The Clinical Informatics Leadership Network, (CiLN) worked in partnership with Health Informatics New Zealand (HiNZ) to launch the award in 2019 and recognise the important contribution clinicians make to the digital health sector.
CiLN co-chair Nathan Kershaw says one of the key pieces of work done by CiLN over the last year has been the development of the Clinical Informatics Position Statement. “The statement emphasises the importance of clinical informatics in the future of health and enforces the added value we bring in five key areas; expertise, clinical leadership, stakeholder engagement; competence and capability; and communication,” he says.
“We have observed globally, the more information and experiences that we can share, the more quickly we can be equipped and prepared to deal with change and embed new ways of working to provide seamless healthcare to our communities.”
“The 2020 award gives us an opportunity to champion those who embody these values.”
To be eligible for the award you must be a member of CiLN, which is open to anyone with a clinical background and an interest in data/ and or digital. You can nominate yourself or others and the closing date for entries is 5pm September 25.
Spark Health chief executive and CiLN member Will Reedy says it has been great to see a number of clinical leaders emerge in the digital health space during Covid-19 and he looks forward to a high calibre of applicants in 2020.
“As we look towards the future of health and wellness for New Zealanders, Covid-19 will be remembered as a catalyst for transforming health services enabled by digital health,” he says.
“We have observed globally, the more information and experiences that we can share, the more quickly we can be equipped and prepared to deal with change and embed new ways of working to provide seamless healthcare to our communities.”
A three-person judging panel; MoH deputy director data and digital Shayne Hunter, NZ Health IT chief executive Scott Arrol and HiNZ board chair and the 2019 Clinical Informatics Leadership Award winner Rebecca George, will select three finalists for the award.
The winner will then be chosen via a public vote and the winner announced at a HiNZ networking event sponsored by Spark Health in November 2020. The winner will receive a free pass and speaking slot at the 2021 HiNZ Conference in Wellington and $5000 from Spark Health, which they can use to fund further study or attend an international conference.
“Given international recognition of how New Zealand has responded to Covid-19 and depending on who the successful applicant is, they may also want to present on lessons learned at an international conference of their choice,” says Reedy.
Last year the award attracted 16 nominations from around New Zealand and more than 570 votes were cast online for the winner. Nominees and finalists from 2019 can be nominated again in 2020.
Read the information page about the award and nominate now.
