Diane Watson (Australia)

Presentation topic: Preparing for impact - tips from Australia

Dr. Diane Watson is the chief executive of the Bureau of Health Information (BHI). She has led the establishment of three reporting agencies in Australia that use big data to drive decisions on healthcare provision nationally and locally.

Prior to joining BHI, Dr Watson was the inaugural chief executive officer of the Victorian Agency for Health Information, established in 2016 to monitor and report on public and private services that stimulate quality and safety improvements, increase transparency and accountability, and inform the community. She was also the inaugural chief executive of the National Health Performance Authority, established by the Australian Government to monitor, and report on, the performance of 1000+ public and private hospitals and 300+ health regions.

Dr Watson was the inaugural chief executive of the Bureau of Health Information from 2009 to 2012. She has held senior management positions for almost 20 years measuring, monitoring and reporting on the performance of healthcare systems to drive improvements in health, care and productivity. During this time, she has set the future direction of high profile, board governed agencies and inspired a strong sense of purpose among a highly talented and specialised workforce.

This keynote presentation will offer the audience the opportunity to learn:

• Examples from Down Under where analyses of big data have driven improvements in health and care
• Views on the attributes of big data organisations that have big impact
• Reflections on the attributes of big data projects that have a big impact.