A new Chair has been named to lead the Australasian Institute of Digital Health after founding Chair Michael Walsh steps down from the role in November.
Former Australian Digital Health Agency interim chief executive Bettina McMahon will take over as Chair, joining the Board after the Annual General Meeting on 19 November.
Michael was appointed as the first, independent Chair of the Institute which launched in February 2020 following the merger of the Health Informatics Society of Australia and the Australasian College of Health Informatics.
Michael led the launch and establishment of the new Institute, positioning it as the peak professional body and champion for workforce development in digital health.
In its first year, the Institute has set a strategic direction and a mission for “Healthier lives digitally enabled”, with membership numbers boosted by clinicians and health executives engaged by a wave of digital health interest during the pandemic.
Michael is also chair of the inaugural Digital Health Institute Summit taking place in five Australian cities and virtually during November 2020.
Bettina McMahon said she is looking forward to collaborating and working with the digital health community through the Fellows and Members of the Institute.
“The Institute brings together digital health leaders, executives, decision makers clinicians and nursing professionals from every field of healthcare in a single, influential peak body able to make a real difference.
“I will be honoured to lead the Institute at a time when developments in digital health like artificial intelligence, genomics, virtual care and precision health are rapidly transforming the patient experience,” she said.