Dr. Tafheem
Ahmad Wani
Researcher in Healthcare Cybersecurity, Digital Health, and the responsible integration of Artificial Intelligence across health systems and education.
Academic Profile
Dr. Tafheem Wani is a digital health academic, currently serving as a Lecturer (Teaching & Research) in the Digital Health and Health Information Management cluster at the School of Psychology & Public Health, La Trobe University. He completed his PhD on healthcare cybersecurity at the School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering & IT, The University of Melbourne. His key research interests include digital health, cybersecurity management, and ethical AI use.
During his PhD, he developed a cybersecurity mitigation framework and maturity model — a comprehensive set of systematic, best-practice, and evidence-based guidelines for managing cybersecurity risks arising from personal device usage in hospitals. As a researcher, he was also involved in key projects concerning Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including evaluating COVID-based virtual care tools developed by Australian hospitals and proposing technical prototyping solutions for Victorian virtual emergency department (VED) initiatives.
Tafheem has authored several research papers for leading publications, while also presenting his work nationally and internationally at conferences and academic forums. An active contributor to media and industry discussions on healthcare cybersecurity, he has shared his insights through news articles, radio interviews, and industry blogs — featuring in Proactive Investors UK, Retail Pharmacy Assistants Magazine, HR Leader, and Koori Radio 93.7 FM. Notably, one of his PhD research papers was cited in a Forbes article, highlighting the impact and relevance of his work in tackling cybersecurity challenges within healthcare.
Dr. Wani currently serves on the board of the prestigious Human-Computer Interaction International Conference (HCII) — Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Trust theme. He is also a peer reviewer for prominent digital health and cybersecurity journals published by Springer Nature, Sage, Elsevier, BioMed Central, IEEE, and Wiley.
SPPH Early Career Teaching Award for innovative and inclusive teaching, La Trobe University
SPPH Standard Teaching Award as part of the Digital Health team, La Trobe University
Nominated for 'Graduate Researcher of the Year' during PhD studies, University of Melbourne
Dean's Honours List for academic excellence — Master's in IT, University of Melbourne
Selected for the ARCH 'Rising Star' Research Mentorship Program for high-performing EMCRs
Core member of the Care Economy Research Institute (CERI) and member of the AIDH
Lecturer (Teaching & Research)
School of Psychology & Public Health
La Trobe University · Jan 2023 – Present
HCII — Cybersecurity, Privacy & Trust
Human-Computer Interaction International Conference
Board Member & Session Lead · 2024–Present
Research Programme
Applied, collaborative and policy-relevant scholarship at the intersection of digital health, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
Healthcare Cybersecurity
Investigating BYOD security management in hospitals, developing maturity models and mitigation frameworks grounded in socio-technical theory and mixed-methods action research.
AI in Health Systems
Examining the responsible integration of generative AI in health education and clinical settings, including assessment integrity, AI-generated content susceptibility, and allied health AI applications.
Digital Health Education
Analysing trends, gaps, and future directions in digital health education across Australian universities, and developing AI-integrated authentic assessment approaches.
Virtual Care & Informatics
Evaluating virtual care tools, virtual hospital implementation in regional settings, and digital literacy patterns among Australian healthcare consumers.
Grants & Funding
Digital Health Education Project
Risepoint Pty Ltd · Co-Lead Investigator
Healthcare Cybersecurity / Digital Health Projects
Research Startup Package · Lead Investigator
DIGHIM Generative AI Assessment Project
AI in Teaching Grant · Lead Investigator
Embedding Generative AI in Higher Education
AI in Teaching Grant · Co-Investigator
Selected Publications
Peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and book chapters in digital health, healthcare cybersecurity, and AI in health education.
Susceptibility of Assessment Types to AI-Generated Content: a Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study in Digital Health and Health Information Management Education.
Wani, T. A., Liem, M., Prasad, N., Robinson, K., Nexhip, A., Tassos, M., Gjorgioski, S., Khan, U. R., Boyd, J., & Riley, M.
JMIR Medical Education
Teaching & Academic Service
La Trobe University
Jan 2023 – PresentSchool of Psychology & Public Health · Bundoora, VIC
- ·Coordinate and teach across undergraduate and postgraduate Digital Health and HIM subjects
- ·Lead curriculum development with AI-integrated and authentic assessment approaches
- ·Academic Integrity Advisor for Digital Health and HIM subjects
- ·Member, SPPH Early Career Researcher Committee
University of Melbourne
Jan 2019 – Dec 2022School of Computing and Information Systems · Parkville, VIC
- ·Sessional Lecturer: Digital Health IT Infrastructure (ISYS90076)
- ·Tutor/Marker: IT Project and Change Management, Impact of Digitisation, Professional IS Consulting, Health & Biomedical Informatics Methods
Hafsa Umar
"Impact of Cybersecurity Breaches on Patient Data Privacy Perceptions and Trust in Australian Healthcare"
Co-supervised 6 Master of Digital Health students on digital health capstone research projects
Verified peer reviewer (Web of Science profile) for 18 leading journals and conferences across digital health, information systems, and health informatics:
Board Member & Session Lead
HCII 2026, CPT Track — Montreal, Canada
Session: 'Trustworthy and Secure AI: Designing for Trust, Transparency, and Accountability'
Board Member & Session Lead
HCII 2025, CPT Track — Gothenburg, Sweden
Session: 'Enhancing Cybersecurity Resilience Through Socio-Technical and Human-Centric Approaches'
Organising/Scientific Committee Member
Digital Health Week 2025
Core Member
Core Economy Research Institute (CERI), La Trobe University
Member
Australian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH)
Education & Recognition
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Feb 2019 – Feb 2024Engineering — BYOD Security Management in Hospitals: A Socio-Technical Approach
University of Melbourne
Master of Information Technology
Jun 2016 – Jul 2018Health Specialisation · 82.27% (First Class Honours)
University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Technology (Hons)
Jul 2011 – Jun 2015Information Technology · 81.67% (Distinction)
National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, India
Faculty Teaching Award 2025
2025La Trobe University — as part of Digital Health Team
Early Career Teaching Award 2024
2024La Trobe University Faculty Award — for teaching innovation
LearnX Award (External) & School Teaching Award 2024
2024La Trobe University — as part of Digital Health Team
Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
2024Advance HE
Dean's Commendation
2023–La Trobe University — for high student feedback rating
ARCH Rising Star EMCR Program
2024Academic and Research Collaborative in Health — Selected participant
Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS)
2019University of Melbourne — awarded to high-achieving PhD students
Victorian Government Studentship ($5,000)
2018Senetas Corporation SummerTech Program — awarded to high-achieving students
Dean's Honours List Award
2018University of Melbourne — Top 5% of cohort
Presentations & Media
"Virtual Health Series: Empowering Health through Science and Technology"
National Science Week 2025
Funded by the Australian Government
"Embedding Cybersecurity in Healthcare DNA: Culture, Responsibility, and Resilience"
Digital Health Festival 2025
Melbourne, Australia
"A Socio-Technical Approach to Healthcare Cybersecurity"
HIMAA National Webinar
Health Information Management Association of Australia
"Healthcare Cybersecurity"
Nepal Digital Health Conference
Online
"Assessing BYOD Security Maturity: A Survey of Australian Hospitals"
HCII 2025 — Gothenburg, Sweden
Recognised as 'Highly Attended Session'
"BYOD Security Practices in Australian Hospitals – A Qualitative Study"
HCII 2024 — Washington DC, USA
Recognised as 'Highly Attended Session'
"Status of BYOD Usage in Australian Hospitals: A National Survey"
Digital Health Institute Summit 2020 — Global Speaker Showcase
Online
"BYOD in Hospitals — Security Issues and Mitigation Strategies"
ACSW 2019 — Sydney, Australia
Koori Radio 93.7 FM
Healthcare Cybersecurity — BlackChat Broadcast
July 2024
Market Report Citation
Research cited in Healthcare Cybersecurity Market Size & Forecast 2025–2035 by Metatech Insights (2024)
Get in Touch
For research collaborations, media enquiries, speaking invitations, or academic correspondence, please reach out via email or connect on LinkedIn.
[email protected]
tafheem-ahmad-wani
Scholar Profile
scholars.latrobe.edu.au
Location
Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Dr. Tafheem Ahmad Wani
Lecturer · Digital Health & Health Information Management · La Trobe University
© 2026 Dr. Tafheem Ahmad Wani. All rights reserved.