Research summary
We live in an era where big data and artificial intelligence have the potential to transform health care by supporting precision medicine tools that can revolutionize our ability to prevent, diagnose and manage disease. But if we ignore human-centred approaches while advancing digital health, we risk widening existing health inequities.
Dr. Tarun Katapally, Canada Research Chair in Digital Health for Equity, established the Digital Epidemiology and Population Health Laboratory to achieve one integrated outcome: health equity through patient-centred digital health innovation. Katapally is working with interdisciplinary researchers, intersectoral decision-makers and disadvantaged communities to engineer digital health solutions that harness the power of big data. He and his research team are conceptualizing and implementing digital health platforms that use citizen science to address population health crises. They are applying social innovation in their work to advance internet equity and ensure the appropriate and ethical use of data.