Rebecca George
Board Chair
HiNZ

I am passionate about advocating for Allied Health Professions across the health and disability system, particularly within digital health and innovations.  As models of care evolve we need to ensure that we maintain a consumer focus to our work and situate our staff in preventative service opportunities.

I am a Doctoral candidate, undertaking a DHSc in Allied Health leadership. I also work regionally and nationally consulting on a number of digital health projects.  I am a registered Occupational Therapist and an Associate Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health.  I am the elected chair of the Health Informatics New Zealand board of directors and chair the Allied Health National Informatics Group; am co author of the Allied Health National Data Set Standard; and am on the Advisory Panel for the Clinical Informatics Leadership Network

As a member of HISO, the MoH’s Health Informations Standards group and of the Sector Advisory Panel for the National Health Information Platform, I am committed to ensuring good governance is in place.  I was honoured to be a finalist in the ITx, IT Awards for Excellence in Digital Health 2018, and last year was awarded the inaugural Clinical Informatics Leadership Award 2019 recognising achievements of a clinician working Digital health in New Zealand.

John Ashley
Deputy Board Chair
HiNZ

As Director, Digital Strategy and Solutions at Atlantis Healthcare, my focus is helping to develop and operationalise digital health initiatives that help improve outcomes for patients and healthcare consumers.

I have a BSc and post-graduate diploma in business, both from the University of Auckland, and across my career have held a variety of roles in NZ and Australia with software companies focused on customer relationship management and health IT solutions and services.  I am a keen advocate for using virtual health technology and other tech-enabled interventions to bring about change in the way we support older people to live well in their homes. 

I am actively involved in NZHIT’s Virtual Health Industry Group and served as an appointed HiNZ board member in 2018, and an elected member since 2019.  My not-for-profit governance experience includes being the chair of Friendship House Trust, a social services agency and community house.

I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to be more closely involved with HiNZ as I believe that this organisation is helping to drive real progress in healthcare and technology within NZ.

Darren Douglass
GM Digital Strategy and Investment, Data and Digital
Ministry of Health

Darren Douglass is Group Manager Digital Strategy and Investment at the Ministry of Health. Following his passion for enabling health outcomes through the use of technology and a strategic approach to implementing digital solutions, Darren joined the Ministry of Health in 2016.  He developed the Digital Health Strategic Framework and has most recently been the product owner for the NZ COVID Tracer app and is leading the development of the investment case for the national Health Information Platform.

Darren has been a leader in strategic planning and IT implementation in health for close to 30 years. Following a number of industry project and general IT management roles delivering clinical and patient management systems across the UK he has worked across the New Zealand health sector in DHBs and shared service agencies, most recently HealthShare in the Midland region.

Virginia Mitchell
Account Director
AMS

I lead the business development for AMS, including collaboration projects across the Health Sector. I have a post graduate diploma in business and over 15 years’ experience delivering technology solutions in New Zealand and the UK - including eight years delivering health workforce solutions across New Zealand.

I am passionate about improving solutions and outcomes for health workforce management; this provides the foundation to enable better delivery of healthcare in the future. I have spent many years understanding the health workforce landscape, the challenges and growing compliance requirements, and my current focus is helping drive digital transformation and support standardisation across core people management systems.  Given the demands on the systems and people currently managing the workforce (and the significant changes coming), I believe this must be a priority for Health.

Webinar facilitator:

Rebecca McBeth
HiNZ News Editor

Rebecca McBeth joined the HiNZ team as editor of eHealthNews.nz in January 2018. Rebecca was previously news editor at Digital Health Intelligence in London and prior to that, was the senior health reporter at The Christchurch Press, where she won a NZ Canon Media Award and a NZ Reporting Diversity award. Based in Auckland, she is committed to communicating news, experience and knowledge throughout New Zealand’s data and digital health sector.