MGHers are invited to attend the White House Office of Public Engagement Health Equity Forum on Wednesday, March 16, from noon to 1 pm via Zoom. Shuhan He, MD, director of Growth in the MGH Center for Innovation in Digital HealthCare (CIDH) and dual faculty in the Lab of Computer Science and the Department of Emergency Medicine, will sit on a panel of leaders from across the tech and health sectors to discuss the intersection of telehealth equity, broadband access and key provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Much of He’s work focuses on accessibility in digital health, making him a natural fit for the panel. He will discuss how certain digital health tools promote health equity, sharing examples and knowledge from the MGH CIDH.

“Access is very important for digital health and health care in general,” He said. “Digital health tools can provide the ability to scale a lot of medicine, drive down costs and, frankly, improve care.”

This is especially true now that the COVID-19 pandemic has made telehealth and telemedicine more common. For many people, these virtual options make seeing their doctor more convenient than ever. But for those living in rural areas of the country, digital access can be limited.

“We want to make sure it’s not just a few select Americans getting this care, but all Americans,” He says. “The fundamental purpose of digital health is to increase accessibility, and this forum will provide tangible examples of what it can do for the average American.”

Solutions and tools used to confront these issues will be discussed by the panel, which also includes former MGH Chief Resident Alister Martin, MD, MPP, who now serves in the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Anyone interested in digital health and learning how public policy interacts with medicine is encouraged to attend.