Edith de Boer is the HR Director for Zimmer Biomet in Australia and New Zealand. Her career originally was in telecommunications and consulting in Europe. After leaving The Netherlands, Edith worked into the Australian medical research industry, before moving into a human resources role at Zimmer Biomet. Edith spoke to Australian Health Journal about her role and the organisation.
Promoting medical technology as an industry is important for Zimmer Biomet. The organisation runs a program called “Your future in STEM” helping girls at high school children consider STEM as a career, through to career professionals in the “Women-Inspired Network” or WIN as it’s commonly referred to. In clinical professions, the Zimmer Biomet “Women in Orthopaedics” program for female surgeons, acts in an advocate and support role.
Collaboration and work mindset of one team is very important for the organisation, as well as employees having a sense of belonging and being included. So whilst, talent can be difficult to find in the current market, Zimmer Biomet staff are together taking a journey of change that’s occurring across the industry.
Upbeat Edith’s energy is refreshing! Anyone looking to enter the medical technology industry and specifically the humans resources role can make a difference to people’s lives. Her advice? Be creative, work hard and have a growth mindset.
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Redefining diversity in clinical trials
Ensuring inclusion, diversity, equity and patient input in the development of novel drugs and medical devices has become well accepted in health care. However appropriate implementation of these elements has been a challenge for many. Only by implementing these conscious inputs can patient outcomes be improved and health disparities in marginalised groups be addressed.
Australian Health Journal spoke to Gillian Mason, Consumer and Community Involvement Lead at Hunter Medical Research Institute in Newcastle, NSW on this topic discussed at the recent ARCS Conference in Sydney.
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Smart technology in wound care
Throughout her journey around wound care, Santosh Kaur was frustrated to see the simple gaps in wound care resulting in negative patient outcomes. Santosh is the founder of SmartHeal which launched in 2020.
SmartHeal replaces the nurses taking cumbersome manual measurements and manual sharing of important wound data with a no touch technique. It aims for healthcare professionals to have live remote access to wound data, make wound assessments and assist with speech to text notes thus saving time, cost and people. SmartHeal also aims to assist healthcare professionals in providing optimum wound care by analysing the wound tissue for infection, moisture and providing suggestions for suitable dressing.
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Keeping elderly out of hospital
Pioneer in health care, Geriatrician Professor Susan Kurrle, Curran Professor in Health Care of Older People at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney AO spoke after receiving the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association 2022 Sidney Sax medal award.
The Sidney Sax medal is awarded for outstanding contributions to the development and improvement of Australia’s healthcare system.
