25 May 2021

It’s all about the membership: On our mission to drive Australasia’s digital health movement, we salute the Fellows and Members at grass roots level who are making it happen. Renewals period has just ended (thank you!) and membership growth is at a record high, particularly among organisations. One of the ways we are catching corporate interest is through the certification program (CHIA) which can accredit dozens of employees at a time and lift the digital health profile of the company workforce.

Last week, leaders of all branches and the Communities of Practice met to talk strategy for the year ahead. More work will be done to set priorities around members’ interests. Also, after a year of exclusively online networking, in-person events are on the way back. I was in Canberra for the ACT Branch event, where we were updated by Department of Health leaders as well as ACT health executives. Such a calibre of visitors is greatly appreciated by the branch members and numerous guests who took the opportunity to network with decision-makers.

Branch events are for members and non-members so check out the calendar for June and start connecting.

PS: And speaking of connecting, it's been a while but I am looking forward to seeing many of the #genomics #digitalhealth community in Melbourne in person this week for HealthData21.

Dr Louise Schaper PhD FAIDH FIAHSI CHIA BSc(OT)Hons

I meet ACT event speakers: Rebecca Heland, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Information Officer, ACT Health; Assistant Secretary Sam Peascod and First Assistant Secretary Daniel McCabe from the Department of Health; Katrina Keep, Senior Director, ACT Health and Aimee Solomon, Chief Pharmacy Information Officer, ACT Health.

Health workforce census underway: The 2021 Global HIDDIN Workforce Census, held every three years, is live until 31 May 2021. The aim of the census project is to quantify and qualify the global HIDDIN (Health Informatics, Digital, Data, Information, kNowledge) workforce, to delineate and count the workforce, consider the future configuration of the workforce, identify shortfalls, and identify current health information training and career pathways. You are part of the workforce if any part of your role includes a function related to health data, information, or knowledge. Functions could include analysing, designing, developing, implementing, maintaining, managing, operating, evaluating, or governing the data, technology, systems, and services for the health sector.

CHIA - Call for committee nominations: Qualified CHIAs are being asked to invest in the future of the health informatics profession by nominating for a position on the CHIA Examination Committee. The Committee manages and develops the content of the CHIA Exam and is responsible for ensuring and maintaining the quality framework of CHIA. If you are interested, please complete the online application before 31 May 2021.

Join other CHIAs on LinkedIn! The CHIA Alumni group is open to all CHIAs. You can ask questions, offer advice and share your CHIA journey with others like you.

HealthData21 opens this Thursday 27 May in Melbourne. Register now so you don’t miss this important event bringing together Australia’s genomics experts and health data leaders and the opportunity to network with your digital health peers in person.

Early bird registration is now open for NI 2021: There are additional discounts for members, students and groups of 3 or more from the same organisation. Register now to join nurses and midwives at the cutting edge of health's digital transformation and learn about nursing in the digital age.

The Digital Health Institute Summit 2021 will be held in-person in Melbourne 18 – 19 October. We are calling on speakers to share your work and your ideas with a national audience. Academics & researchers are also invited to submit an abstract – accepted authors can submit a full paper to Applied Clinical Informatics for a fast-tracked review process. Applications close on 7 June.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact sponsorship@digitalhealth.org.au.

Members love DHTV: Our video channel is a big hit! Institute members can access outstanding quality, informative videos online from our health informatics, digital health, telehealth and health data analytics conferences and other events. We are adding to Digital Health TV regularly so check back for new material by logging in with your member ID here. If you are not yet an Institute Member or Fellow, visit the membership page for details on how to join the digital health movement.

Other benefits include finding your tribe amongst our Communities of Practice, free access to hundreds of videos on Digital Health TV, subscription to Pulse+IT and more!

Study health informatics in SA: The 2021 Health Informatics Short Course at Flinders University has been rescheduled and is being conducted from 12-16 July in Adelaide (at the Victoria Square Campus). There are 20 CHIA points attached to the course which is run by Institute member Mark Brommeyer.

This webinar presented by healthcare analytics specialists Aginic, features practical case studies that demonstrate how data analytics is helping solve strategic, operational and clinical challenges in healthcare today. For more cutting-edge content on genomics, precision medicine, AI and data analytics, register to attend HealthData21.

Members can also watch them on demand on Digital Health TV!