Biography
Prof Darelle van Greunen
PhD (UNISA) MA Computer Science HDE FDE PCCSA MICSIT
Darelle is a Professor and the Research Group Leader of the e-Health and User Experience Group in the School of ICT at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth. Her background is multidisciplinary, combining computer science, information systems, African languages, education, media studies and psychology. She is invited as a regular keynote speaker at international and national conferences. She frequently participates in radio interviews on the topic of community engagement and user experience with a specific focus on using ICT as an enabler in alleviating problems in healthcare, education, government engagement and rural development. She actively consults and advises on the formulation of strategies and policies in large organisations including the SA Government.
Prof van Greunen’s research is regarded as trend setting in the international user experience and human computer interaction community as it focuses on the opportunities and challenges provided by the use of technology in the developing world and more specifically on new and innovative technologies for real life problems. Not only has she received several research awards, but also she has graduated more than 30 postgraduate students and has published in excess of 100 articles. Prof van Greunen serves on the management structures of several professional organisations, government advisory committees, international advisory boards and NGO Boards of Directors. As a researcher, solving real life problems motivates her to live the words of Ghandi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.
Neil Gardner
As the President and Board Chair of COACH : Canada’s Health Informatics Association, Neil works closely with COACH staff and eHealth leaders across Canada in advancing the practice of health informatics in order to enable continuing improvements in the delivery of health care in Canada.
He has a wealth of experience in health policy and management, serving as CIO for the Ministry of Health in Saskatchewan for a number of years and having held a number of senior management positions in the Saskatchewan government including Associate Deputy Minister of Health and Senior Analyst for social sector budgets at the province’s Treasury Board.
Neil has been involved in the foundational health informatics initiatives at the national level in Canada over the past 20 years. He has had the unique opportunity of serving as a founding director during the development of both of Canada’s major national agencies in this field - the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Canada Health Infoway. He continues to be very active in leadership roles nationally, both as the COACH President where he has led the development of COACH’s Health Informatics professionalism (HIPTM) program; and as an active leader in pan-Canadian developments including the Standards Collaborative (SC). Neil also participates actively in standards developments at the international level, serving as an active member of Canada’s delegation to ISO TC 215 - Health Informatics.
Neil believes strongly in the need for a collaborative approach in successfully introducing IT and enabling change in health care delivery, and the importance of developing the skilled human resources, best practices and standards necessary to ensure eHealth investments are both safe and successful.
He holds a Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard with the distinction of being named a Littauer Fellow.
Dr Paul Woolman
Chair - Health Informatics Scotland Committee
Dr Paul Woolman is a health informatics consultant for NHS National Services Scotland and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. Previously, he worked in Scottish Government, the NHS and academia. He is a fellow of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. He is on the board of the UK Faculty of Health Informatics and several companies. He is an expert in interoperability and informatics standards, speaking or publishing more than 70 works.