Healthcare in Victoria took a bold step into the digital age today with the official launch of the Victorian Centre for Virtual Health Research (VVHR) at Northern Health, promising to reshape the way care is delivered, experienced, and improved.

The VVHR has been established to develop, evaluate, and scale innovative virtual models of care that are safer, more equitable, and more efficient. It will support the Victorian Virtual Care Strategy by providing robust evidence to inform service planning, policy development, and workforce initiatives.

For Dr Rebecca Jessup, Director of VVHR, the Centre represents a powerful intersection of technology and humanity. “My mission is to harness technology to democratise healthcare,” she said. “At the heart of my professional journey lies a deep-seated passion for creating equitable health outcomes, ensuring that every individual has access to quality care when they need it.”

The Centre will focus on:

• Examining the safety, efficacy, efficiency, and acceptability of virtual care models from the perspective of funders, users, and providers

•  Improving access for people facing barriers to traditional healthcare, such as older adults and those with complex needs

•  Investigating how virtual care is perceived by clinicians and what training and support they need to deliver it effectively

•  Embedding co-design with consumers, clinicians, and system partners to create virtual care models that are relevant, acceptable, and sustainable

Speaking at the launch was Professor Martin Curley, a globally renowned figure in digital health innovation whose work has revolutionised health systems across Europe and beyond. Known for his principle of “Curley’s Law”—which posits that digital transformation can deliver exponential gains in healthcare outcomes, efficiency, and access—the Irish innovator delivered a keynote address championing what he calls a “new proactive digital paradigm.”

“Healthcare needs a Copernican shift,” Professor Curley told an audience of clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. “We must move from reactive, hospital-based care to proactive, digitally enabled care at home and in the community. When done right, we don’t just see a 10 per cent improvement—we see a tenfold return. That’s the 10X vision.” 

This 10X vision underpins Curley’s broader framework of “Stay Left, Shift Left”—a strategy urging health systems to keep people well (“stay left”) and shift more care to lower-cost, higher-value community settings (“shift left”).  

With a strong foundation in research, innovation, and consumer empowerment, the Centre is poised to drive lasting change in how health care is accessed and experienced in Victoria.

From algorithms to empathy, Northern Health’s latest venture is shaping a healthcare future that’s truly virtual—and vitally human.