SA event to shine a light on interactive technologies in healthcare and rehabilitation

Our next AIDH SA branch event will delve into interactive technologies explaining how these innovations can enhance healthcare and rehabilitation. The expert session in Adelaide on Tuesday 5 September 2023 will be hands-on and include practical examples from research, industry and clinical settings.

Speakers are virtual reality and game-based exercise and rehabilitation researcher, Deputy Chair, AIDH SA Branch Committee and Associate Professor at Flinders University,, A/Prof Belinda Lange FAIDH, future thinking data analyst and AIDH SA Chair Tina Hardin CHIA, computer scientist Dr Zygmunt Szpak and virtual reality entrepreneur, Dr Sebastian Koenig.

Dr Koenig is founder and CEO of Katana Simulations, which design, develop and test virtual scenarios for training and assessment in clinical and academic domains. He has overseen design, development and testing for virtual reality and game-based rehabilitation tools, developed virtual environments to assess and train cognitive functions and ran clinical trials for brain-injured patients.

Being trained in experimental neuropsychology and human interface technology engineering, Dr Koenig’s aim is to combine the best of both worlds to redefine rehabilitation and digital health. He is excited about the future possibility of virtual and augmented reality becoming second nature and shaping tomorrow’s healthcare systems.

Dr Szpak has a PhD in computer science and over a decade experience working at the intersection of AI, machine learning and challenging industry problems. He is executive director of Insight Via Artificial Intelligence and has extensive experience in the research, development and deployment of AI, machine learning, virtual/augmented reality and data analytics technologies and a track record in helping organisations adopt AI intelligently using education, training, and in-house developed AI implementation framework.

A/Prof Lange has 20 years’ experience in co-design and evaluation of digital health technologies such as virtual reality, virtual humans and game-based rehabilitation tools in clinical and community settings. An experienced physiotherapist, educator and digital health researcher, A/Prof Lange is passionate about partnering with clinicians, consumers and industry to build digital health capacity and explore how interactive technologies can enhance clinical practice, training and wellness.

Tina Hardin, who is facilitator of the event, has worked for almost 20 years as a future thinking data analyst with a passion for using data and technology to inform excellence in clinical care. She is Executive Director, Clinical Informatics at South Australia’s Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health.

“We surveyed our members and asked what they’d like to know more about,” Tina said. “Emerging tech was one theme, along with education and information for their career, and research. Our last event was about health careers and for this one we realised we could tap into a range of experts in VR and augmented reality to pull together an exciting session that would give people the opportunity to think about the tech and how it could be applied within healthcare.”

The event, which is free for members and $30 for non-members, attracts 1 CPD point for CHIA recertification and is an opportunity to learn, network and connect. Sponsored by Hospital Products Australia (HPA) and supported by EY (Ernst & Young), it will take place next Tuesday 5 September 2023 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm ACST at EY, Level 12, 121 King William St, Adelaide.

In person registration and virtual online attendance are available until 5 September. AIDH members who cannot attend can watch the event on Digital Health TV. For information or enquiries contact Vanessa Huynh-King at [email protected] or call 03 9326 3311.