The College of Health Solutions (CHS) at Arizona State University flexed its innovative muscles in its quest for better health and health equity on Sept. 15 when it hosted the Health, Technology and Equity Virtual Summit.

The first-ever professional development event was put together at the request of the college’s faculty and staff. It featured 48 presenters, including 19 College of Health Solutions faculty, demonstrating how emerging technology can have an impact on health outcomes. Edward Ofori, College of Health Solutions' assistant professor and director of the Pathomechanics and Neuroimaging Laboratory, discusses his work during the college's first-ever virtual summit. Photo courtesy College of Health Solutions Download Full Image

“Despite an investment in health that is 25% of the U.S. national budget, the health of the American population is getting worse. Our average lifespan is declining, chronic disease is increasing, and maternal mortality is higher than all other industrialized nations,” College of Health Solutions Dean Deborah Helitzer said.

“At the College of Health Solutions, we are committed to translating discovery into practice and preparing tomorrow’s leaders to tackle these challenges. To fulfill our mission, we must adapt to new technology and maintain our innovation mindset. That’s why we hosted the CHS Health, Technology and Equity Virtual Summit, a first-ever professional development event designed at the request of CHS faculty and staff.”

Helitzer was impressed with the quality of the presentations.

“It was gratifying to see our faculty sharing their substantial expertise as well as deepening their knowledge in other areas through sessions with external presenters,” she said. “Successful gatherings like this summit bolster our dynamic collaboration across disciplines and fuel our drive to create better health outcomes for all.”

Featured topics included:

• “How to Reduce Your Food’s Environmental Impact,” featuring Stephen Sturdivant of the Environmental Protection Agency.
• “New Concepts in Hearing Health Care,” featuring Dr. Chalese Buttars, an educational and training specialist with Oticon. This session focused on noise reduction and management strategies.
• “Sensor Tattoos,” presented by Roozebeh Jafari of Texas A&M University. This session featured a discussion of how electronic sensors on the skin could monitor conditions such as high blood pressure.
• “The Evolution of On-Demand Medicine: Past, Present and Future,” featuring Dr. John Shufeldt, co-founder of Xcellerant Ventures.
• “Tinnitus Education and Technology,” featuring Anna Javins, clinical education specialist with Widex. This session addressed the condition of tinnitus (often presented as a ringing in the ears) and how stress can be a contributing factor.
• “Wearables and AI for Glucose Control,” presented by Hassan Ghasemzadeh, College of Health Solutions associate professor and director of the Embedded Machine Intelligence Lab.
• “Stand and Move at Work: A Program to Reduce Sitting at Work,” featuring Matthew Buman, College of Health Solutions director and professor.
• “Foldscope and Health Equity,” featuring Michael Donovan, CHS assistant teaching professor. A foldscope is an ultra-low-cost folded paper microscope for use in places and situations where traditional microscopes are not available.
• “Making the Best of Existing Devices for Measuring Infant Sleep,” featuring College of Health Solutions Associate Professor Corrie Whisner.
• “Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing,” (parts 1 and 2) featuring the college’s Katherine Hunt Brendish. The session addressed issues with direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies (such as Navigenics and 23andMe).

It’s not too late to view the sessions

All content from the summit is available online through March 15, 2024. More than 200 people registered for the summit, and those already registered may view the content using this link at any time. Anyone who has not previously registered for the summit but would like to can register here and log in to view the content.