coordination and Supervision of the Cancer Research Capstone. She is now the Digital Health Workforce Development Specialist at the Centre for Digital Health Transformation and works on a variety of educational programming while leading the Academic Coordination for the Applied Learning Health Systems course. Her current research interests include evaluation of educational program outcomes. She is an avid Science Communicator, participating in several public forums and has a business and YouTube channel ‘Science in Motion’, to engage in public science education. Twitter: @DrSatDushy.
	Dr Dorna Esrafilzadeh is a materials engineer and a Scientia Senior Lecturer at the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (Sydney). Dorna has a broad interest in integrating the design and use of biomedical devices in digital health technologies. In particular, she is keen on the inclusiveness of digital healthcare technologies with a person-centred approach to developing biomedical devices that cater for all end-users. With the focus on scientific programs and networking events for Digital Health Week 2023, she is confident that the event will be a great opportunity for fruitful discussions on the future of eHealth. Dorna can be found in Twitter.
	Dr Rowena Forsyth is a health sociologist and a Lecturer in Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health and part of the Cyberpsychology Research Group at the University of Sydney. She uses qualitative methods to understand social, relational and ethical aspects of how health professionals, patients and families use health information. Her research has studied a variety of health information topics including the transition from paper based to computerised pathology ordering, patient-held health records, ethical aspects of bone marrow transplant and medical tourists’ decision making and use of online support communities. Rowena is looking forward to DHW22 and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and thoughtful discussion of innovation and participation in digital health. You can find Rowena on Twitter.
	Dr Xue 'Snow' Li has a disciplinary background in psychology and public health, focusing on the integration of mental health care. Snow has a PhD in Psychiatry in which she examined the mental health service interactions for people with complex support needs using mixed research methods, including interrogation of large linked datasets, analysis of factors associated with emergency department presentation and psychiatric readmission, and focus groups of key service providers. Snow is also passionate about conversations and innovations in health technology. She has launched two health start-ups, and she is a mentor at the UNSW Founders program.
	Sayan Mitra is a PhD candidate in the Healthy Longevity Research and Clinical Program at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney. With his background in clinical medicine and public health, his current research is in lifestyle interventions, including mHealth, towards improving health outcomes in patients with and at risk of cardiovascular disease. Twitter handle: @SayanSydney.
	Dr Michelle Mun is a Dentist and Lecturer in Digital Transformation of Health at the Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne. She is embedding digital health into the Doctor of Dental Surgery curriculum, in collaboration with the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health. She graduated as a dentist in 2015 and holds a Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. Her interests are in the use of data for prediction of disease and treatment outcomes in dentistry. She is passionate about interprofessional collaboration and consumer participation in digital health, and is thrilled to be part of this year’s team for Digital Health Week.
	Dr Jessica Orchard is a Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centenary Institute and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney. She also has a background in public health and law. Jessica’s research aims to improve the quality of cardiac screening programs to prevent sudden cardiac death and catastrophic disability from stroke. These projects have used novel eHealth tools and have made best practice recommendations to address legal and ethical responsibilities which arise during the process. Jessica’s research aims to improve the quality of screening programs to reduce the tragedy of sudden cardiac death in athletes and prevent the devastating impact of stroke. Jessica joined the Digital Health Week Working Group to foster collaboration across disciplines in digital health research and help discover the potential applications of innovative technology to improve health. She is on Twitter.
	Meg Perrier is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Project Officer for the Learning Health Systems (LHS) Academy at the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, University of Melbourne. Her work with the LHS Academy includes program development to help create career pathways for clinicians invested in the future of digital health and health informatics, while providing tools and support to foster leadership and innovation in the space. Her research interests lie in actionable research, looking at implementation of digital innovations and application in learning health systems. Her most recent experience has been in operationalizing a virtual model of care to triage COVID positive patients across the primary and tertiary care setting. Meg is incredibly excited to contribute to Digital Health Week 2023 and facilitate meaningful connections and foster collaboration across the Digital Health space.
	Rodrigo Rizzo is a Doctoral Candidate at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He is a physiotherapist who has worked in the management of chronic pain for over 15 years. Rod conducts process evaluation using quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate facilitators/barriers and mechanisms of interventions for treating pain. Twitter: @rodrizzo_pain.
	Ilene Shen is the Communications and Events Officer at the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health at the University of Melbourne. She has experience in digital communications, event management, and overseeing both internal and external engagement. With a background in the New Zealand primary healthcare sector, Ilene is interested in contributing towards the innovation of digital tools to further shape the digitalisation of healthcare in Australia. Ilene is excited to be joining to the team at Digital Health Week 2023, and contribute towards the opportunity to foster meaningful collaborations and add value in the digital health space.
	Deputy Chair Dr Louise Thornton is a senior research fellow and Program Lead of Digital Interventions and Engagement at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney. She leads a program of research to identify and understand the most effective ways digital technologies can be leveraged to reduce chronic disease risk and improve people’s mental health. Her research primarily focusses on adolescents and young people, and people experiencing mental health problems. Dr Thornton also leads a program of science communication and research that promotes the Matilda Centre’s research to a global audience. She has a passion for supporting early and mid career (EMCR) researchers, having chaired the Society for Mental Health Research's EMCR committee since 2016. She also serves on the board of directors of the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions. Dr Thornton is excited to be helping to organise Digital Health Week 2023 and facilitate great conversations and connections between digital health researchers across Australia. Connect with Dr Thornton on Twitter via: @Louise_Thornton
	Dr Zerina Tomkins is a clinician-scientist with strong interest in enhancing individual's health resilience to climate change through community empowerment, research and education. She is an associate professor of nursing at Monash University, School of Nursing and Midwifery where she is also involved in the development of digital health education interventions. As a member of the Digital health Week organising committee, Zerina is keen to discuss the role of digital health in developing interventions addressing the impact of climate change on noncommunicable diseases across the lifespan that is inclusive, culturally sensitive, interdisciplinary and person-centric. Zerina can be found on Twitter.
	Dr David Tsai is a Senior Lecturer jointly appointed at the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, at UNSW, Sydney Australia. He currently leads the Biomedical Microsystem Lab. With research students, R&D engineers and research assistants, the research focusing on developing next-generation, miniature implantable bioelectronics, particularly for the nervous system. Dr Tsai has been supported by prestigious Fellowships from the NHMRC (CJ Martin) and the Kavli Foundation and has been continuously funded by the NHMRC since 2013. His research has also appeared in journals such as Nature Communications and Nature Nanotechnology. He received his PhD in biomedical engineering at UNSW under Prof. Nigel Lovell and Prof. John Morley. He then completed postdoctoral training at Columbia University under the joint guidance of Prof. Kenneth Shepard and Prof. Rafael Yuste.
	Milan Vaghasiya is an enthusiastic researcher, a health informatician and a health manager. He is currently working as a Clinical Documentation Specialist in Western Sydney Local Health District. He also works as a Clinical Reference Lead at the Australian Digital Health Agency. Previously, he worked as a clinician for more than ten years in Westmead Emergency Department. Milan is doing his PhD at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on the implementation of the Electronic Medication Management System in a hospital setting. His expertise/interests include Health IT system evaluation, clinical informatics, data analytics, organisational efficiency, and patient safety. He received a Master of Health Management & Master of Public Health from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Milan has published his research in various national and international journals/conferences. Being a member of the Digital Health Week 23 organising committee, Milan is excited to connect with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds in the digital health field and discuss how technology can help solve healthcare problems. Milan can be found on Twitter or Linkedin.
	Emma van der Schyff is undertaking a PhD with the Cyberpsychology Research Group at the University of Sydney. The project is focussed on videogame players’ mental health outcomes and their mental health help-seeking behaviour. Emma is passionate about researching the impact of technology on behaviour, and how we can develop cohort-specific strategies to direct individuals to mental health support. Emma can’t wait to contribute to Digital Health Week 2023 and help shape what is one of their favourite events of the year! Twitter: @EmmaVDSchyff.
	Jacqueline Wells is the Senior Project Officer at the Tyree Foundation Institute of Health Engineering (Tyree IHealthE) at the University of New South Wales. She is a marketing and communications professional, with experience in developing digital communications strategies, stakeholder engagement programs, and managing large strategic events. With a background in social sciences and digital communications, Jacqueline is especially interested in the potential for better communication around health technology and innovation. She has over 10 years' experience working in higher education; prior to joining Tyree IHealthE she worked at the University of Sydney, where she ran a virtual network for researchers in digital health. Jacqueline is excited that UNSW is joining the organising team in 2023 and is looking forward to engaging beyond organisational silos to create a valuable event. You can find Tyree IHealthE on Twitter @TyreeIHealthE.
	Dr Ling Zhang is a clinical researcher and a practicing registered nurse of Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She has a strong research interest in understanding and supporting patients who have heart disease throughout their recovery, encouraging and enabling good self-management and reducing cardiac events recurrence through secondary prevention. Dr Zhang is passionate about determining the role of digital technology in supporting disadvantage cardiac patient groups including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and those with inadequate health literacy and poor English language proficiency.