An Italian Anthropologist in the Field of Digital Health in Australia

Plain language summary

The research department of “Vienna Social Fund” in Vienna, Austria hosted Carol Pizzuti as a guest researcher in August 2023. In our interview, we asked Carol about her choice to study anthropology with a focus on her passion for it and on her expertise as a medical anthropologist in an applied context. Carol works as a senior research officer in continuing professional development (CPD) at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) in Sydney, Australia. Concurrently, she is also finalising her Industry PhD research project on the use of eHealth data analytics to strengthen CPD for medical practitioners. eHealth data analytics plays a crucial role in health-care service organisations, and its significance in the field of Health Professions Education will grow in the coming years. In this context, a close look at the current situation and possible developments is necessary. Carol explains how the holistic anthropological approach helped her understand what is happening in the field of data analytics for education and professional development purposes. Also, it allowed her to understand stakeholders’ intentions, interests, and roles in the current CPD ecosystem. As a result of her experience, she sees communication and true collaboration as the biggest challenge in multidisciplinary research teams that want to work together successfully and strive for research translation and implementation in the real-world.