IMPROVING EMERGENCY CARE EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGN
With
Melanie Tran,
Manager (Digital, Design & Data)
Nous Group
PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | October 2025
Recognised as one of the Top 100 Women of Influence by The Australian Financial Review, Melanie Tran is a visionary leader whose work lies at the intersection of design, technology, health, disability, and education. With a focus on human-centred design, digital strategy, and service design, she leads transformative initiatives as a Manager in Design, Digital and Data at Nous Group, a global consulting firm. Her work is driven by a deep passion for using creativity and technology to solve complex social challenges.
At the heart of Melanie’s work is her dedication to leveraging creativity and technology to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Torrens University Australia, where her research focuses on using human-centred design and technology to improve the patient experience for young people in emergency departments at children’s hospitals.
Melanie’s achievements have garnered national and international recognition. She is a recipient of prestigious awards and fellowships such as the Laureate Global Fellowship, the Laureate Global Here for Good Award, the Recalibrate Gender Equality Award, and the Distinguished Social Change Leader Award.
As an accomplished public speaker, Melanie has shared her insights on global platforms, including the Vogue Codes Summit, Cognizant Technology Solutions Conference, TEDxSydney Pitch Night, and the Women in Leadership Symposium. She has also spoken at the Laureate Global Leadership Summit, Reimagination Thought Leaders Summit at the Australian Computer Society, and the United States Sustainable Development Goals Action Zone Conference. Notably, she delivered the keynote address at Google’s first-ever Asia Pacific UX Design Summit, further solidifying her position as a leading voice in design and technology.
Melanie spoke with Australian Health Journal at MedTech25, following her keynote address at the annual Medical Technology Association of Australia conference.
Source: Supplied
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Role of milk in cognitive function and quality of life in older adults
New research emphasises the role of cows’ milk, particularly A1 protein free milk, in enhancing cognitive function and quality of life for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A multi-centre, double-blinded, randomised controlled clinical study published in *The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging* evaluated 88 milk-tolerant Chinese adults aged 65-75 over three months. Participants consumed either ordinary skim milk or A1 protein free skim milk, leading to improvements in various cognitive assessments.
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Lasers in dental treatment without needles and drills
In 2017, Dr. Omar Zuaiter and Alaa Habeb launched Dentroid, a dental technology startup with a mission to make dentistry a kinder and friendlier experience for patients and dentists using photonics (using laser technology) and robotics, as alternatives to needles, drills and sprays. The vision for the startup is to have dentistry adopt laser technology, addressing the root causes of dental pain & anxiety, and create a pain-free dental experience.
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Child Dental Benefits Schedule needing greater awareness
Since its launch in 2014, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule has seen a gradual increase in participation year on year. The impact of COVID-19 and related shutdowns saw participation fall sharply in 2020. Though it increased 2021, the national target of 41% participation was not reached in 2021-2022, with the total (35.4%) more than three percent below 2018 participation rates.
In an opinion segment, Australian Health Journal spoke with Abano Healthcare Group Clinical Director, Dr Fred Calavassy, with over 30 years of clinical experience, about his observations of the Child Dental Benefits Scheme ways to increasing participation rates.
