It was while completing her undergraduate studies in immunology and infectious disease that Tin Aeint’s eyes were opened to the disparity in healthcare access across various community sectors.
Intrigued by the possibility that e-healthcare could help to bridge the gaps in patient care and wanting to know more, Tin Aeint enrolled to study digital health at UQ.
“I was impressed by the University’s global rankings, and had heard that UQ’s program was clinically focused. I was also attracted by the connection with Princess Alexandra Hospital and the emphasis on exploring the economics, feasibility and efficacy of telehealth - all subjects which interested me.
“The personal support of my supervisors and the emotional, academic and systematic support throughout my course was immensely helpful. It gave me the direction I needed to continually lift my game and achieve excellence in my research."
Throughout her studies, Tin Aeint volunteered at the Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU), where she witnessed the positive impact that digital health could have on the health of thousands of people.
“Volunteering at BIRU was life-changing. It confirmed my view that digital health stands at the crossroads of the future and that the delivery of health-related information and services via telecommunications technologies is important to everyone.
“I really felt like I contributed to telehealth development in Queensland during my volunteering and my research project by exploring the needs of brain injured patients and their potential access to multiple therapeutic environments.
“What a lot of people don’t realise about digital health is just how broad its application is in the real world. My specialisation in telehealth has opened doors for me - granting me valuable contacts in the areas of virtual reality, app development, rural medicine and instructional design.
“My digital health studies also served as a point of specialisation and differentiation to give me technical skills and a country-wide view of medicine.”
With a passion to connect remote areas of the world using Telehealth and e-medicine, Tin Aeint continues to work towards her dream to practice specialty medicine and advance telehealth applications to remote populations.
“I am currently studying medicine, and working at a pharmaceutical company which aims to maintain the optimal health of remote populations in my motherland of Myanmar.
“I’m dedicated towards seeing standards of living raised for those least privileged, and I’m excited to be living in a time where equitable access to healthcare can be made a reality for so many.”