Plenary Session 3 – Lessons Learned from Digital Health
| Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
| 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
| Grand Chelsea Ballroom |
Overview
Keynotes:
• Prof. Craig Olsson
• Prof. Clair Sullivan
• Ms Amanda Cattermole PSM
Details
There is a sense that artificial intelligence is transforming public health at an unprecedented pace, creating new opportunities to improve disease prevention, population monitoring, service delivery, and health equity. But is it? And how? This plenary session will explore key lessons learned from digital health implementation, examining successes, challenges and the latent potential in adopting AI-driven solutions. Speakers will discuss what has worked, what barriers remain, and how public health can responsibly leverage AI to enhance decision-making, strengthen health outcomes, and build a more responsive and resilient public health sector for the future.
Speaker
Distinguished Professor Craig Olsson
Deakin Distinguished Professor and Director
Deakin Lifespan Institute
Harnessing emerging technologies to facilitate Living Evidence reviews of population approaches to promoting mental health across the early life course
Abstract
TBC
Biography
Professor Craig Olsson
Deakin Distinguished Professor and Director, Deakin Lifespan Institute, Faculty of Health/School of Psychology
NHMRC Leadership Fellow: Lifecourse Epidemiology
Scientific Director: The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study
The Victorian Adolescent and Intergenerational Health Cohort Study
Founding Scientific Convener: MCRI LifeCourse Initiative
National Convenor: The Australian Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) Longitudinal Studies Network.
Fields of Research:
Applied and developmental psychology
Social determinants of health
Behavioural epidemiology
Social epidemiology
Epidemiology
Child and adolescent development
Psychology of ageing
Prof. Clair Sullivan
Director, Queensland Digital Health Centre
The University of Queensland
“The Algorithm will see you now”
Abstract
Professor Sullivan will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare and public health, drawing on lessons learned from the implementation of digital health technologies across health systems. She’ll examine how AI can support population health monitoring, improve clinical and operational decision-making, and help deliver more personalised, efficient and equitable care. The talk will also address some of the key challenges associated with AI adoption, including data quality, governance, workforce readiness and maintaining trust. Finally, she’ll look ahead to how health services can responsibly harness AI to improve health outcomes while ensuring innovations deliver meaningful benefits for patients, clinicians and communities.
Biography
Professor Clair Sullivan is an internationally recognised clinical informatician, clinician and research leader driving digital health transformation in Queensland and globally. She is Director of the Queensland Digital Health Centre at The University of Queensland and Clinical Director for Community Diabetes at Metro North Health. A specialist endocrinologist, she holds a Research Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Leeds and has held senior leadership roles across government and academia since 2014.
Professor Sullivan has generated more than $70M in research funding and currently leads over $35M in active grants, including 6 MRFF projects (3 as CIA), 4 NHMRC projects and 3 ARC Linkage projects (1 as CIA). She leads a $110M+ research centre and is ranked in the top 1% globally in Medical Informatics, with over 150 publications.
Her work spans research, clinical practice and policy, with a strong track record of translating digital innovation into real-world impact. Through her leadership, she continues to shape national and international approaches to digital health, influencing how healthcare systems are designed, delivered and sustained into the future.
Ms Amanda Cattermole
CEO
Australian Digital Health Agency
Presentation Title TBC
Abstract
TBC
Biography
Ms Amanda Cattermole PSM is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Digital Health Agency, a role she commenced in September 2020.
Auspiced by the governments of Australia, the Agency is the steward for digital enablement of Australia’s health system, with a lead role in coordinating national engagement, delivery and adoption of digital health to enable person-centred, connected healthcare.
Amanda has previously held senior roles in Commonwealth entities, including Treasury, the former Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Services Australia.
She has also held senior State government roles in the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and the Western Australian Department of Indigenous Affairs. In her earlier career Amanda worked as a lawyer in Victoria, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Amanda holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master of Laws and a Master of Business Administration. In 2013, she received the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service leading reform in providing housing for Indigenous people in remote communities and the National Gambling Reform laws.