Prof. Reny Segal

“There is an unmet need to train and protect healthcare workers and staff across other industries, in PPE and infection prevention. It is a critical need and I want to fix it. I want the infection rate of workers and their families to be zero, and it’s achievable.”

Developer, partner, and co-director of Blue Mirror, Professor Segal trained in medicine in his native South Africa where he undertook his Surgery and Intensive Care training before completing his Anaesthesia specialisation in New Zealand. He then went on to Papworth, Cambridge in the UK to complete his cardiothoracic anaesthesia fellowship.

He is currently Senior Staff Specialist for the Department of Anaesthesiology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia and Head of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology Clinical Professor at the University of Melbourne. His areas of sub-speciality interest include cardiothoracic anaesthesia, advanced airway management, trauma, teaching, research, and culture change in medicine, amongst others.

As a proactive champion of medical innovation, Prof Segal is well-versed in teaching across national as well as global platforms in the field of airway management, having set up a number of successful courses for both registrars and consultants. Drawing on his innate leadership and collaborative skills, he also co-established the Australian and New Zealand Airway Special Interest Group and is its former chairman.

Dr. Roni Krieser

“As an Anaesthetist, my job has always been about helping the person in front of me get through an operation safely. Blue Mirror has given me the opportunity to help people I will never meet, stay safe.”

Dr. Krieser holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBBS) from Monash University and a master’s degree in Clinical Ultrasound from Melbourne University. He is also a Fellow of Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthesia. Since 2009 he has held the position of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist at Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he specialises in Cardiac Anaesthesia.

At Blue Mirror, he is responsible for Beta testing the interface between user and tech, working alongside the IT team to ensure it meets the three requirements; namely, to help train people in safe donning and doffing; to develop a device to help protect staff within the clinical context by ensuring they are PPE prepared; and to keep the interface simple, intuitive, and fluent.

When Covid-19 spread globally in 2020, he noted how early in the pandemic clinicians on the frontline took the brunt of the carnage, becoming clear that access to good PPE was only part of the picture. SARS, MIRS and Ebola had all shown him that impeccable donning and doffing PPE is key to maintaining a safe workforce, so when the opportunity arose to work with Blue Mirror to develop a product to help keep people safe by using AI to assist with donning and doffing, his decision was easy.

Dr. Paul Mezzavia

“Being part of Blue Mirror is an opportunity to take part in a project involving machine learning and contribute to safety during the pandemic and beyond.”

An innovative, strategic and commercially astute clinician and leader, Dr Paul Mezzavia’s drive stems from the potential to transform healthcare delivery and outcomes on a systemic level through innovative partnerships, education, research and cultural change.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery followed by a master’s degree in clinical ultrasound at The University of Melbourne, before later becoming a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

Since 2003, he has worked at The Royal Melbourne Hospital as Senior Staff Specialist in the Department of Anaesthesiology, and is also Head of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology Clinical Professor at the University of Melbourne, in a role that has contributed to an esteemed track record in conceiving, designing and delivering specialist education.

Alongside teaching, his specialisms are cardiothoracic anaesthesia, echocardiography and difficult airway management.

At Blue Mirror, he is medical advisor and involved in product evaluation and testing.

Dr. Keat Lee

“Patient and staff safety will be enhanced with the utilisation of artificial intelligence. Our aim is for Blue Mirror to be at the forefront in bringing AI into the field of practical medicine while improving safety and efficiency.”

Dr. Keat Lee is Head of Clinical Operations Senior Staff Specialist in the Department of Anaesthesiology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

In 2000 he gained a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBBS) from the University of Adelaide, before being awarded a Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in Specialist Training seven years later, where its members are among the most highly regarded specialist physicians in the world.

As Specialist Consultant Anaesthetist, his interests are Clinical Care of Perioperative Patients, Anaesthesia for Complex Head and Neck Surgery, Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Patient and Staff Safety.

He cites successfully navigating the hospital’s Perioperative Team through the Covid-19 Pandemic as one of his key achievements to date, through contributing to the preparation, planning and instituting of a Pandemic plan to keep the team safe and functioning throughout.

At Blue Mirror, Dr. Lee’s duties include team development of concepts, troubleshooting and feedback as well as working in a remote advisory role.

Dr. Pierre Bradley

“My desire is to help mitigate risk to the healthcare workforce including axillary and nursing home staff, who may not have access to the same high levels of support that I am privileged to have.”

Dr Pierre Bradley divides his time between his public work as Senior Specialist in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and private practice with a sub-speciality interest in neurosurgery, vascular surgery, trauma, airway management, perioperative medicine and risk management.

He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Perioperative Medicine, Monash University and a British Journal of Anaesthesia article reviewer.

Dr. Bradley completed his undergraduate training at the University of Dundee in 1994 before commencing General Physician training with interests in Acute Medicine, Cardiology and Endocrinology, before going on to a critical care pathway involving Anaesthesia, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Retrieval Medicine.  

He is actively involved in teaching, airway research, national Professional Standards creation and reviews. Past achievements including his role as Chair of ANZCA Airway Management Special Interest Group (ANZCA/ASA/NZSA), developer of the Epworth Difficult Airway Trolley (standardised across multiple hospital sites throughout Melbourne) which led to an Editorial in Anaesthesia and multiple national airway course developments.

He is the current State Airway Lead for Victoria and Tasmania and has committee roles on ANZCA Victorian Regional Council and Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council Anaesthetic Subcommittee.

He has joined Blue Mirror in an advisory, investigative and research role, after he became involved in the development of a safety product using AI technology. The tech is designed to benefit multiple users after Dr Bradley saw circumstances where there was a potential to reduce the risk to care home staff who had limited or no training on how to safely use PPE equipment.

Rommie nunes

“When COVID appeared, I spoke to many healthcare professionals about their PPE concerns. Their daily anxiety and constant fear of getting infected and bringing a disease home to their families was extremely palpable. We knew we could do something about it and the more we learned, the more certainty we had that we could make a big difference. Our wider dream is to improve life through AI. Blue Mirror is a perfect fit.”

Rommie Nunes is a tech entrepreneur and AI specialist whose professional drive is underpinned by one ethos: the application of technology to improve life. Having been involved in the software industry all his life, in 2019 he left his position as Chief Technology Officer at Fysight to create a start-up that built products to enhance and save lives. That company is Blue Mirror, and as its CEO, he is asserting his long-standing passion for AI and technology to drive HealthTech innovation to new, undiscovered territory.

With a career spanning more than 20 years, Rommie became an entrepreneur at just 18 years old when he co-founded a web systems and computer games start-up, something he describes as “an amazing experience, especially related to growth, learning, knowledge and strategic vision”. His thirst for development in the field of technology also saw him add to his wealth of experience by gaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Univali in Itajai, Brazil in 2010.

Prior to this, in 2007 he joined Videosoft as Tech Lead, spearheading a team of 13 developers before eventually becoming the firm’s CEO within just four years. In 2013 he moved from Brazil to Auckland to work at Fingermark Digital Technologies, working his way up to Chief Technology Officer three years later.

Citing one of his strengths as “creating a very positive impact where I have worked, helping those companies to innovate and grow”, he has harnessed this to full effect at Blue Mirror, where his credentials as a software developer, team leader, tech executive and businessman will stand him in excellent stead to continue to push the boundaries of technology across global healthcare for the greater good.

Dr. Irene Ng

“Blue Mirror is an exciting project because it involves advanced technology, a key research topic for me. I believe applying artificial intelligence in healthcare will improve quality of patient care, something I would like to help prove through evidence-based medicine.”

Dr. Irene Ng is a well-respected senior staff consultant anaesthetist at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Armed with extensive clinical research experience, she has contributed to over 20 published peer-reviewed journals, with her professional interests covering airway management, vascular and regional anaesthesia. She is currently undertaking several COVID-19-related research projects, including psychological impact of COVID-19 on frontline workers, fit testing of N95 respirators, and education and training on respiratory protection equipment. As well as being actively involved in departmental quality assurance audit projects, she has a number of professional commitments, including the Supervisor of anaesthetic trainees, the instructor of Advanced Life Support and National Airway Training Course for Anaesthetic Trainees and the Chair of ANZCA Scholar Role Subcommittee, which she has significantly contributed to for over 10 years.

In her role as medical advisor and research lead at Blue Mirror, she is involved in many key aspects including design, data analysis and ensuring ethical standards.

Prof. Daryl Williams

“My aim at Blue Mirror is to find solutions for an important problem using scalable, cost-effective and innovative technology whilst preserving healthcare worker time to maximise patient facing time.”

Professor Daryl Williams is Director of Anaesthesia and Pain Management at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he has honed his expertise for the past 19 years.

His clinical and research interests include neuro-anaesthesia, resuscitation, trauma medicine and advanced airway management.

His wide-ranging experience is reflected by a long list of state and national positions including the Victorian Ministerial Advisory Committee in Surgical Services (MACSS), Clinical Advisory Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA), Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) Committee, Chair Anaesthetists in Management ANZCA, Chair Emergency Surgery Working Group MACSS and Chair of the Senior Medical Staff Victorian Public Hospitals.

He runs a number of courses and conferences, demonstrating his clear passion for teaching and developing the skills of health professionals.

His role as both scientific advisor and clinical researcher at Blue Mirror enables him to provide a unique perspective from a healthcare executive perspective, in his mission to improve the quality and consistency of PPE in the workplace.