Meet the SMEs at MOHR: Q&A with Dr Charles Phillips

Occupational health is complex—but with the right people guiding the way, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

At My Occ Health Record, we’re proud to lean on leaders who bring deep experience, critical thinking and a passion for improving health outcomes at scale. One of those leaders is Dr Charles Phillis—a medical professional with a decade in occupational medicine, a background in clinical governance and a firm belief in the power of digital innovation to improve safety, quality and care.

In this Q&A, Charles shares his career journey, his passion for systems thinking and what excites him about the future of occupational health.

Q&A with Dr Charles Phillis 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to your current role?

I’ve been practising medicine for about 15 years and for the last decade, I’ve been firmly entrenched in the world of Occupational Medicine. My interest in health management and leadership stems from a desire to understand the “why” behind systems, problems and processes—something that’s stuck with me since my early studies in Physiology during my Biomedical Science degree.

Growing up in South Australia with asthma, I became very familiar with the healthcare system and what it’s like to be a patient. That early experience shaped my understanding of the system from both sides.

My career has naturally evolved into areas like permanent impairment, medicolegal assessments, clinical governance and risk management. I’ve been fortunate to hold Chief Medical Officer roles while continuing to practice clinically. With a strong interest in technology and disruption, I also became a Certified Health Informatician and completed further studies in Digital Transformation via Harvard University. Today, I continue to work in occupational health, health leadership and governance through my consultancy firm.

What drew you to get involved with My Occ Health Record?

In short—Dean Mohr. I was drawn to his energy, his passion for innovation and his genuine desire to create a high-quality digital solution for the occupational health ecosystem.

After hearing more about the vision for MOHR, I became even more intrigued. This is a conscientious team that values safety, quality and sound clinical governance. The end-user focus and commitment to doing things properly were huge drawcards for me.

Where do you see the biggest opportunity for innovation in occupational health today?

Occupational health generates enormous volumes of data, yet we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of how we use it. I see a huge opportunity in trend monitoring, deep data analysis and building accessible, comparable datasets to inform prevention, research and real-world action.

Used properly, this data can help us better understand the impact of work on health—and vice versa—and allow us to remain agile and workforce-centred.

What does “impact” mean to you when working on projects like this?

It’s exciting to see disruptive and novel technology—but for me, the real question is always: is it meaningful and impactful?

MOHR stands out because it’s not just innovative—it’s designed to make a difference as it changes lives.

What role does real-time health data play in improving outcomes in occupational settings?

Outside of hospitals, we don’t routinely capture real-time health data. Wearables like FitBits or Apple watches are probably the most common examples we have today. There’s amazing technology in development that can continuously sample biological data for remote monitoring—but those innovations can be costly and aren’t yet scalable across all workplace settings.

I think it is more impactful and usable for the majority of employers to access clinical data that is easy to measure and capture, displays trends for correlation and interpretation and have in-built logic to display deviations away from the mean for a particular person or group. By being able to identify areas of increased risk these data points will allow the full suite of risk controls, be that preventive, detective or corrective, which may lead to better health outcomes, or at the very least, avoidance of a major event with severe harm.

From a clinical perspective, what are the most urgent gaps MOHR is helping to address?

Occupational health requires experience and attention to detail—but clinicians are often overwhelmed by data. It’s easy to miss crucial insights.

MOHR supports clinicians by making the most relevant information easy to access, interpret and act on. It reduces noise, prompts the right responses, and ultimately supports better clinical decision-making.

What excites you most about combining medical practice with digital innovation?

After studying digital transformation with Harvard alongside global peers, it became clear that while Australia has a strong regulatory system, we may be lagging when it comes to adopting digital innovation.

There’s now a shift in expectations—people want more control over their healthcare, better access and user-friendly experiences. I think that’s a good thing.

Occupational health is well-positioned to benefit from this digital momentum. With the right tools, we can improve care quality, enable earlier interventions and help more people—more meaningfully. That’s what excites me most.

Final Thoughts 

The future of occupational health isn’t built in isolation it’s shaped by people who understand what’s at stake. Dr Charles Phillis brings not only expertise, but also empathy and systems thinking that aligns perfectly with MOHR’s mission. Together, we’re creating a platform where digital innovation meets clinical relevance and supporting the professionals who keep our workplaces safe and our people healthy.