UQ graduate leading digital health transformation

Three years ago, Shelley Behen could not have imagined she would have landed her exciting new role – Senior Business Analyst for CSIRO – working with the FHIR Accelerator team in the Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC). 

She says she got the confidence to apply for the role thanks to her two-year immersion in The University of Queensland’s Graduate Certificate in Clinical Informatics and Digital Health (GCCIDH).

“When COVID hit I could see the digital health landscape was changing fast and I wanted to be part of that change.”

She was at the point in her career of wanting to further her clinical informatics and digital health skills and she said the UQ program was ideal.

“I looked around at all the courses on offer and when I saw the Graduate Certificate at UQ was led by Clair Sullivan and Andrew Burton-Jones, I knew it was for me. They are recognised as industry leaders and I learnt so much from them,” Shelley said.

She said the GCCIDH program was genuinely cutting-edge.

“For example, we started our data analytics course just as ChatGPT was launched, and within a few weeks we’re learning about it, it was incredible.”

The first 14 students of the inaugural program who completed their studies in November 2023 came from a wealth of different backgrounds, from clinical roles to IT to clinical informatics.

“Our final group assignment on developing a digital health strategy was a great experience – working with people from different perspectives brought it all together for me.”

She said one of her most valuable learnings was in evaluation of digital health systems.

“If you implement a digital health system, learning the correct way to evaluate it is essential. You need to be able to show how the system has added value, how you can get the most out of it and make sure that it's delivering value for stakeholders.” 

Shelley has spent more than 26 years in the health industry and in mid-2024 she landed a new role - Senior Business Analyst at CSIRO’s Sparked AU. She will be working to working closely with the Australian e-Health Research Centre team, along with other collaborators and stakeholders in the creation, development, management and support of open data exchange standards and capabilities to meet the current and future needs for Australia’s health system.

“I started off my career as a pharmacy technician and when I went back to university the first time, I chose to study pharmacy.

“It was at the same time as I got my first application specialist job and I realised I wanted to work in technology so I switched from pharmacy to IT, and the rest is history.” 

The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Informatics and Digital Health is delivered by UQ’s Queensland Digital Health Centre, led by Director Professor Clair Sullivan and UQ Business School’s Professor Andrew-Burton Jones. 

“We are training people to be the best digital health practitioners they can be,” said Professor Sullivan.

“This fully online course is ideal for clinicians who see themselves as future clinical information officers, chief medical information officers, chief nursing information officers or chief allied health officers – it will develop their ability to help lead the digital transformation we all need in healthcare today.”

Find out more about the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Informatics and Digital Health.