Presentation Title: Wanna Improve Food Access and Health Outcomes with Vulnerable Populations during a Global Pandemic: How Participatory Tech is Transforming the Social and Structural Determinants of Health with Our Nation's Most Vulnerable Populations
Presenter: Antwi Akom, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & CEO Streetwyze (streetwyze.com)
University Professor and Founding Director of Social Innovation and Universal Opportunity Lab, UCSF & SFSU (soullab.co)
Faculty Affiliate: UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations (https://cvp.ucsf.edu/people/antwi-akom)
Abstract: Over the past five years, Dr. Akom’s UCSF/SFSU Social Innovation Lab, Streetwyze initiative (Streetwyze.com), and Digital Organizing Power-Building and Engagement lab (Dopelabs.org) have worked tirelessly with communities throughout the country to build local data capacity for increasing access to healthier foods and safe places for physical activity—including activities that will reduce or eliminate health disparities related to nutrition, physical activity, obesity and other social and structural Determinants of health. Dr. Akom recently won the RWJF Pioneer Award (2020) and is world renown for participatory technology, local data, multi-sector data sharing, and building the evidence base to inform a national food justice movement based on the following four strategies: Building the data capacity with our nation’s most vulnerable populations; Building the digital infrastructure and digital storytelling capacity with our nation’s most vulnerable populations; Building power and self-determination with vulnerable populations by integrating Community driven data with Big Data and predictive analytics; and building the evidence base around racial and spatial data (and beyond). These four strategies have enabled the SOUL Lab, DOPE Labs, and Streetwyze teams to innovate for health equity across the Social and Structural determinants of health—regardless of population size and urban-rural status—to better understand the burden and geographic distribution of food-related and health-related outcomes and assist a range of sectors from housing, health care, parks, planning, education, public safety, community development, behavioral health, and more—in planning more targeted, culturally and community responsive public health interventions with our nation’s most vulnerable populations. Read more about Dr. Akom and his work here: Antwi Akom, PhD, MA | Center for Vulnerable Populations (ucsf.edu)
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