Presented by Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
Discover how Australian innovations in medical technology are improving the lives of people around the world.
From helping patients sleep and breathe better, to printing custom titanium body parts, to giving a voice back to those who are locked in their bodies – advances in medical technology continue to help us live longer and better than ever.
Join ABC’s Dr Norman Swan and a panel of leading minds in medical technology as they share how their innovations are changing lives, the stories behind the drive for medical advancement and the journey of turning an idea into reality.
Speakers:
Professor Louisa Jorm is the Foundation Director of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at the UNSW Sydney. She is an international leader in health ‘big data’ research and specifically in applying advanced analytic methods to large-scale routinely collected data, including hospital inpatient and medical and pharmaceutical claims data. Her main current research interests are in application of advanced analytics to large scale electronic health data to create real-world evidence about topics including disparities in cardiovascular disease care and outcomes, variation in surgical outcomes, healthcare at end-of-life and Aboriginal health. She is a high-profile advocate for more and better use of routinely collected health data for research.
Greg Peake is the Senior Vice President of Innovation in the Sleep Business at ResMed, where he leads a future-focused team using data analytics and digital technology to improve the products and care for people with sleep apnea. Gregand his team utilise and enhance one of the world’s largest patient monitoring systems and fleet of connected medical devices. Greg previously led the company’s Sleep-Disordered Breathing Business Unit, and held several other roles in Engineering, Strategic Marketing and Executive Management roles over the past 15 years, working in Australia and in the United States. Greg graduated from the UNSW Sydney with degrees in Mechatronic Engineering and Industrial Design.
Peter Ford is the Founder and Director of Innovation at Control Bionics. For some people, Peter’s face may be familiar from his time as a CNN news anchor. But Peter’s real passion has always been bionics and robotics. In particular, he was inspired by the potential to help free one of the world’s great minds, Stephen Hawking. In 1989, Peter identified that the patients’ damaged muscles still emitted small electrical signals that could be used to reliably control basic computer functions. And with that, Control Bionics was born.
Dr Tegan Cheng is a biomedical engineer and scientist principally based in Kids Research at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. She works closely with clinicians to develop novel solutions to address unmet needs in paediatrics. Her main research areas are the development and commercialisation of implantable and wearable medical devices for children’s musculoskeletal conditions and the application of 3D printing to improve health outcomes for children.
Location: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo NSW 2007
