Dr Louise Schaper, CEO of Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) is launching the first National Women in Digital Health Leadership Program.
Here is the message from the AIDH CEO Dr Louise Schaper:
“Today I am proud to say one of the Institute’s long-held goals comes to fruition – the launch of the national leadership program for Women in Digital Health. Many months of work and close collaboration with partners Telstra Health, Alcidion, EY and Coviu have brought us to this milestone for the Institute. Best of all, there are so many brilliant women working and achieving in our sector, we asked some of them to come forward as role models, mentors, and coaches…..We are inspired by their generous and enthusiastic response which will ensure we take the inaugural 25 participants to their next career level.
Our first group will be supported by the Institute’s team of mentors Prof Wendy Chapman, Janine Cox, Dr Ruth de Souza, Berne Gibbons, Tricia Liebke, Dr Magdalena Simonis and Dr Monica Trujillo.
The first of its kind in Australia, the program will run from February to August 2022 and is designed to cater for women at all stages of their leadership career journey. If this sounds like you, we are taking applications for the first round until 10 January 2022.”
Dr Louise Schaper PhD FAIDH FIAHSI CHIA BSc(OT)Hons
CEO, Australasian Institute of Digital Health
The AFMW members who attended our Medical Women in Technology and Health (MedWiTH) evening with Dr Schaper and Dr Amandeep Hanrsa, were fortunate to catch a glimpse into this comprehensive leadership program. It is modelled on a similar program in the USA run by Women in AMIA which has been tremendously successful.
Take a look at this program and if you see yourself wanting to grow into the Digital Health sector, this is a fabulous opportunity.
I’m thrilled to have been asked to be a mentor for this inaugural program and look forward to supporting other women develop these skills. If we don’t design the digital health systems of the future, we will be passive recipients of someone else’s design and to date, there are very few women guiding this industry. So I urge you to give this some serious consideration.
Magdalena Simonis
Chair, Medial Women in Technology and Health (MedWiTH)
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
