Center for Digital Health & Data Science

The Center for Digital Health & Data Science plays a pivotal role in the promotion, resourcing, design, and coordination of clinical and evaluative digital health research at Jefferson. The Center is unique in its mission to engage industry partners in the rigorous validation of the efficacy and impact of digital health innovations in the clinical setting.

What Is Digital Health?

Digital health refers to a convergence of technology and data in healthcare and medicine designed to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes, engage patients, expand population-based research, create and mine new data repositories, and support positive health behaviors. These are applied through hardware, software, and analytics enabled solutions that can frequently be delivered virtually through the internet or other means of transmission. Digital health has rapidly become a multidisciplinary domain involving: healthcare providers, behavioral psychologists, data scientists, technologists, implementation scientists, engineers, designers, social scientists, as well as participants from public health, health economies, and healthcare management disciplines.

News & Events

Dr. Dicker considers the challenges associated with value-based cancer care

April 4, 2019

Adam P. Dicker MD, PhD, FASTRO, Professor, Senior VP and Chair, Enterprise Radiation Oncology, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, speculates on whether digital health and technology are creating hurdles to value-based cancer care.

Video credit: OBR Oncology

Big Data & Digital Health Summit

November 6, 2017

The convergence of digital health, artificial intelligence, and the management and usage of big data has created historic healthcare transformations across multiple industries combined. These changes suggest a bright future for increasing the efficiency and quality healthcare as experienced by both providers and patients. The Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (PICC), Thomas Jefferson University, mHealth Israel, Israeli Innovation Authority, and the Israeli Economic Mission in NYC are pleased to invite you to explore the new frontiers of digital healthcare at the Greater Philadelphia-Israel Big Data & Digital Health Summit on November 6th.

This day-long summit provides an opportunity for participants to explore the current challenges faced by digital health innovators and practitioners, and to explore cutting-edge approaches to advancing patient outcomes. In addition, a prominent industry keynote speaker will share current trends in artificial intelligence and its impact on the transformation of the healthcare industry.

Digital Health – Defining Value

    Moderator: Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, Enterprise Senior Vice President, Professor & Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College & Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University

Digital Health in the News

AMA: Five Ways Blockchain May Reshape Healthcare (2019, January 4) Becker's Health IT & CIO. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com. "Although developers are still searching for the best use for blockchain in healthcare, a few promising use cases have emerged."

5 Areas Blockchain Can Alter Healthcare (2019, April 22) Becker's Health IT & CIO. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com. "While its presence may be small, blockchain is making a name for itself in healthcare."   

What's Next in Blockchain (2019) CB Insights. "For these trends, incumbents should have a clear, articulated strategy and initiatives." 

Forces of Change (2019) Deloitte Insights. "The future of health will likely be driven by digital transformation enabled by radically interoperable data and open, secure platforms. Health is likely to revolve around sustaining well-being rather than responding to illness." 

Jefferson University Offering a Blockchain for Healthcare Course (2019, June 20). DocWire Picks. Retrieved from https://www.docwirenews.com. “Blockchain creates a single, end-to-end view of data and information like we have never seen before.”

Invest in workforce training to realise the potential of digital technologies, review warns (2019, February 11) Healthcare IT News. Retrieved from https://www.healthcareitnews.com. "Investment in training and support will be required for the existing NHS workforce to embrace emerging technologies, according to a new report."     

Israel's Digital Health Industry in 2018 (2018) Start-Up Nation Central: Finder Insights Series. "Despite holding a small share of a giant market, Digital Health remains the driving force for change and modernization within the global healthcare industry."

You can now take a Jefferson course in blockchain for healthcare (2019, June 12) Technical.ly Philly. Retrieved from https://technical.ly/philly/. "Increased data security via blockchain could increase trust among communities wary of medical companies."

Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future (2019, February) The Topol Review. An independent report on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.