In the news

idea hub to impact health care innovation

Title of SPH This Year 2020: This changes everything

idea hub to impact healthcare innovation

Master of Public Health alum and telehealth expert Robert Knox, Jr. (CGS’08, Sargent’10, SPH’12) has embarked on two new ventures at SPH.

Sketch of Robert Knox, Jr., idea hub advisory board member, master of public health alum and telehealth expert. Image originally shown in SPH This Year 2020
Robert Knox, Jr. (SPH’12), Alumni Leadership Council Chair

In January, Knox became chair of SPH’s Alumni Leadership Council (ALC), after serving as a council member since 2017. He is also a member of the advisory council for idea hub, an initiative the school launched this year to connect SPH researchers and resources with private industry and other nontraditional funders to inform and advance innovative solutions to public health issues.

“idea hub connects companies that have great ideas, but few resources, to the vast amount of brainpower and data capability at SPH,” he says. “It’s a great way for the school to remain a central point of healthcare innovation.”

“I’m extremely grateful that I’ve been able to reconnect with the school and become involved in multiple ways,” says Knox, who studied health policy and management at SPH. “I’m excited about stepping into this leadership role with the ALC and thinking about different ways to effectively serve the students and the school community.”

ALC members serve as SPH ambassadors, elevating the school’s vision among the 10,000-member alumni network and its constituent groups, and also provide financial support to the school and offer guidance on a variety of SPH initiatives.

Facts on health and technology facts: 75% of consumers say technology is important to managing their health; 90% of consumers are willing to share their wearable device health data with their healthcare provider; 33% of consumers are using wearable technologyAs an inaugural member of the idea hub advisory committee, Knox’s primary goals are to bridge the gap between the fields of public health and technology and lend support to students interested in digital health. A product manager at the Boston-based telemedicine company American Well, Knox has acquired almost a decade of digital health experience.

 

Article was originally featured in SPH This Year 2020.

Check out the other idea hub article featured in SPH This Year: Creating public health solutions with public and private sectors.

New call-to-action

You may also like

ideahub-blog-nature-and-mental-health-768x410
In the news
The link between nature and mental health

Unplug from the digital realm and into the physical for a healthier state of mind Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average amount of daily screen time for…

ideahub-blog-utilizing-technology-to-conduct-online-therapy-sessions-768x410
In the news
Utilizing technology to conduct online therapy sessions

For years, there has been a struggle to get the right mental health care to those in need, whether that be due to a lack of local resources or therapists with…

understanding-how-data-can-help-inform-a-healthier-world
In the news
Understanding how data can help inform a healthier world

With the ever-changing technological world, advancements in data science allow us to better understand how social determinants of health impact the progress of public health work, according to a study…