Te Herenga Waka Health and Design Innovations are converging with a new Medtech innovation hub initiative
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is part of a new national initiative ‘Medtech-iQ Aotearoa’ focused on growing innovation relating to medical devices and digital health to help meet growing demand for healthcare.
The Consortium for Medical Device Technologies (CMDT) recently launched a proposal for a new national medical device and digital health innovation network, ‘Medtech-iQ Aotearoa’, with four connected regional hubs to bolster the sector’s growth and ability to improve health outcomes for New Zealanders. Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is forming part of the ‘Medtech-iQ Pōneke Wellington’ regional hub.
The four connected regional hubs bring together universities, Callaghan Innovation, and Te Whatu Ora hospitals, with other government health providers, the technology industry, investors, and communities to advance the Medtech sector. The proposal foresees each hub contributing its own distinctive areas of research and business strength to complement the national capability and help create better health outcomes for all New Zealanders.
Professor Simon Fraser from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Te Kura Hoahoa—School of Design Innovation works with the Medtech-iQ Pōneke Wellington Hub initiative.
"We foresee that Medtech-iQ Pōneke Wellington will work on community engagement, participation, and co-design with a co-lab as a trans-institutional shared facility at Wellington Regional Hospital. It will facilitate on-location research by bringing together researchers and students with clinicians and patients, to solve real-life health problems emerging within community and clinical settings.”
The Hub will call on a multi-disciplinary regional collaboration with Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Otago University Wellington, and Massey University, as well as national collaborations with complementary partner organisations such as the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Ara Manawa at Papakainga Atawhai/Auckland City Hospital.
Simon elaborates that the co-lab focuses specifically on research in Digital Health, Human Centred Design and Design-led applications of emerging digital technologies.
“We have leading research expertise in digital mental health, AI and big data for healthcare, serious games, 3D & 4D printing for simulation and data analysis.”
Simon says that healthcare is fundamental to flourishing societies.
“We have a special opportunity at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington to make healthcare not only more accessible but also more engaging through design and the role design plays in ‘humanising’ technology. This is particularly relevant in New Zealand, where Māori and Pacific communities have been underrepresented in our healthcare systems. While design has much to offer, we also have much to learn from them to understand their needs.”
Simon says the long-term community benefits from the Medtech-iQ regional hubs are socioeconomic.
“Better healthcare devices and delivery result in healthier and happier communities, while an innovative and competitive Medtech sector brings economic benefit through high-value jobs and exports. This, in turn, also provides interesting career pathways for our students—many of whom are interested in design and healthcare.”
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington offers a wide range of medical technology-focused expertise. Associate Professor Terry Fleming, Dr Edgar Rodriguez, PhD students XuXu and Aïda Amoozegar-Montero, and lecturer Bernard Guy are just a few of the University researchers involved with the Medtech-iQ Aotearoa initiative, each creating unique outcomes in New Zealand that could have global potential, including entry into the US$815 billion global Medtech market.
In developing a distinctive capability, the capital city location offers a real opportunity to work with government organisations in the immediate region such as Te Whatu Ora’s Emerging Health Technology & Innovation Group or Te Aka Whai Ora. It also provides a chance to capitalise on synergies with the internationally acknowledged Digital Creative Sector. Medtech-iQ Pōneke Wellington Hub also offers enthusiastic support for MBIE’s recent ‘Wellington Science City’ proposal as an additional opportunity to grow a regional capability of national and international significance.
A snapshot of Te Herenga Waka's research capability within the Medtech-iQ Pōneke Wellington Hub featured recently at the Medtech Innovation Showcase at the Beehive:
Digital Mental Health
The Digital Mental Health Catalyst is a new initiative led by Associate Professor Terry Fleming from Te Wāhanga Tātai Hauora—Wellington Faculty of Health. It aims at leveraging technology to enhance mental health and equity. E-therapies, apps and other digital innovations for mental health are often as effective as face-to-face therapies in clinical trials. However, they frequently need more adoption and engagement in communities. The Catalyst unites academic, community, and cultural knowledge to drive impactful projects for mental health.
Statistical Shape Model for customised post-breast surgery bras
The Tangible IX design lab at the School of Design Innovation studies the human experience of interacting with medical technologies to offer physical and digital solutions. Dr Edgar Rodríguez and PhD students Xuxu Amoozegar-Montero and Aïda Amoozegar-Montero collaborate with Dr Julie Choisne (Auckland Bioengineering Institute) to develop a Statistical Shape Model that will help produce digitally manufactured bras for post-breast surgery use, with highly customised features like size and padding.
3D and 4D Printing for physical simulation
The School of Design Innovation offers the only high-resolution, multi-material full-colour 3D printing research capability in Aotearoa. Bernard Guy coordinates research expertise in creating physical 3D printed models from medical imaging data that simulate the human body’s complex colouration, textures, movement, and pathologies. Applications include dynamic anatomies for simulation and surgical planning through to novel physical representations of computational data. Collaborations include Auckland Bioengineering Institute, Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley.