We are thrilled to announce that Associate Professor Sisira Edirippulige from the Centre for Online Health (COH) was awarded the Best Paper at the recent Successes and Failures in Telehealth Conference held in Brisbane in November 2024. This accolade highlights A/Prof Edirippulige's groundbreaking work and dedication to digital health education.
A/Prof Edirippulige's award-winning paper, titled "A Two-Decade-Long Bumpy Road of Digital Health Education – An Educator's Perspective," offers a compelling reflection on the lessons, adventures, and achievements throughout his extensive academic journey. This journey began with pioneering digital health courses at COH in collaboration with the Australian Department of Education, marking the inception of the first-of-its-kind digital health education program globally.
Since its inception in 2001, the digital health courses at The University of Queensland’s (UQ's) COH have evolved from a niche postgraduate offering to a comprehensive suite of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, such as HLTH2000 and HLTH7002. These courses cover essential topics such as clinical applicability, technology, medico-legal considerations, and implementation strategies, attracting diverse students from medicine, nursing, allied health, public health, and interaction design disciplines.
One of the program's standout features was the innovative in-person practice based on clinical-scenario-based telehealth training, which received widespread acclaim. Over the years, COH has continued to adapt and expand its offerings, including securing a significant AUD$1.2M grant in 2011 to develop new academic and continuing professional development (CPD) clinical telehealth programs.
The program's success is underscored by its impact: It has educated over 10,000 students and provided CPD telehealth programs across various health and information system professions.
Despite the program's success, the critical importance of workforce digital health education and technology has only recently gained broader recognition. UQ and industry partners have long acknowledged the value of these courses, which uniquely combine two decades of experience with cutting-edge clinical and implementation knowledge. Constantly updated with the latest academic literature, case studies, and expert lectures, these courses leverage interactive features and gamification to create an engaging and modern learning environment.
A/Prof Edirippulige's recognition at the Successes and Failures in Telehealth Conference is a testament to his unwavering commitment to advancing digital health education and training. We congratulate him on this well-deserved honour and look forward to the continued impact of his work on the future of healthcare.
