Professor Christine Jorm has welcomed Dr Chris Levi back to Newcastle, tweeting, we are ‘now very lucky to have Chris’ expertise and energy back in the region.’
Neurologist Dr Chris Levi, best known within the District for his extensive work to improve stroke pathways both here and across NSW in the past decade, is wrapping up his current role in Sydney and returning to Newcastle to take up a new post on the John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct project.
Dr Levi has accepted the role of Director, John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct, charged with clinical leadership and guiding further collaboration and synergy between health care, research and innovation as the Precinct develops in coming years.
After four years in Sydney, as Executive Director of the Sydney Partnership for Health Education Research and Enterprise (SPHERE), Dr Levi’s looking forward to a new challenge back in Newcastle.
“I’ve been given the great, once in a generation opportunity to help establish a flagship precinct.”
“I’ll be working to further integrate our strong partnerships with the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute, and engaging community and private industry partners across our region and beyond.
“During the precinct development phase my role will be to lead the connection of innovation, research and health care improvement, developing and enhancing systems that will bring people together in partnership to establish the John Hunter Precinct as Australia’s first learning health system.”
Dr Levi believes firm relationships with both academic and industry partners, particularly those in science, IT and engineering, present an excellent opportunity for health and the economic growth of the region.
“Innovation and new tech – engineering in particular – have the potential to address a number of important unmet health care needs, so it’s important that we begin to explore and foster those relationships now,” Dr Levi said.
“Although our primary job is to provide health care to our community, as an industry, we also needs to pull our weight in these tough economic times. In response to this pandemic-related economic downturn, healthcare led innovation addressing important areas of clinical need, can play an important role in supporting economic recovery”.
Dr Levi will commence his position in February 2021.
