FHINZ Profile – Lucy Westbrooke

FHiNZ PROFILE - Lucy Westbrooke, Clinical Informatics Specialist, Te Toka Tumai Auckland

Describe your career to date and how that led you to be a Fellow of HiNZ?
I moved into health informatics from senior nursing roles as IT came into the health sector and a realised clinicians needed to be involved. I was an inaugural member of the first clinical informatics group, Nursing Informatics NZ (NINZ). As chair, I initiated the merger of NINZ with NZ Health Informatics Foundation to form Health Informatics NZ (HINZ). For services to informatics, I was made an Honorary member of HINZ.

As the NZ representative to International Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics (IMIA NI), I served on the board as Vice Chairs and Chairperson. I was award Honorary member of IMIA NI and I was elected as a founding Fellow of both the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics and later HINZ.

What does being a Founding Fellow mean to you?
I am very honoured to have been appointed a founding Fellow of HINZ. I have been privileged to work with so many wonderful and passionate people over more than thirty years, in the national and international informatics and digital health arenas. This was a pioneering era as we collaboratively established and forged a path in this new health discipline. The time and commitment by so many of the early people was all voluntary but it is so great to see that it is now a recognised field. I acknowledge and thank so many of my FHINZ colleagues for all you have done for me and others and the discipline.

What is your advice to other digital health specialists who are thinking of nominating themselves or others?
We all play different roles in the digital health ecosystem, but all are equally important. Take time to reflect on all the skills that you have, the ways that you use these skills, the networks you collaborate with and recognise that you are making your own unique contribution to our health ecosystem through the role you play in data and digital health. Collaborate, network, find a mentor and be a mentor to others. Never stop learning.

What is your favourite piece of technology at home and why?
The infrastructure of network, servers and the broadband connection that allows me to connect so many of my devices and applications. This infrastructure allows me to communicate with family, friends and colleagues, supports remote working, access to information, collaboration spaces and e-commerce. Infrastructure such as this will be fundamental to supporting us as we age, and we often do not realise how important and how ubiquitous it is.



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