Apps, AI, and the Future of Health Take Center Stage at DHI Symposium | University of Utah Health

While the projects presented at the DHI symposium were promising, symposium attendee Tatiana Allen-Webb, CCRP, associate director for the Utah Area Health Education Centers program, cautions that any advancements need to be carefully considered to avoid exacerbating health inequities. “So many of the things we do capture a specific patient population, but sometimes the populations who need them the most are skipped,” she said. For instance, programs that involve a smartphone-based app exclude people who can’t afford or use a smartphone.
 
But if they’re properly integrated with existing systems of local providers, digital health tools can improve health equity, said Paul Estabrooks, PhD, professor of health and kinesiology in the College of Health. Like many other symposium attendees, Estabrooks took time after the research presentations to talk through new ideas for digital health at collaborative discussion tables. “We can use technology as an extension of the health worker to reduce disparities as well as build trust in communities,” Estabrooks said.
 
One of the ways to ensure that digital tools work for everyone is to listen and collaborate, said Laura Marquez, senior director of digital transformation at U of U Health. Marquez came to the symposium to brainstorm improvements for patient-facing tools like MyChart. To effectively remove barriers between patients and their health information, researchers must collaborate across many disciplines—which is why the DHI symposium is so important, Marquez said. “Events like these help break down those walls.”