Professor
Chandana Unnithan
Positions
Adjunct Professor (Digital Health & Informatics)
AVAILABILITY
Background
Professor Chandana Unnithan is an Adjunct Professor in Digital Health & Informatics at Torrens University Australia and Chief Scientific Officer (C-Suite/Executive) of Lifeguard Digital Health Inc. She has over two decades of experience across digital public health, health informatics and IoT/sensor driven technology applications.
At Lifeguard Digital Health, Chandana leads research and development (R&D) leveraging contactless IoT/sensor/AI driven applications and SaaS for public health and safety, that have saved 367 lives from emergencies as of October 2026. She represents Australia on the UN’s COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, presenting latest developments in digital health (precision health, digital twins, telehealth) and is part of the AI regulatory developments.
She was on the WHO’s Roster of Experts advising its Digital Health Technical Advisory Group during the pandemic from Australia. Her areas of commendation include digital public health, AI/IoT applications in public health, and space-health technology translation. Chandana is an active member across standards and regulatory bodies in Australia, Canada, the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Digital Health & Informatics, Victoria University Australia
- Master of Business Computing (by Research), RMIT University, Australia
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), RMIT University, Australia
Areas of Interest
- Digital Public Health
- Applied Health Informatics
- AI applications in Health
- IoT/Sensor applications in public safety surveillance
- Space to Health Technology Translation
Previous media coverage
2026Precision Health monitoring with AI and digital twins in Australia – knowledge translation from Remote Australia to Space and Global Health - at the 63rd session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of UN COPUOS (Webcast on UN Television) under the agenda item 13, Space and Global Health.
2025Australian progress in digital health leveraging space technologies - at the 62nd session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of UN COPUOS (Webcast on UN Television) under the agenda item 12, Space and Global Health
Impactful Digital Health Solutions for preventing a public health emergency - 78th World Health Assembly, Geneva Health Forum, Digital Health Day, Geneva
Space based technologies that enable telehealth, telemedicine, tele-epidemeology- case studies from regions - 78th World Health Assembly, Geneva Health Forum, Digital Health Day, Geneva
HiC Annual Digital Health Conference - Australia Health Innovation Community (HIC) annual conference of Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH), Session 200: Patient Centred Care, Goldfields Theatre, MCEC, Melbourne, Australia
Digital Overdose Prevention - International Overdose Day, in collaboration with Pennington Institute Australia, Lifeguard Digital Health Inc., Torrens University Australia and City of Melbourne, Australia
2024Australian Conduits in digital health and sustainable development with AI - at the 61st Session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of the United Nations COPUOS
Digital Health solutions for preventing opioid overdose deaths - Guiding Digital Health: Strategies steering digital transformation Session, Digital Health Day, May 30th, Geneva Health Forum, GDHub, University of Geneva
Digital Health Privacy and Security with Artificial Intelligence - Panel in AI for Life: Integration of AI and Public and Personal Health Session, Digital Health Day, May 30th, Geneva Health Forum, GDHub, University of Geneva
2023Protecting People, Privacy, Data in Digital Health with Dr Chandana Unnithan - Podcast on Women Talk Tech
An Australian outlook on initiatives for Sustainable digital health - at the 60th Session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of the United Nations COPUOS, 13th meeting - Technical Presentations, Vienna, Austria (Webcast on United Nations TV, representing Australia in digital health)
International Conclave on Healthy Ageing, ICHA, India - Speaker/Panelist
2022Executive Insights – Winner Circle Edition - in conversation with Nasheen Liu, IT Media Group, Podcast. This episode features Dr. Chandana Unnithan, Chief Scientific Officer Lifeguard Digital Health. Chandana was named “Innovator of the Year” at the Women in IT Awards Canada Edition in 2022. This episode explores how her award-winning innovations have resulted in life-saving solutions that securely address two major crises in Canada: Opioid crises and senior care.
What is driving the digital healthcare evolution? - Podcast interview by Hon. Tony Clement (Former minister of Industry and health), The News Forum, Canada
Women in IT Awards, Winner Round up - by Samira Balsara, IT World Canada, Women in Tech section. Innovator of the Year – Dr. Chandana Unnithan, chief scientific officer of Lifeguard Digital Health, received the Innovator of the Year award, which highlights a female tech professional who has demonstrated outstanding innovation, customer wins and deployments over the past two years. Unnithan is an expert scientist in digital health (integrating AI, IoT, Blockchain in health, Geo-spatial apps, precision public health) and has a PhD in Digital Health & Informatics
2021CrossOver: AI - How AI can Build a Better World - CitiAge Event, USA (Invited panelist)
Executive insights interview with IT Media group - Videocast with Nasheen Liu, Partner and SVP of CIO Program Strategy at The IT Media Group. This episode features Dr. Chandana Unnithan, Chief Security & Informatics Officer with Lifeguard Digital Health, and discusses the role of digital health in helping to protect us from another pandemic, a parallel health crisis in Western Canada and how technology can help address mental health, and the progress and challenges in digital health adoption globally.
Space Technologies in Public Health Management - Australian Space Biology and Health Symposium (ASBX 2021)
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About
Background
Professor Chandana Unnithan is an Adjunct Professor in Digital Health & Informatics at Torrens University Australia and Chief Scientific Officer (C-Suite/Executive) of Lifeguard Digital Health Inc. She has over two decades of experience across digital public health, health informatics and IoT/sensor driven technology applications.
At Lifeguard Digital Health, Chandana leads research and development (R&D) leveraging contactless IoT/sensor/AI driven applications and SaaS for public health and safety, that have saved 367 lives from emergencies as of October 2026. She represents Australia on the UN’s COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, presenting latest developments in digital health (precision health, digital twins, telehealth) and is part of the AI regulatory developments.
She was on the WHO’s Roster of Experts advising its Digital Health Technical Advisory Group during the pandemic from Australia. Her areas of commendation include digital public health, AI/IoT applications in public health, and space-health technology translation. Chandana is an active member across standards and regulatory bodies in Australia, Canada, the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Digital Health & Informatics, Victoria University Australia
- Master of Business Computing (by Research), RMIT University, Australia
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), RMIT University, Australia
-
Expertise
Areas of Interest
- Digital Public Health
- Applied Health Informatics
- AI applications in Health
- IoT/Sensor applications in public safety surveillance
- Space to Health Technology Translation
-
Media
Previous media coverage
2026Precision Health monitoring with AI and digital twins in Australia – knowledge translation from Remote Australia to Space and Global Health - at the 63rd session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of UN COPUOS (Webcast on UN Television) under the agenda item 13, Space and Global Health.
2025Australian progress in digital health leveraging space technologies - at the 62nd session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of UN COPUOS (Webcast on UN Television) under the agenda item 12, Space and Global Health
Impactful Digital Health Solutions for preventing a public health emergency - 78th World Health Assembly, Geneva Health Forum, Digital Health Day, Geneva
Space based technologies that enable telehealth, telemedicine, tele-epidemeology- case studies from regions - 78th World Health Assembly, Geneva Health Forum, Digital Health Day, Geneva
HiC Annual Digital Health Conference - Australia Health Innovation Community (HIC) annual conference of Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH), Session 200: Patient Centred Care, Goldfields Theatre, MCEC, Melbourne, Australia
Digital Overdose Prevention - International Overdose Day, in collaboration with Pennington Institute Australia, Lifeguard Digital Health Inc., Torrens University Australia and City of Melbourne, Australia
2024Australian Conduits in digital health and sustainable development with AI - at the 61st Session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of the United Nations COPUOS
Digital Health solutions for preventing opioid overdose deaths - Guiding Digital Health: Strategies steering digital transformation Session, Digital Health Day, May 30th, Geneva Health Forum, GDHub, University of Geneva
Digital Health Privacy and Security with Artificial Intelligence - Panel in AI for Life: Integration of AI and Public and Personal Health Session, Digital Health Day, May 30th, Geneva Health Forum, GDHub, University of Geneva
2023Protecting People, Privacy, Data in Digital Health with Dr Chandana Unnithan - Podcast on Women Talk Tech
An Australian outlook on initiatives for Sustainable digital health - at the 60th Session of the Scientific and Technical SubCommittee of the United Nations COPUOS, 13th meeting - Technical Presentations, Vienna, Austria (Webcast on United Nations TV, representing Australia in digital health)
International Conclave on Healthy Ageing, ICHA, India - Speaker/Panelist
2022Executive Insights – Winner Circle Edition - in conversation with Nasheen Liu, IT Media Group, Podcast. This episode features Dr. Chandana Unnithan, Chief Scientific Officer Lifeguard Digital Health. Chandana was named “Innovator of the Year” at the Women in IT Awards Canada Edition in 2022. This episode explores how her award-winning innovations have resulted in life-saving solutions that securely address two major crises in Canada: Opioid crises and senior care.
What is driving the digital healthcare evolution? - Podcast interview by Hon. Tony Clement (Former minister of Industry and health), The News Forum, Canada
Women in IT Awards, Winner Round up - by Samira Balsara, IT World Canada, Women in Tech section. Innovator of the Year – Dr. Chandana Unnithan, chief scientific officer of Lifeguard Digital Health, received the Innovator of the Year award, which highlights a female tech professional who has demonstrated outstanding innovation, customer wins and deployments over the past two years. Unnithan is an expert scientist in digital health (integrating AI, IoT, Blockchain in health, Geo-spatial apps, precision public health) and has a PhD in Digital Health & Informatics
2021CrossOver: AI - How AI can Build a Better World - CitiAge Event, USA (Invited panelist)
Executive insights interview with IT Media group - Videocast with Nasheen Liu, Partner and SVP of CIO Program Strategy at The IT Media Group. This episode features Dr. Chandana Unnithan, Chief Security & Informatics Officer with Lifeguard Digital Health, and discusses the role of digital health in helping to protect us from another pandemic, a parallel health crisis in Western Canada and how technology can help address mental health, and the progress and challenges in digital health adoption globally.
Space Technologies in Public Health Management - Australian Space Biology and Health Symposium (ASBX 2021)