IT essential for Aged Care

A Health Industry Team Manager with one of the world's leading computer companies says Information Technology (IT) will play a crucial role in meeting the health care needs of an ageing society.

USQ Graduate, Dr George Margelis, will return to Toowoomba on Thursday 20 July, as a key-note speaker at the Collaboration for Ageing and Aged-care Informatics Research (CAAIR) Symposium.

Dr Margelis studied medicine and optometry and worked as a registered health practitioner, before moving into the computer industry.

He completed a Graduate Certificate in e-business from USQ in 2004 and is currently the Industry Development Manager for Intel Australia's Digital Health Group.

"I am looking forward to coming back and participating in the CAAIR Symposium and I congratulate USQ on its leadership in informatics in ageing and aged care.

"IT will be essential to enable ageing societies to meet the spiralling demands for services and health-care – we will not survive without it".

Dr Margelis believes there are huge opportunities for supporting active ageing and for delivering care in home and community settings.

"Intel's laboratories have an exhaustive program of research in this field. Technology can help in keeping up to date with the latest advancements in medicine and information technology."

Dr Margelis said USQ's CAAIR is increasingly being recognised in Australia as the leading academic research centre in this field.

"Intel is the founder of CAST (Center for Aging Services Technologies) in the USA and is working with CAAIR to build a similar entity for Australia".

Director of CAAIR, Associate Professor Jeffrey Soar, said they are thrilled to attract a Senior Executive from a leading international company to participate in the Symposium.

"Dr Margelis has a long career history in e-Health and Informatics for Ageing and is well-placed to share the leading-edge research that Intel is doing in Australia and overseas".

Dr Margelis is a National Board Member of the Health Informatics Society of Australia.

Media Contact: Amy Cass, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2092 or +61 412 097 326