As someone who has spent the last twenty years at the intersection of health, technology and underserved populations, it is clear that many existing innovations fail to provide their full potential to all populations of users equally. Most health innovations are designed and developed for “everyone” but these solutions are, almost always, built by people who are not from marginalized communities nor have substantial knowledge or experience with these communities. As a result, product design and development assumptions are often not appropriate for users from these groups. With the In Full Health community, we can work together to change this and in doing so, improve the value of these promising tools for everyone.

As a safety net doctor and a leader in digital health, I’m seeing broad interest by employers in advancing health equity in their populations but uncertainty in knowing where to start and how to begin. I believe because of the disparities that Covid-19 magnified, we have a large but narrow window to make measurable progress towards equitable outcomes. I’m excited to support the In Full Health initiative because to me it is a critical and urgent next step to lay down the ‘how’ that employers and organizations that serve them are looking for now.

As a leader in digital health, I see a unique opportunity to bring the principles of health equity to every health innovation. This will allow the sector to improve health outcomes for all and grow the overall impact of the health sector. As the field builds for an increasingly diverse group of end-users, innovators must ensure that digital health solutions center equity, inclusion, and are culturally informed. In Full Health’s Equitable Innovation Principles offer a starting point for folks launching new organizations, supporting entrepreneurs, crafting policy, and working towards systems change. By applying these principles, innovators are one step closer to future-proofing digital health.