DHIT Establishes Health Innovation District Across North Carolina

[Chapel Hill, NC, August 23, 2022] The Digital Health Institute for Transformation (DHIT) announced today the creation of the NC Health Innovation District, combining virtual and physical programming and facilities to catalyze innovation in the digital health space and drive population health improvement, with a particular focus on underserved communities. The initiative will unite health innovation districts across the state, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Wilmington and other centers to share learnings and best practices.

“The great state of North Carolina is home to global life science companies, world-class health systems, and a myriad of programs, talent and resources devoted to improving population health and reducing health inequities,” says Michael Levy, CEO of DHIT. “By uniting and harmonizing efforts around real-world problems, our goal is to share ideas, insights and resources to facilitate rapid prototyping and rapid improvement cycles at scale across diverse communities via a state-wide network of Health Innovation Districts.”

North Carolina is home to more than 13 innovation hubs, 8 major health systems, and the largest research park in the US. It has the highest concentration of Tier 1 research universities in the country, including the #1 ranked school of Pharmacy (UNC Eshelman) and #1 ranked public school of global public health (UNC Gillings). And yet according to the latest US News & World Report study, it ranks only #32 for health outcomes and public health due to its largely rural population, highlighting the need for digital health transformation to improve healthcare access, affordability and equity.

Michael Levy continues, “For the last 5 years at DHIT, we have been cultivating the digital health ecosystem here in North Carolina with a view to accelerating the adoption of digital health tools and technologies and paving the way for a new data utility – the Health Utility Grid – that can power improvements in community health and wealth. The goal is to unite disparate efforts across the state to demonstrate real-world impact and value at scale by creating a Living Learning Lab where healthcare innovators and transformers can validate outcomes and benefit underserved communities.”

For more information about the NC Health Innovation District, contact [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT: Lee Phillips

EMAIL: [email protected]