Talking HealthTech

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Madhu Sasidhar, CEO and President of Apollo Hospitals, Luciano Bristia, Asia Pacific Business Lead at InterSystems, and Kym Chua, Executive Director of Messe Berlin Asia Pacific.
The discussion covers healthcare system challenges, digital transformation, AI adoption, workforce shortages, regional collaboration, and what it takes to drive innovation across Asia-Pacific health sectors.
The conversation explores how AI is easing pressure on clinicians, from assisting radiologists with scans to helping nurses pull up patient information faster.
It also touches on the urban and rural divide in access to care, Indonesia's push for a unified national health record, the importance of adapting solutions to local markets rather than adopting them outright, and how sustainability is shaping infrastructure decisions across the region.
This episode was recorded during Smart Health Asia in Singapore, an event that brought together over 3,000 participants from 18 countries.
It features interviews and observations captured during the event, highlighting perspectives from senior leaders, technology providers, and event organisers.

Key Takeaways
🩺 Access to healthcare and technology is a significant challenge in India and Southeast Asia, with urban-rural divides and workforce shortages affecting service delivery.
🤖 AI and digital technologies are being leveraged for efficiency gains, assisting with diagnostics (radiology, stroke, colonoscopy) and reducing clinician workload.
🌏 Regional health challenges and solutions differ greatly; mature markets like Australia and Japan contrast with fast-growing, young populations in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
💡 Collaboration across healthcare providers, policymakers, and technology vendors is seen as essential for scalable, effective innovation.
🔥 Initiatives like Indonesia's "Satu Sehat" (One Health) aim to create nationwide health records, especially targeting preventive care as a strategy for future public health management.

Timestamps
00:00 - Event Introduction: Smart Health Asia
00:48 - Madhu Sasidhar, CEO Apollo Hospitals
08:23 - Luciano Bristia, InterSystems, Asia Pacific
23:02 - Kym Chua, Event Organiser and Executive Director, Messe Berlin Asia Pacific

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Jayden Rogers (CEO, Linear Clinical Research), Dr Stacie Calad-Thomson (Business Development Lead, Nvidia for Pharma Labs and Manufacturing), Arjun Bhat (Co-Founder, Clinrol), and Tran Le (General Manager, Hippocratic AI).
The conversations cover the changing landscape of clinical trials and drug discovery, the growing role of AI in patient recruitment and drug development, and innovations in technology and operational efficiency in life sciences.
The discussion covers why Australia has become an attractive destination for global clinical trials, from its regulatory environment and world-class clinicians through to the integrated networks that help international sponsors find the right partners.
It also looks at the practical realities of running a trial site, where regulatory approvals, staffing, patient engagement, and sensitive data all need to be managed at once, and how purpose-built platforms are taking on the repetitive work so research teams can focus on patient care.
This episode was recorded during the BIO International Convention in San Diego, featuring conversations with scientists, founders, investors, and healthcare decision-makers addressing challenges and opportunities across the biotech sector.

Key Takeaways
🧬 AI and automation are transforming clinical trial recruitment, streamlining patient matching, eligibility screening, and follow-up tasks
🚀 Australia’s reputation for clinical trials continues to grow, supported by a strong regulatory environment and quality healthcare ecosystem
💡 Open source tools and AI models are making computational drug discovery more accessible for non-specialists in science and medicine
🧑‍⚕️ Technology advancements allow clinicians and trial sites to focus more on patient care by reducing manual and repetitive efforts
🔗 Collaboration across pharma, biotechs, technology providers, and regulators is essential to tackle operational bottlenecks and accelerate drug development

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:07 - Jayden Rogers, CEO, Linear Clinical Research
08:25 - Dr Stacie Calad-Thomson, Business Development, NVIDIA
17:55 - Arjun Bhat, Co-Founder, Clinrol
26:52 - Tran Le, General Manager of Life Sciences, Hippocratic AI

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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THT+ Company Partnership
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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Robyn Birch about their experiences using the Oura Ring 4, exploring how this wearable device fits into the broader clinical ecosystem.
The conversation focuses on the practicalities and implications of using wearables for health monitoring, such as bringing data into clinical consultations, comparing its ongoing data with clinical-grade tools, and considering the everyday healthcare impact for consumers and clinicians.
After six months of daily wear, Peter and Robyn share what the ring got right, where it fell short, and the moments the data prompted real action, including a GP visit that led to a formal sleep study.
They also discuss the scepticism patients can face when bringing consumer device data to their doctor, the role of trends and baselines over exact numbers, and what wearables are revealing about areas like sleep, recovery and women's health.

Key Takeaways
🟢 Wearables like the Oura Ring are increasingly used to support meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals
🟢 Data trends from wearables are more useful than one-off readings for both consumers and clinicians
🟢 Ongoing wearable monitoring complements, but does not replace, clinical grade diagnostic tools like sleep studies
🟢 Presenting continuous wearable health data can help drive further medical investigation when necessary
🟢 Wearable data is becoming more accepted by clinicians, helping patients become proactive participants in their health

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction & Oura Ring overview
02:27 - Wearables in clinical conversations
04:05 - Data trends vs. one-off readings
05:07 - Wearable data leading to clinical action
09:35 - Clinical sleep study vs. wearable metrics

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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Mentioned in this episode:
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THT+ Company Partnership
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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Dr Monica Trujillo, Chief Health and Risk Officer, and Farhoud Salimi, Chief Technology Officer, both from Telstra Health.
The discussion covers the ongoing fragmentation of Australia's healthcare system, the challenge of integrating diverse legacy systems and the announcement of Telstra Health's new platform, Corus™, a unified care intelligence ecosystem built in partnership with Snowflake, Smile Digital Health and Salesforce.
Peter, Monica and Farhoud explore how modern cloud architecture, interoperability standards, cybersecurity and AI are being brought together to support seamless healthcare delivery, from the data spine that unifies patient records through to curated AI agents designed to ease clinical workflows.
They also unpack the shift in thinking from connected care to care connected, keeping the moment of care at the centre with the technology built around it.
The episode was recorded live at the Digital Health Festival 2026 in Melbourne, part of a series of episodes captured at the event, where more than 8,000 health leaders, clinicians and innovators gathered to explore what's next for the sector, and brings together perspectives from both technology and clinical leadership on what meaningful digital change in health really takes.

Key Takeaways
🩺 Healthcare in Australia is made up of multiple independent, legacy systems, rather than a single integrated system
🕸️ Integration challenges stem from varied data standards, terminology, and the need for high data reliability
🌐 The new Corus™ platform combines modern interoperability standards (FHIR), a robust data spine, and partnerships with technology providers like Snowflake, Smile Digital Health, and Salesforce
🔒 Cybersecurity and clinical governance are crucial in developing safe, secure, and trusted digital health solutions
👩‍⚕️ Corus™ aims to empower both patients and clinicians by enabling more efficient workflows, seamless data access, and self-management, supporting a shift toward preventative and proactive healthcare

Timestamps
00:00 — Episode introduction and guest intros
01:48 — Why healthcare remains fragmented
03:47 — Technology challenges integrating systems
04:15 — Modernisation and standards aligning
05:12 — Corus™ platform announcement
07:09 — What Corus™ enables and its architecture
10:00 — The "data spine" explained
11:06 — AI integration and customisation
13:17 — Managing cybersecurity and clinical governance
15:04 — What success looks like for Corus™

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes
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Mentioned in this episode:
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
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In this episode of Talking HealthTech Peter Birch speaks with Dylan Coyne, co-founder at Updoc, about the origins and growth of the Updoc platform, the challenges and opportunities of providing accessible healthcare across Australia, and the balance between technology, trust, and scalability in digital health.
The conversation traces back to a personal injury that exposed the inefficiencies of the traditional healthcare system, sparking the idea for a platform built around convenience and access.
The episode explores how Updoc is addressing gaps in rural and regional healthcare access, fostering a supportive culture for both patients and clinicians, and participating in the development of national telehealth standards.
Recorded live at the Updoc booth during DHF26, The Digital Health Festival, the conversation highlights the ongoing innovations and real-world community engagement driving the company's mission.

Key Takeaways
🩺 Updoc aims to be a digital "front door" to healthcare, offering on-demand consultations without the need for traditional appointments or waiting rooms.
🌏 Rural and regional Australians represent nearly 40% of Updoc’s consultations, reflecting critical healthcare access barriers outside metropolitan areas.
🔒 Trust and data security are central to Updoc's operations, safeguarding both patient and doctor information while fostering confidence in telehealth solutions.
💡 Bootstrapping the company drove a focus on sustainability, leading to scalable offerings like unlimited telehealth subscriptions.
📜 Updoc played an active role in developing national telehealth standards, advocating for shared quality, credentialing, and feedback systems across the industry.

Timestamps
00:00 - Updoc's origin story
02:07 - Making healthcare accessible and convenient
04:22 - Impact and scale—reaching over a million Australians
05:24 - Building trust with patients and clinicians
08:20 - Serving rural and regional communities
09:09 - Community Access Programme and in-person outreach
12:01 - Attracting and supporting clinicians through flexibility
15:06 - National telehealth standards initiative
16:36 - Updoc's future and role in the healthcare ecosystem

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes
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Mentioned in this episode:
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.