David Hobbs

Mr David Hobbs Churchill Fellow, Fulbright Professional Scholar, is an innovative leader in his field and has benefited from grants from two organisations. He tells of his desire to use his engineering skills to help people and the community, and how he made the most of the opportunities offered by the grants he has received. He exhibits leadership traits that are mentioned in a number of other contributions.

David is a Rehabilitation Engineer, Associate Lecturer and PhD Candidate, School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia (http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/david.hobbs)

Seizing Opportunities – Becoming The Best That You Can Be
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)

I've always had an enquiring mind and an inquisitive nature. For me, it wasn't enough to know that things worked – I needed to know how and why. I remember enjoying solving puzzles, riddles and mysteries from a very early age. I wasn't a typical 'book worm' – I loved sport and the outdoors and was also very "people-oriented" – I enjoyed working with and being around new people, particularly if I could use my knowledge and skills to help or assist them.

I grew up in the western suburbs and attended a relatively small high school for my secondary education. I was one of those students who loved school, rarely had a day off and excelled in my studies, but I also lived for recess and lunch and playing sport with my friends. Learning came naturally, as did leadership opportunities – despite the fact I initially tried to avoid them. I was a Class Captain and Cricket Team Captain in my early years and enjoyed these experiences, and in my senior year I was voted both School Captain and Sports Day Captain. Little did I know that these roles would provide me with valuable experiences and opportunities down the track, and that future leadership and ambassador roles would come my way.

At university I pursued degrees in Physics and Biomedical Engineering and developed a passion for harnessing technology to help people with a disability – a field known as Rehabilitation Engineering or Assistive Technology. For me it was the perfect career combination – science, technology and engineering on one side, integrated with being able to assist people and the human elements of health care on the other. I loved my first job as a Rehabilitation Engineer.

As a fresh engineering graduate working at Novita Children's Services I worked in the technology division across a number of different innovative groups. It quickly became apparent to me that research, development and 'capturing' new ideas and turning them into reality was a challenge in a small, niche field like rehabilitation engineering. But was this the case everywhere? Did other countries struggle with finding funding, employing specialist staff, and turning an interesting concept into a reality? One way of moving forward was to learn from the best and to understand how 'centres of excellence in rehabilitation engineering' developed, operated and maintained their international standing.

I applied for a Churchill Fellowship in 2002 and was successful. In 2003 I spent three months visiting specialist rehabilitation engineering centres in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. It was an amazing opportunity to meet people in their workplace, see innovative technology and equipment up close, ask questions of specific researchers, and to appreciate a centre's "culture" first hand. You can't do many of these things via email or over the Internet – you have to be there.

One of the many challenges a Churchill Fellow faces is distilling the multitude of information and ideas you come across during your Fellowship, and turning them into tangible recommendations that will benefit the Australian community. I was given some excellent advice prior to leaving for my trip and that was to take on board everything I was exposed to, but at every opportunity to query: 'would this work in Adelaide?' and 'does this represent good commercial and economic value?' I had to listen, understand, synthesise and critically appraise everything I saw and heard, and "filter" great ideas or opportunities from the many discussions you have as a Fellow. Consequently you learn very quickly to think on your feet and to ask pertinent questions.

One of the highlights of my Fellowship was the discovery of an innovative software program from a specialist paediatric centre in Toronto, Canada. The program, known as the Bloorview Virtual Music Instrument (or VMI), converts simple movements into musical sounds through the use of an off the shelf laptop and webcam. The aim of the program is to help children with limited movement, who can't hold or play a traditional musical instrument, to be able to create sounds and to be musical. It's an amazing program that brings smiles to the faces of everyone that uses it, because with the shrug of a shoulder or the blink of an eye you can play a sound – which is very significant if you've never been able to do this before!

Even though it was in the early stages of its development, I was so impressed with this motivational-based program that I brought it back to Australia and initiated a number of trials with children and adults with a range of disabilities. After 5 years of trialing the program with many eager people, making adjustments and program enhancements, and getting feedback from other health professionals, the VMI was commercialised in Adelaide in August 2009 in a joint Australia-Canada venture! Now anyone can buy and enjoy this amazing program.

Believing I could "make a difference" in the niche field of rehabilitation engineering and give back to the community led me to apply for my Churchill Fellowship. It was an unforgettable experience that led me to develop international networks and partnerships that I still maintain. From a professional perspective, it helped me forge my career and gave me a global appreciation for my particular line of work.

I'm very proud of my Churchill Fellowship experience and I believe it was a huge advantage when I applied for and was awarded a Fulbright Professional Scholarship to research another area of rehabilitation engineering in 2008. Spending four months in the United States working alongside specialist researchers was another immensely enriching experience. I now work as an academic at Flinders University, and am also pursuing my PhD in Biomedical Engineering.

David's Churchill Fellowship report can be accessed here: http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/site_media/fellows/Hobbs_David_20022.pdf