SMHS innovators shine bright at annual INCITE Awards

SMHS innovators shine bright at annual INCITE Awards

It was celebrations all round for our South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) innovators at the INCITE Awards gala ceremony last week.

Now in its 35th year, the INCITE Awards are officially the longest-running technology awards program in Western Australia.

The Awards gala celebrates excellence in WA's digital technology sector and aligns with the objectives of the Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy.

In particular, the Awards continue to raise awareness of the digital transformation and showcase Western Australia's digital capabilities.

Selected from more than 120 nominations, SMHS staff took out three awards.

Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group (FSFHG) Consultant Cardiologist, Professor Girish Dwivedi, was awarded WA Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year.

Girish was recognised for his work in identifying opportunities, taking calculated risks and transforming world-leading Australian research into globally significant health technology companies.

“I'm honoured to receive this award and proud to be part of the South Metropolitan Health Service, whose commitment to innovation and excellence empowers clinicians and researchers to improve the lives of our community,” he said.

“Most importantly, I thank our patients, whose experiences and ideas continue to inspire our work and shape better healthcare solutions.”

Receiving double awards this year, LipReader, a lip-reading phone app developed through a SMHS Innovation fellowship at Fiona Stanley Hospital and led by Senior Speech Pathologist Jason Hall in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, was named both Digital Government Solution of the Year and Diversity and Digital Inclusion Solution of the Year.

Recognised for improving accessibility, participation, equity and inclusion, this initiative aims to transform the patient experience by restoring communication for intensive care unit patients who are awake but unable to speak.

Both these worthy winners continue to add to their awards repertoire, having previously been announced as winners in our 2026 SMHS Excellence Awards.

You can read more about Girish’s SMHS Researcher of the Year Award here and the Lip Reader team’s SMHS Southern Star Award here.

Winners of the INCITE Award categories will now represent WA at the iAwards, a national tech innovation awards night to be held in Sydney next month, with the chance to advance internationally.