Dr Simon Kos, Wednesday 2 April speaker at the Audiology Australia 2025 Conference.
You might not have heard of Dr Simon Kos, but you’ll almost certainly have been impacted by his work.
As Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft ANZ, Dr Kos has spent most of the last four years working with government to improve the digital maturity of health systems that use Microsoft’s systems. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Medical Officer of Microsoft’s global headquarters in Seattle, responsible for developing the worldwide strategy and vision for Microsoft technologies and solutions in healthcare.
As health professions around the world face a critical juncture in the face of more widespread generative AI solutions, Dr Kos says that he saw an exciting opportunity to help encourage innovative thinking about AI in the audiology profession, when he was invited to speak at the Audiology Australia 2025 Conference in April in Adelaide.
Audiology Australia recently had the chance to sit down with Dr Kos to chat about his career and the takeaways he’s hoping to give audiologists and other hearing health professionals at Australia’s largest hearing health event.
Audiology Australia: Hi Simon, can you give us an overview of your area of specialty?
Dr Simon Kos: I work for Microsoft Worldwide Health & Life Sciences as the Chief Medical Officer for Australia and New Zealand. I focus on digital health which includes everything from software infrastructure and security to clinical communications and data analytics.
Since 2023 I’ve been focusing on the exciting field of artificial intelligence in healthcare. I’ve seen the early potential of generative AI, been involved in implementing these technologies as proof of concept and pilots, and now I’m helping scale these capabilities safely and responsibly to improve clinical experience and patient outcomes.
How is your work making a positive difference to the lives of audiology clients?
I work directly with State and Federal health departments to improve the digital maturity of how health services are delivered across the region. This includes ensuring that technology is safe, effective and fit for purpose.
I also work with the Microsoft Partner Network, which includes over 900 commercial software providers who deliver service and solutions into healthcare in this region. I help them calibrate on the health industry trends, problems and pressures, and connect them with specific customers who need their capabilities.
What drew you to the AudA 2025 Conference?
In 2023 I spent a day at the Hearing Australia conference, sharing my knowledge of generative AI and learning about the challenges in audiology where technology might help. The opportunity to share these insights to a national audience of audiologists right at this point where AI services are being adopted by healthcare organisations across the globe is very exciting.
What do you want attendees to leave your session on Wednesday 2 April with?
Key learning points include:
- Artificial intelligence is not new. It has been in healthcare for years
- Generative AI is new and disruptive, and has enormous positive potential for healthcare
- This technology is moving faster than any legislation or regulation
- Unregulated AI is already in use, and AI will surface in the digital tools you already use
- Responsible adoption of AI needs strategy and planning
What do you love about your career?
While I was an emergency doctor, I could only treat one patient at a time. In my digital health career, I have impact at a national and global scale. Each day is different, packed with learning and new experiences. I love working with great people to make positive change.
If you had chosen another career path, what would you be doing right now and why?
If I hadn’t left medicine for digital health, I probably would be an anaesthetist right now. I was on the training pathway so it was the default choice, and it is a good mix of technical skills, human interaction, and creating impact.
Register now! Get in quick and save over 15% at the AudA 2025 Conference!
The Audiology Australia 2025 Conference is your opportunity to hear directly from Dr Kos and other leaders and innovative thinkers in the audiology sector and beyond.
Don’t forget! If you’re an Audiology Australia member and register before Monday 3 February 2025, you’ll have the chance to save $235 on full conference registration.
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