The 30th of March is National Doctors’ Day; a day that celebrates the impact physicians around the world have on people lives.
As a medical device company that is driven by a vision of giving children brighter, healthier futures, we have a deep awareness and appreciation for the incredible work doctors do. We are also privileged to work alongside some passionate physicians who have helped us on our journey, and who we would like to show some appreciation and recognition on this day.
We have chosen three doctors that we’d like to highlight for this special day.
One such doctor is our very own Chief Medical Officer, A/Prof Christiane Theda, who has dedicated over 30 years of her life caring for critically-ill newborns.
Christiane is currently a senior Neonatal Consultant at the Royal Women’s Hospital, as well as co-founder of Navi. She leads our clinical studies which support the development of the Neonav ECG Tip Location System, a device that will provide clinicians with real-time feedback on the location of the catheter tip across a number of procedures.
A/Professor Christiane Theda pictured beside a clinical prototype of the Neonav
Whilst dedicating a huge part of her life to Neonatal medicine, she did not really know what area of medicine she wanted to focus on when she commenced her medical studies;
“I had not “planned” to become a neonatologist. During my studies, my thoughts were to become a specialist in sport medicine, radiology or neurology.”
However, a chance encounter with a young 8-year-old patient during her rotations in paediatrics as a student caused her to consider helping children as an area of focus.
“When I had my first workday in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), I went home thinking: Neonatology is it, the NICU is the place I am going to spend the rest of my professional life”.
Having worked as a clinician around the world in Germany, the USA as well as Australia, Christiane is focused and driven by one simple yet powerful guiding principle,
“[It’s] very simple – and maybe it sounds a bit cliché: help the babies and their families!”
And it is this guiding principle that drives Dr. Theda not only as a doctor, but also as an entrepreneur and inventor.
“New technologies offer so many opportunities to innovate; if it is software and data processing or other amazing new engineering developments, I feel that there is “a lot out there” in regard to advances and technology that will contribute to improved care for critically ill newborns and children”.
Another doctor that Navi has worked with closely in development of the Neonav is A/Professor Andreas Pflaumer.
Originally from Munich, Germany, Dr. Pflaumer is a Paediatric Cardiologist with a sub-specialty interest in electrophysiology. He holds an honorary appointment at the MCRI Murdoch Children’s Research Institute), and sits on Navi’s Advisory Panel as a key clinical advisor.
A/Prof Andreas Pflaumer.
Source: rch.org.au
His journey to becoming a doctor was one driven by impact;
“I did my internship 30 years ago in Germany. At that time Electrophysiology was not an established field of practice. During my internship, I was impressed how children deal with disease and how much potential for change there was with the right treatment.”
This observation led him to focus on helping children as a paediatrician, which ultimately led him towards his speciality in cardiology;
“During my time as paediatrician, I learned that cardiac disease and neural disease have the most severe impact on a child’s early life”.
Whilst there are significant challenges and stresses that Dr. Pflaumer faces as a paediatric cardiologist, it is the outcomes that really drive him,
“Working in a very technical field, it is important to keep the balance between the technical possibilities, the potential risks of a treatment and the benefits for the child while still providing the best care. While this can be very difficult, the reward of a seeing a previously sick child thriving is always worth it.”
Looking forward, Dr. Pflaumer is most excited for the digital transformation of the health industry and the introduction of new technologies to help ease administrative burden that comes with it;
“The digital transformation of the health industry is the most exciting, though also the most challenging development. In the past 20 years, technology dramatically changed the way we understand and treat heart disease.”
“This first step of digitalisation though burdens all health care workers with administrative tasks and reduces the time we spend with the patients and their families. I hope that the further development of machine-learning and artificial intelligence will reverse this development and allow not only a more effective, but also a more personal and patient centred medicine.”
Another inspiring doctor and good friend of the Navi team is Dr Mardi Steere, who is currently Executive General Manager for Medical & Retrieval Services at the Royal Flying Doctors Service (Central Operations). Dr. Steere also has a strong driving passion for the development of universal health coverage for the underserved, especially for countries and communities with limited access to health care, and has provided some valuable insight to the Navi team on the challenges of delivering effective care to sick children in regional and Low-Middle Income Countries.
Pictured: Dr. Mardi Steere . Source: Royal Flying Doctors Service
“After completing my postgrad Paeds Emergency training in the US, I and my husband (a civil engineering projects manager) really felt convicted that we have been given so much that we needed to give back. We moved to Kenya with our kids in 2011 to serve in a Christian mission hospital - we planned to go for 2 years initially and ended up staying for 8.”
Living and working with her dedicated and professional Kenyan colleagues gave Dr. Steere life changing perspective of healthcare.
“We are incredibly fortunate to live in a wealthy country in Australia that views healthcare as a right & prioritises funding it.”
In her current role at the Royal Flying Doctors Service, Dr. Steere is facilitating equitable healthcare access for rural, regional and remote Australians.
“It is simply unacceptable that urban Australians have some of the best health outcomes in the world; while our most remote communities have outcomes on par with LMIC’s (Low-and-Middle Income Countries).”
“Comprehensive healthcare access should be available in this day and age to all Australians, no matter where you live.”
What most excites Dr. Steere about the future of medicine are the possibilities brought on by innovation,
“There has never been a greater time to innovate - in telehealth; in new approaches to chronic disease management; in nanotechnology to miniaturise diagnostic equipment & therapeutics; in creative approaches to healthcare delivery. If we can improve how to better care for isolated communities in Australia, the broader applications for other countries could also be astronomical”
“Wouldn’t it be amazing to make a real difference for our own population that also happens to have a global impact?”
There’s an inspirational thread that links Dr. Theda, Dr. Pflaumer, and Dr. Steere; despite the challenges they face in their respective fields, they are all focused on their patients first and foremost, and optimistic about the role technology can play in improving standards of care.
The team at Navi would like to thank Dr. Theda, Dr. Pflaumer and Sr. Steere, as well as doctors globally who dedicate their lives to helping others.