It is a pleasure to officially call this week one at MTAA.

I am honoured to have been appointed CEO of MTAA, an organisation very much at the centre of health reform in this country.

The way the staff have been agile and adaptable during this period is a testament to the collective energy of our Secretariat. I’d like to thank the staff for the hard work they’ve put in over the past 12 months in sometimes challenging circumstances.

I would also like to thank Andrea and Allison who have co-lead the organisation during this interim period.

Our industry faces ongoing challenges but at the same time opportunities to build on our significant strengths.  I look forward to hearing from you all, the good, the bad and the ugly so that together we can build on the solid foundations and grow our membership in 2017.

I am eager to meet and hear from all our members through one on one meetings, committee meetings and networking events. If you would like to arrange a meeting please contact Crystal Jacobs: cjacobs@mtaa.org.au 

Ian Burgess
MTAA Chief Executive Officer

Professor Alan Mackay-Sim (pictured) used his acceptance speech to push for greater investment in young scientists.

MedTech recognised in Australian of the Year 2017 Awards

Professor Alan Mackay-Sim received the Australian of the Year Award 2017 for his research into nasal regenerative cells which led to repairing a damaged spinal cord in a paraplegic described as a feat "more impressive than man walking on the moon." Read Sydney Morning Herald article

ResMed board member and former Cochlear CEO Chris Roberts was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia for his service to science and the development and commercialisation of medical biotechnology.

Macquarie University Health’s Professor John Boyages, Professor of Breast Oncology and Director of ALERT (Australian Lymphoedema Education Research and Treatment) was also honoured with an Order of Australia. Read more

Vicki Jellie received the Local Hero Award for her role in bringing Radiotherapy to Warrnambool in regional Victoria. Read Sydney Morning Herald article 

MTAA sends submission to the Senate Inquiry on Prostheses List

MTAA has sent its submission to the Senate Inquiry on the Prostheses List to the committee for review.  Once it is approved, we will be able to publish it on our website and circulate to all members.

MTAA would like to thank members who provided feedback and assistance in putting the submission together.

The MTAA is playing a central role in coordinating and preparing the industry to ensure we mitigate potential risks. If you have any questions about the Senate Inquiry, please contact Polo Guilbert-Wright – polo@mtaa.org.au

Promoting the Australian MedTech Industry

We are promoting the Australian MedTech industry as we head into a new year. Feel free to tweet, share or forward the message that MedTech is saving lives of Australian patients everyday!

Follow @MTAA5 on Twitter or Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) LinkedIn to get the latest updates.

HR Roundtable

"How do we educate our people to better face disruption and challenge?"

This Roundtable is a joint event with ACU to follow the Deloitte review of the Medical Technology Industry. The roundtable will explore ways to build relationships with universities and develop industry specific learning and development opportunities. This event will also give an opportunity to hear from MTAA’s new CEO, Ian Burgess and to network with industry colleagues in the HR and Training area. 

Date: 15 March 2017
Starts: 8:30am-10:30am (followed by Morning Tea)
Location: Australian Catholic University, Level 16, Room 16A,

Tenison Woods House, 8-20 Napier Street, North Sydney, NSW, Australia

Facilitated by: Peter Anthony, Senior Consultant Executive Education, ACU

Free for members who login to the portal!

Industry Development Planning Workshop

MTAA is inviting Associate Members to the second Industry Development Planning Workshop to discuss opportunities for industry professional development. Our associate members provide highly specialised services to the industry and at this session we can discuss how the specialised skills and services our associate members have can be promoted to industry and showcased. This workshop will also provide an opportunity to meet MTAA’s new CEO, Ian Burgess.

Date: 23 February 2017

Starts: 3:30pm
Location: MTAA Office, Level 12, 54 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW, Australia

Facilitated by: Lee Grow, Professional Development Manager, MTAA

This is a FREE event with a maximum capacity of 15

(max 1 representative per company).

Q&A Webcast on National Digital Health Strategy

On Monday 30th January 2017 the Australian Digital Health Agency hosted a live Q&A webcast on findings on what the Australian community has been saying about digital health and care.

Some of the key insights from Australian people include:

• More control and choice
  
• Access to their own health information
• Convenient, safe and high quality healthcare services
• Health and care providers to share information to make informed decisions
• Offered choices tailored to personal health and care needs
• Safely access, use and benefit from innovative technologies to enhance health outcomes
• Personal data is kept safe and secure and only accessed when necessary

SAB in Australian Public Hospitals report released

Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteraemia (SAB) is a serious bloodstream infection that is likely to result in longer hospital stay and increase the cost of hospitalisation. The national rate of SAB in the public hospitals has continued to decrease in 2015-16, based on the recently released AIHW report on SAB in Australian Public Hospitals 2015-16. Between 2011-12 and 2015-16, the rates of SAB decreased from 0.96 to 0.73 cases per 100,000 days of patient care. Overall the number of SAB cases decreased from 1,732 in 2011-12 to 1,440 in 2015-16.