The Digital Health CRC has announced the immediate appointment of Annette Schmiede as acting CEO after former CEO Terry Sweeney resigned this week.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Schmiede was senior advisor at the DHCRC but has been active since its establishment in 2018. According to a media release, she brings a wealth of experience to the table due to her extensive expertise in system performance issues, policy establishments and funding models of health and aged care, which she acquired through numerous positions in both government and non-government organisations.

Formerly the executive leader of the Bupa Health Foundation, Schmiede has recently completed 10 years as deputy chair on the board of the Northern Sydney Local Health District.

With her at the helm, the organisation aims to enhance digital workforce capacity, develop commercially viable digital health solutions and expand research in overlooked areas of Australian healthcare, such as the aged care sector.

As of now, the DHCRC has allocated over $25 million to fund digital health research initiatives in Australia.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Sweeney is the third CEO that has left the DHCRC in four years. The press release did not provide a reason for his departure. Formerly the global managing director for IBM Watson Health for Asia, he was appointed in October 2020.

Recent initiatives that the DHCRC introduced during his tenure include the A$1 million research project to enable accurate prescription of medications for patients dealing with kidney failure, the creation of a digital analytics tool predicting the emerging risk of adverse events in hospitals, and a research project to evaluate and improve clinical decision support tools across regional and metropolitan hospitals settings in Australia.

ON THE RECORD

Kate Munnings, DHCRC chair mentioned in a statement: "Ms Schmiede has been working with the DHCRC since our establishment and brings intimate knowledge of our core objectives, participants and breadth of current projects and exciting pipeline. We are confident in her ability to lead the organisation during this time, supported by a very capable executive team."