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The Future of Health Equity conference presented a unique opportunity to bring together a diverse set of stakeholders in the health and health equity space. Various sectors including academic, public, private, and philanthropic were represented.  Rather than view the event as a culmination of our efforts to explore the current and future contours of health and well-being, the conference represents a vibrant beginning for the IC² Institute.

The conference invited us to think more strategically about the work ahead for us and our stakeholders.  Our current and future projects align neatly with key University strategic research pillars such as "Health and Well-Being" and "Technology and Society."  These pillars are reflected in our deepening interest and engagement with the deployment of technology, data, and human ingenuity to deliver more impactful health services to underserved populations, both rural and urban.  The implications of these intersections are nuanced and multi-dimensional. 

Here are three areas that we will continue to explore with our stakeholders. First, the design and delivery of telecare.  Even as the adoption curve for telecare has risen sharply due to COVID, researchers are finding that not all modes of telecare are equal.  More specifically, what is the current and future state of telecare in communities that, historically, have been underserved (e.g., lack of access to care) and under resourced (e.g., lack of access to broadband)?  Second, we are working with philanthropic organizations, community-based health organizations, and the Office of Health Equity at the Dell Medical School to better understand the risks, barriers, and opportunities associated with using artificial intelligence to serve historically underserved patient populations.  We want to move beyond the hype — think Chat GPT — to spark a more robust conversation about the impacts of using AI in diverse contexts. 

Finally, the first two areas have significant implications for the future of the health and well-being workforce and our economy.  Whether it is more robust and equitable modes of telecare or addressing the equity implications of using AI in marginalized communities these and other developments imply a workforce that is trained and capable of managing the social, ethical, and technical issues involved. 

At IC², even as we are thinking more in depth about data, digital health technologies, and artificial intelligence, we believe that the solutions to these and other health-related challenges will be driven by humans and not machines.  The question is not whether machines can help us address health disparities but, rather, how do we design and deploy these systems to serve the underserved?  We are bringing together a dynamic mix of research and community and stakeholder engagement to address this grand challenge. 

-S. Craig Watkins

The Future of Health Equity Conference

In April, the IC² Institute convened nearly 100 experts and leaders for a one-day conference: The Future of Health Equity. The event brought together thinkers and innovators from public health, policy, health care, research, philanthropy and social services.

The conference featured lively conversations around a few key topics: Rethinking the Social Determinants of Health; Shaping a New Healthcare Workforce; Health Equity and the Future of Philanthropy; and Creating Well-being Hubs (to expand the delivery of services beyond the clinic.)

Want to learn more? Read a synthesis of the conference or click the button below to view highlights.

Pictured above: Keynote speakers Amber Arthur (Community Health Development, Uvalde), Monica M. Martinez (College of Liberal Arts), and Noël Busch-Armendariz (Steve Hicks School of Social Work).

IC² Program Delivers Boost to Women- and Minority-owned Businesses

Now in its third year, the Readiness Training Program for Historically Underutilized Businesses (RTP for HUBs) enhances the capacity and competitiveness of minority- and women-owned businesses to bid on public and private sector contracts. The free online program serves both startups and more mature companies in the five-county Austin area.

The program’s 130+ participants have represented a wide range of business types — from construction, engineering and landscape architecture to printing, staffing and cleaning services.

The RTP for HUBs program receives consistently positive reviews from business owners who are able to leverage their new skills to secure contracts and build their businesses.

The RTP for HUBs program is directed by an experienced team: former IC² Executive Director John Sibley Butler; BBR Senior Research Scientist James Jarrett; and consultant Jorge Anchondo. Jarrett and Anchondo developed the program after a study of minority-owned businesses identified the inability to successfully bid and secure contracts as a significant obstacle to business expansion. Learn more about the program here.

Wildlife Trafficking Study Kicks Off with an Exploratory Trip to South Africa

Matt Kammer-Kerwick, BBR senior research scientist, recently traveled to South Africa’s Kruger National Park on a scoping trip for an upcoming study of wildlife trafficking. The study area lies at the intersection of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Several game parks dominate the region — and the clustering of villages inside and outside the park borders creates a complicated maze of ownership, territoriality, and predatory behavior.

Kammer-Kerwick will be working with an interdisciplinary team from multiple institutions — including the University of Maryland (lead); University of Alabama; Colorado State University; University of Pretoria; and the Southern Africa Wildlife College. The team will examine the potential transmission of pathogens and better understand the social, economic, and ecological factors driving the illicit wildlife trade. Our recent interview with Kammer-Kerwick provides a fascinating glimpse into the interrelationship among human, animal, healing and exploitation.

Also Noteworthy …

The IC² Institute will lead the community engagement efforts for a project funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines grant program. Funding was awarded to an alliance of industry and academic partners in New Mexico and Texas. The project will lay the groundwork for a new regional innovation engine in and around the Permian Basin, a massive region with a decades-long history of energy production.

Craig Watkins, IC² Institute’s executive director, has been appointed to the Google advisory group tasked with helping designers, engineers, and media teams think about the ethical issues surrounding the development of generative AI products for children and teens.

Gregory Pogue, IC² Institute’s deputy director, was recently named a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning. Pogue’s 3-year appointment means that he is eligible to be matched with projects designed by host institutions in over 150 countries.

Mark Hand and Vivek Shastry recently released a study published in PLOS ONE examining the factors that are key predictors of business creation in rural America. Both authors are graduates of the LBJ School. The research was funded by the IC² Faculty Research Program.

The Boerne/Kendall County Economic Development Council launched a business incubator, Das Greenhaus, in June. The accelerator is an outgrowth of the community’s efforts to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kendall County and is one of a series of recommendations put forth in an IC²-funded report by LBJ School professor Steven Pedigo.

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. Hook ‘em!