HealthCast GovCIO Media & Research

The National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research Program is putting scientist entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities on a path to start create businesses that will help develop technologies to accelerate cancer research and enhance the quality of life for cancer patients.
Michael Weingarten, director for the Small Business Innovation Research Development Center at NCI, highlights some of the initiatives his team is working on to support these efforts. Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross, a professor at East Carolina University, discusses how this program helped turn a dream into reality. The leaders discuss some of the key tools that are enabling this community of entrepreneurship and how that is translating to cancer care.

The White House has introduced a first-ever playbook aimed at addressing social determinants of health with directives for the departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Education, Commerce, Veterans Affairs and more.
Learn about the three key pillars in this playbook, which include efforts around data strategies and partnerships. We dive into what these mean for federal technology opportunities and solutions.

Artificial intelligence is impacting all aspects of government, including public health. The Biden-Harris administration's recent AI executive order impacts health agencies and tasks leaders with building frameworks for ensuring AI is deployed fairly, ehtically and with accuracy in health situations. Health equity remains an issue in the U.S., and leaders of health agencies are thinking of "health equity as a core design principle" of AI systems to be deployed.
GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune and Staff Writer/Researcher Jayla Whitfield discuss the impact of AI on health equity, the ways that leaders are treating the executive order and how health care will be affected by emerging technology.

A new initiative at the National Cancer Institute aims to create capabilities for detecting pancreatic cancer early and improving treatments for patients with mutations.
A big challenge with pancreatic cancer resides in the KRAS gene. When mutated, the gene can cause normal cells to become cancerous. A new therapy involving KRAS inhibitors and genetic testing can help patients screen for this earlier.
Dr. Christine Alewine, the NIH Lasker Scholar in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at NCI’s Center for Cancer Research, discussed this breakthrough, how new advancements can serve as an alternative treatment for chemotherapy and where AI can make an impact. Plus, she notes how other health issues such as diabetes also plays a role in screening for pancreatic cancer.

Emerging technologies are poised to greatly impact federal agencies. In health care and health research, this is unlocking tremendous opportunity for researchers advancing treatments, diagnostics and more. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’s five-year plan outlines how AI and machine learning will address big data and translational barriers.
This plan aims to bridge the gap between scientific and operational challenges by improving engagement in the translational space as well as serve as a guide to other agencies when it comes to preparing for future health emergencies like COVID-19.
NCAYS Branch Chief of the Office of Policy, Communications and Education Dr. Meredith Temple O'Connor briefs us on this plan plus the expansion of the N3C program comprising COVID clinical data, how AI is shortening the diagnostic odyssey for rare diseases and what’s going on with its new partnership with ARPA-H.

Federal health agencies are progressing in artificial intelligence development and use to provide better patient care and counter cybersecurity threats.
We take a look at some of the developments where AI is making a difference. This includes at the Department of Health and Human Services where AI is helping tackle substance abuse and fraud.
We also dive into some of the ethical concerns that arises around the technology and recap the six key principles for responsible AI development the Department of Veterans Affairs has prioritized to combat AI bias.