Australian of the Year

After her son lost his vision due to delayed treatment during COVID-19 lockdown and skills shortages, Esther Oh founded Agili8 to teleport the 'virtual’ eyes and hands of multi-disciplinary medical experts – using smart glasses and smartphones – to remote frontline areas. 

Despite battling an aggressive cancer, Esther pioneered her telehealth solution with remote Aboriginal communities to deliver a culturally safe model of care. In one instance, a remote patient in Port Hedland was saved from deadly infection and potential amputation in just 15 minutes using Agili8’s solution.   

Agili8’s breakthroughs transcend time, distance, costs, manpower, socio-cultural and language barriers to close the gap for Aboriginal and remote communities. Since 2021, Esther has won multiple global awards for leadership, innovation and impact, including receiving more than $500,000 as a Google AI Scale Tier company.  

Esther’s achievements highlight how determination and innovation can transform personal adversity into new technologies that can improve the lives of others in Australia and around the world.