MEDTECH INNOVATORS DESCEND ON SYDNEY

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Kicked off by MTAA’s board Chair, Gavin Fox-Smith, the two-day event was packed with a long list of guest speakers and panel discussions that ranged from politics, software and cybersecurity to patient empowerment and philanthropy.

The organisers stepped up the interactivity this year by inviting the audience to participate in the panel discussions by submitting and voting for questions from their smartphones. Suffice to say the questions were coming thick and fast throughout the panel discussions, but even more so during the first two panels on politics and the next NSW and Federal Election.

Mingling among the sponsor displays during the intermissions PulseLine spotted Stryker South Pacific’s Maurice Ben-Mayor chatting to MTAA’s CEO, Ian Burgess. One can only assume they might have been discussing Stryker being awarded the best place to work for 2 years running, or even Ben-Mayor’s thoughts on CVs that he laid out in a viral LinkedIn post (read it here).

Also, in attendance was Edwards Lifesciences’ Managing Director Pat Williams speaking with MTAA’s outgoing Government Relations and Communications Manager, Polo Guilbert-Wright (a contributor to PulseLine). We understand Polo was head-hunted by Edwards Lifesciences who are looking to leverage his public affairs experience as the government enters an uncertain election period.

This year’s conference also raised the stakes by partnering with the Actuator’s Buzz Palmer and Vishaal Kishore to bring MedTech’s Got Talent (MTGT) to the stage. The top 20 MTGT participants faced off in a one-minute rapid fire round where they pitched for a chance to progress to the Finals Gala event where they will be given the chance to pitch for up to $200,000 in seed equity investment. Needless to say, the participants were nervous, and the audience was enthralled with the innovative solutions these start-ups were presenting. Stay posted for more on this story.

We can’t wait to see how they’ll be able to top 2018’s MedTech Conference next year, but as we have done in the past, PulseLine will bring you all the latest news, insights and interviews from the event.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_images_carousel images=”2536,2537,2538,2539″ img_size=”full” autoplay=”yes” wrap=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

ACCOLADE, AWARDS AND ADMIRATION FOR AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The awards, now in their 16th year, pay tribute to the efforts and energy of some of the sectors highest achievers and some of the most promising innovators in health and medical research.

Research Australia’s CEO, Nadia Levin, said the impact of the working being one across the country and internationally proves Australia’s research sector is a force to be reckoned with.

“We were joined by over 250 people who tirelessly work to improve the health and wellbeing of our wider community, and it was an honour to acknowledge their work,” Ms Levin said.

This year’s winners showcased their ground-breaking discoveries and innovation that represent the promise of better healthcare for all Australians.

The evening’s most prestigious award, the Peter Wills Medal, was awarded to Laureate Professor Nicholas Talley AC, from the University of Newcastle, a global authority in the field of neurogastroenterology, for his pioneering work into unexplained gut disorders that affect millions of people worldwide.

In a wonderful acknowledgement of generosity that has spanned two generations, the Great Australian Philanthropy Award was presented to the Burges Family Trust for its high impact and transformative quality to Australian health and medical research.

Ms Levin said the nominees for each award category were an incredibly high calibre, which is a great sign of things to come.

Research Australia’s Health and Medical Research Winners for 2018 included:

  • The Research Champion Award was awarded to Matthew Grounds, CEO of UBS, for his advocacy work through a range of roles including Chair of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, member on the Samuel’s review of independent medical research institutes, and at the helm of a consortium to advocate for a strengthening of NSW’s cardiovascular research capacity;
  • The Griffith University Discovery Award was awarded to Dr Sarah Best from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research for her remarkable discovery that could change the way lung cancer is diagnosed and treated;
  • The Data Innovation Award was awarded to Dr Craig Dalton from the University of Newcastle, for his FluTracking platform, the largest in the world. The platform collects public health information in real time and on a scale never seen before, helping in the detection of flu outbreaks;
  • The Leadership in Corporate Giving Award was presented to MACA for their contribution to the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research through it world renowned participation of the Ride to Conquer Cancer. As the title sponsor for the Ride, MACA have been directly responsible for funding ground-breaking research at the Perkins;
  • The Health Services Research Award went to Professor Sue Kildea from the University of Queensland for her work in ‘closing the gap’ in maternity care practices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and building capacity within the midwifery workforce; and
  • The GSK Award for Research Excellence went to Professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer from the Melanoma Institute Australia for their exceptional contribution to medical research that has transformed melanoma treatment and patient care.

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