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Innovating Well-Being

We’re sharpening our focus. Remaining true to our legacy of cutting-edge research and innovation; but setting our sights on defining, measuring and creating a well-being economy. We believe in an economy that puts people and planet first; an economy where quality of life (and not just GDP) is the ultimate measure of success. We’re connecting with new researchers and funders to better understand the central pillars of a well-being economy. And partnering with innovators to incubate real-world solutions to systemic inequities.

Join us in the journey.

The Year Ahead: Conversations The arrival of a new year is often filled with excitement and anticipation; this is certainly true at the IC² Institute. We are excited about the year ahead and the opportunity to continue developing our “Well-Being Economy” initiative. The initiative is an opportunity to move beyond the traditional measures of societal progress—GDP, the stock market—to think about the nuanced metrics that track and understand quality of life. Just one year into our new initiative, we’re heartened to look back and see what we’ve already accomplished. Researchers from Mechanical Engineering are probing the design of computational models that mitigate the disparate impacts of severe climate events on vulnerable populations. A Dell Med kidney transplant surgeon and health communication expert are examining the disparities in access to kidney transplants. And IC² researchers are part of a team that is examining the future of telehealth and the delivery of new modes of healthcare. As health equity emerges as a research focus for IC², we remain committed to solutions-based thinking. We do not intend to simply study disparities; we intend to mobilize our resources, partners, and stakeholders to study, craft, and prototype solutions. This is one of the more enduring attributes of IC²: the capacity to translate research and knowledge into real-world applications. As I reflect on 2022 and our aspirations for 2023, one word emerges: conversations. Indeed, a key part of IC²’s culture is sparking fruitful conversations—with UT researchers, students, Faculty Advisors, Board, funders, grantees, and community partners. Next month, we’re launching a series of monthly colloquiums at our West Campus office. Our kick-off event, co-sponsored by Good Systems, will examine the implications of Chat GBT in the context of healthcare. In April, we’re hosting a conference, “The Future of Health Equity”—bringing together a vibrant mix of talent and expertise to discuss real-world solutions that address the social determinants of health, the economic impacts of health disparities and health equity. Conversations enrich our thinking, inform our research program, and inspire us to find real-world solutions. We look forward to another year of conversations as we pursue a more crystallized definition of the “well-being economy.”

-S. Craig Watkins
Dell Med: Innovation and Impact “In the context of a medical school that is still ramping up, Dell Med’s collective accomplishments in the research and commercialization space are notable and impactful,” said Gregory P. Pogue, deputy executive director at the IC² Institute. Dell Medical School welcomed its first cohort of 50 students in June 2016, and in 2020 Dell Med received full accreditation, allowing it to graduate its inaugural class. In the ensuing years, Dell Med has grown into a multi-faceted enterprise with more than 13 academic departments, 12 centers and institutes, and a research program of nearly 100 investigators. According to a new report from IC2’s Bureau of Business Research, Dell Med is already having a higher-than-expected impact on the regional health innovation and life sciences sector—from new research and inventions to catalyzing UT campus collaborations. To study the impact of Dell Med, researchers used a mixed-methods approach; the final report is a synthesis of interviews conducted with key personnel and analysis of data provided by UT Austin’s Office of Technology Commercialization. Researchers found higher-than-expected outcomes across a variety of measures, including inventions, patents and new technologies. The report also notes promising new models for efficiently shepherding innovations—from concept to commercialization.

Photo credit: Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

Successful IC² program moves to Texas Career Engagement

Now four years old, the Home to Texas program has connected students to summer internships in dozens of small- and medium-sized towns across the state. The unique, hometown-focused program prepares the next generation of community leaders by helping students develop a strong professional foundation early and build connections in their home communities. "Through the Home to Texas program, I'm investing in my education and in the future of the Rio Grande Valley," said Gabriel Banda, an electrical and computer engineering sophomore. "Entering UT has broadened my perspective of my hometown. I realize that we have so much potential to grow, and I want to be part of the change that improves Brownsville."

Given the continued growth and success of this program that IC² incubated, we are excited to hand the program over to our collaborators in Texas Career Engagement to continue running it for years to come. Learn more about the program here.

IC²-Funded Research

IC² provides funding for multidisciplinary, faculty-led research that promises to move us towards a well-being economy. Current research falls into five broad and evolving topic areas: Health Equity; Environmental Equity; Affordable Housing; Technology and Society; Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. Here’s a peek at some current research being conducted by our faculty partners:

Also Noteworthy The Bureau of Business Research (BBR) has launched a study for The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) to better understand digital literacy in Texas public libraries. Data findings will enable TSLAC to inform elected officials and funders about public library digital inclusion efforts and will also guide libraries as they plan for expanded digital literacy services. IC² Institute Director S. Craig Watkins presented an update on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Racial Justice to the Office of Vice President for Research and Creatives Endeavors. Watkins outlined three current projects; one of these was a series of interviews conducted with 7 City of Austin departments to understand how they are addressing bias and fairness issues associated with the use of artificial intelligence. All 3 projects are part of UT Austin’s Good Systems, an eight year, $10 million dollar Grand Challenge issued by UT to design AI technologies that benefit society. With funding from IC², School of Journalism and Media Professor Kathleen McElroy has been developing a program to supply rural Texas with a much-needed pipeline of newsroom and publishing leadership. In many cases, rural papers have been the social and cultural heartbeat of small Texas communities. McElroy’s research confirms that the papers are not dying; most publications are profitable. However, the leadership and succession pipeline is a pressing concern for a number of community newspapers. McElroy recently penned an article about small newspaper ownership. Kara Takasaki and Matt Kammer-Kerwick traveled to the European Conference on Social Networks in London to deliver two presentations: “An Investigation of the Impact of COVID on Student Academic Engagement and Mental Health” and “A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis of Alcohol-Related Sexual Violence”. Both presentations were based on longitudinal data collected from UT Austin students, and both used stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOM’s), one of the modeling methods used employed by IC² researchers. In November, Matt Kammer-Kerwick traveled to Glasgow to meet with representatives of the Well-being Economy Alliance. Discussions centered around best practices for defining and communicating the concept of “well-being economy.” Scotland is a leader in this space; in 2018, Scotland, Iceland and New Zealand established a network of Wellbeing Economy Governments to challenge the acceptance of GDP as the ultimate measure of a country’s success. As part of a 3-day Healthscape Symposium led by Dell Medical School, S. Craig Watkins and Matt Kammer-Kerwick joined fellow panelists to discuss the future of telehealth. The panelists explored how telehealth might be reimagined to provide better access to healthcare. Listen to this and other Healthscape Symposium presentations.