Dr Natalie Thorne of Melbourne Genomics has been recognised as one of 25 Brilliant Women in Digital Health in 2022.
Presented by Telstra Health, the awards highlight women who have made outstanding achievements in digital health and aged care.
Dr Thorne’s work developing IT systems that enable genomic testing in healthcare was celebrated, particularly her leadership of the GenoVic clinical system.
GenoVic is Melbourne Genomics’ clinical-grade system for laboratories that can facilitate each step of a genomic test, securely store the big data it generates, and enable that data to inform a patient’s care.
“What an honour to be recognised alongside such an incredible group of women, all leaders in their fields doing great things to improve healthcare in Australia and beyond,” said Dr Thorne.
“For nearly a decade I’ve been working on developing IT systems to enable genomic testing in health care. What does that mean? People getting answers, getting more precise treatment, getting better care, saving lives and saving healthcare dollars.”
Dr Thorne has contributed to many other areas of digital health, from training medical scientists to interpret genomic data, to curriculum development for a master’s subject on variant interpretation, and her influence on policies and procedures to ensure patient privacy and consent.
“Huge thank you to the talented and passionate people I get to work with on such an exciting area, and actually making a tangible difference together. I’m excited for what’s to come in this space!”
Congratulations to all the brilliant women recognised this year, including Melbourne Genomics alumni Kate Lucas of the Centre for Health Analytics.