Digital health innovations have been rapidly implemented to solve health delivery challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has provided people with ongoing access to vital health services while minimizing their potential exposure to infection and allowing them to maintain social distancing. However, there are legitimate concerns about how these promising technological advances can lead to unintended consequences such as perpetuating health and health care disparities for the Latinx community and other vulnerable populations.

To mitigate this potential pitfall, it is critical for digital health scientific communities to communicate with community organizations and understand the challenges faced by these groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, which limit their achievement of ideal health.

We present the 1st Annual SaludConTech Digital Health Equity Summit as an event to bring together a group of diverse health equity leaders and champions to connect, strengthen, and amplify our collective efforts.

Health technology roadblocks have led to interference with promoting health equity. The Latinx Digital Health Equity Summit seeks to raise awareness around culturally appropriate digital health equity issues, telehealth availability, digital health literacy, digital inclusion, internet access as a social determinant of health, and the incorporation of the Latinx community into the co-design process.

Digital health equity involves providing every person, regardless of location, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity and expression, the same opportunity, and access to technology to live their healthiest life and reach their full potential. To level the playing field, those with worse health and fewer resources need more efforts expended to remove systemic barriers and to improve their overall health. Because of the scope of the problem, achieving digital health equity will require collaboration from leaders across sectors.

Open to healthcare professionals and trainees, community health workers, mental health practitioners, community organizers, researchers, university and hospital leadership, startup companies, and other allies, the program includes sessions on topics such as developing mobile apps for vulnerable populations, as well as a research showcase and poster competition.

Digital health equity will be adopted if it supports equitable and universal access to quality healthcare and enhances the efficiency and sustainability of our health systems. Our vision seeks to further strengthen research and development, innovation, and collaboration across sectors.

Summit Welcome

The summit will be divided into two parts, with a morning session and an afternoon session.

Keynote Presentation

The morning session will include the event’s keynote speaker, where the challenges of digital health inequities will be highlighted,

as well as the historical roots of the problem along with a call to action.

Concurrent Sessions

The afternoon will begin with a virtual lunch where participants will be broken into small groups and will be followed by two rounds of

concurrent sessions. These smaller presentations will cover a variety of topics.

December 12th, 2020