UCLA Health is now seeking applications for a new cohort of innovators to be part of its TechQuity Accelerator for 2023, which is an initiative that supports startups and other fledgling companies with technologies that can improve health equity among underserved and vulnerable patient populations. Launched last year in response to COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on minority communities, the TechQuity Accelerator strives to strengthen health security by targeting four overall areas: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and community impact.
UCLA Health operates the TechQuity Accelerator in collaboration with UCLA Biodesign and BioscienceLA, with a laser focus on supporting teams that feature innovative concepts and a mission to improve long-term community health resilience. And the four-month program provides selected startups with personalized mentorship, access to clinical expertise, and product-development support, culminating in a final pitch showcase with UCLA Health leaders and community stakeholders.
The selected accelerator companies are paired with student interns subsidized by BioscienceLA through its BioFutures Internship Program. And this collaboration also represents a shared commitment with UCLA Health and UCLA Biodesign to build a diverse life science workforce by providing career-building opportunities for people from historically underrepresented backgrounds. For this year, the initiative seeks companies that have developed solutions to overcome any of the following barriers to more equitable health outcomes:
1.) Healthcare Access – The pandemic strained an existing health system fraught with challenges for people with cultural, geographic or financial limitations to access care and services. Prospective applicants may have innovations in these areas:
— Telemedicine
— Wearables, remote monitoring devices
— Online pharmacies
— Direct-to-consumer healthcare delivery
— Encrypted mobile communication software
— Medical translation and transcription
— Gender-affirming care
2.) Environmental Justice – Traditionally, underserved communities are most likely to suffer the health, financial, and political consequences caused by global climate change. Prospective applicants might have solutions for:
— Removing, reducing or preventing pollution in vulnerable communities
— Improving access to healthy food options
— Leveraging community leaders to ensure equitable environmental and land-use decisions
— Safe housing and recreational facilities
— Expanding social service programs
3.) Mental Health and Youth Wellbeing – Limited resources are available for low-income residents and adolescent patients to ensure their long-term care and access to mental health professionals. Potential areas of focus include:
— Pediatric healthcare delivery in collaboration with schools
— Broadening medication access for substance-abuse patients
— Teletherapy
— Self-care mobile applications
— Platforms to better identify resources, including mental health experts and treatment centers
KEY QUOTES:
“Following last year’s highly successful inaugural program, we are excited to launch a second cohort to support mission-driven founders developing inclusive technologies and platforms to boost health equity within diverse populations.”
— Dr. Jennifer McCaney, executive director of UCLA Biodesign and associate director of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute
“Technology is a prominent social driver of health that has the potential to advance health justice. To achieve this goal, technologies must be inclusively designed and center the voice and needs of their end-users. The TechQuity Accelerator specifically trains its startups to incorporate principles of inclusive excellence and justice into each phase of their technology architecture and business model.”
— Dr. Medell Briggs-Malonson, chief of health equity, diversity and inclusion and associate professor of emergency medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
