The University of Houston has established the Institute for Digital Healthcare Transformation, a cross-campus effort to push emerging technology into clinical use.
The institute operates under UH Health, the university’s academic health enterprise, and draws on expertise from engineering, medicine, natural sciences, computer science, business, law and public policy. Its focus areas include AI-powered diagnostics, remote patient monitoring, wearable technologies, biosensors, mobile health applications and digital therapeutics, according to an Aug. 5 news release.
Jonathan McCullers, MD, UH’s vice president for health affairs and dean of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, is leading the effort. He said the institute’s target population sets it apart from typical digital health programs: rather than building for patients who already have strong access to care, the initiative is aimed at chronic disease management, healthy aging and closing access gaps in underserved areas.
Citing the Texas 2036 project, the university notes more than 4.2 million Texans live in rural areas, and nearly 30% of the state’s 254 counties have no hospital at all.
To move research out of the lab faster, the institute plans to launch a venture studio connecting faculty to entrepreneurs, investors and industry partners for startup formation and commercialization. Dr. McCullers said the goal is to let researchers stay focused on science while the university builds the infrastructure to carry their work to patients.
The institute adds UH Health to a growing field of academic medical centers building dedicated translational and commercialization arms for digital health research.
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