My name is Sean Byers, and I’m a fourth-year medical student in The University of Queensland (UQ) Ochsner Doctor of Medicine program.
Throughout my education, I have pursued my passion for technology. During my high school and undergraduate years, I studied computer programming, which led to studying biostatistics during my Master’s of Public Health. I also worked for a number of biotech companies before entering medical school.
It was therefore a natural progression to become the representative of the Healthcare Technology Interest Group in my third year of medical school. In my fourth year, I took over the role as president of the group.
Luis Capuchina, Carl Haupt, Sean Byers and Donald Chang
The Healthcare Technology Interest Group is committed to promoting the awareness of innovative technologies that exist in healthcare.
Members of the Group recently attended STEMFest, a festival celebrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics, designed to ignite the curiosity and interest of K-12 students, inspire educators and increase awareness of STEM career pathways. We demonstrated an interactive prototype for a telehealth clinic allowing virtual interaction between doctor and patient, a concept that would soon become extremely relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to such community outreach activities, the Healthcare Technology Interest Group produces the Neutral Ground podcast (also available on Spotify), which facilitates conversations between Group members and physicians. Recent episodes have covered topics ranging from women in medicine to the use of platelet-rich plasma.
The Group also organises lectures from prominent doctors on the intersection of technology and healthcare. Past topics include the use of 3D printing in conjunction with medical imaging, augmented reality in a healthcare setting and the use of big data analytics for predictive modeling.
As President this year, my main priority is to expose medical students to the many quickly-growing avenues that exist for someone with our knowledge and skillset. We invite anyone with an interest in technology and how it relates to science to join the Group.
To find out more, email ochsnerhealthcarechnologyIG@gmail.com