Responsibility in data management: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine’s approach

Bernard Wansink is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. During a recent interview, he spoke about his role and the importance of growth and innovation in his field.

Bernie emphasised that growth for his organisation is about improving the experience of the people that interface with them.

This involves providing consistent service and attracting and maintaining the best talent. He also stressed the importance of maintaining the dignity of the deceased and their families.

Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine has one of the best forensic databases in the world, which was set up in 1995 with data sponsored by the government.

The unique data possessed by the organisation is being utilised for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) research, which is helping to determine what happened to people who are no longer with us.

The results of this research are allowing knowledge to be shared both within Australia and overseas, helping to increase and develop knowledge that was not possible in the past.

With great data comes great responsibility, and Bernie emphasised that his organisation’s IT team understands the context of the data they work with.

The team recognises that the data is not just numbers, but numbers about people, and the culture within the team is focused on understanding and valuing this.

Governance, compliance, and ethics are key to the organisation’s approach to trust and responsible data management.

Bernie also talked about the explosion in the number of data points that have resulted from advances in technology.

He stressed the importance of innovating and evolving systems to manage this data and support the users of this data, including forensic services and academia.

Contributors
Bernard Wansink Chief Technology Officer at Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
Bernard Wansink is the Chief Technology Officer for the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine; he has been responsible for developing and implementing... More

Bernard Wansink is the Chief Technology Officer for the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine; he has been responsible for developing and implementing innovative ICT strategies for over 15 years.

As CTO, he is responsible for aligning and managing the organisation’s ICT strategy with its vision, planning and development, restructuring, change management, and delivering value to operations. Before this, he held the position of Chief Information Officer at Schiavello Group.

He holds an MBA in Technology Management, CPPD, CRISC, and PRINCE2 qualifications. He is known for building teams that prioritise the client, commitment to quality and professionalism, collaboration and knowledge sharing, promoting a “think like a start-up” mentality, thoughtful risk-taking, and thinking differently to find new solutions.

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Shane Hill Principal Research Analyst at ADAPT
Shane manages ADAPT’s research agenda and is responsible for driving survey evolution.​ He has over 20 years of experience in technology delivery... More

Shane manages ADAPT’s research agenda and is responsible for driving survey evolution.​

He has over 20 years of experience in technology delivery and market intelligence roles. This includes over six years serving technology and services providers at Gartner.​

Shane has deep knowledge of the UK and Australian markets, across financial services, government, professional services and energy/utilities sectors.​

As an IT services expert, he is equipped to advise organisations as they commoditise technology foundations to then differentiate through world-class experiences.​

Shane builds on this expertise to advise on practical ESG, data & AI, and the application modernisation strategies required to realise those aims.​

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