inequities in care

Developing coronavirus innovations requires diverse voices

By Laura Lovett 04:11 pm May 1, 2020

It's no secret the novel coronavirus has particularly impacted communities of color as it sweeps across the United States. But as digital health tools emerge to respond, leaders in the African American medical community caution that those who are creating such tools need to involve diverse voices and work to understand the causes of the disparities if they are to be effective. Data about the...

For developers, it's important to consider social power imbalances when innovating

By Laura Lovett 02:45 pm April 3, 2019

Power dynamics are present in nearly every facet of life — including health innovation. These inequities of power can determine who developers innovate for, and the way in which developers go about creating tools for certain groups, Vanessa Mason, director of the Institute for the Future, said at Mad*Pow's HXD 2019 conference in Boston yesterday. “In talking about power, all of us bring biases...