HOUSTON – (Sept. 28, 2026) – The Digital Health Institute, a joint initiative of Rice University and Houston Methodist, will convene leaders across domains of expertise to examine the policy, payment, governance and implementation decisions that shape the real-world use of digital health technologies
- What: “Innovation in Digital Health for Access, Affordability, Equity and Global Scale”
- When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
- Where: Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005
Register: https://riceconnect.rice.edu/events/2026/dhi-symposium
Who: The Houston Methodist-Rice Digital Health Institute combines the clinical expertise and health data resources of a leading academic medical center and clinical system with Rice’s strengths in engineering, computing and interdisciplinary research.
Why it matters: This year’s symposium broadens that collaboration by bringing technical and clinical experts together with leaders in health economics, public policy, government, industry and community health.
“Digital health has extraordinary potential, but developing a promising tool is only the beginning,” said Dr. Khurram Nasir, the William A. Zoghbi Centennial Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and division chief of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at Houston Methodist and DHI co-director. “The real opportunity is translating innovation into practice in ways that imporve quality of care, patient experience, expand access, help address administrative burden for clinicians and create a more personalized proactive approach to health for every patient and community we serve.”
Dr. Nasir is a practicing cardiologist whose work sits at the intersection of population and digital health with a focus on turning real-world data into more precise and accessible care.
“Meaningful innovation starts with understanding the needs of patients and the realities of care delivery,” said Pothik Chatterjee, institute executive director. “The partnerships and dialogue we are currently fostering and aim to sustain beyond the symposium are about innovation as a means to attain better care and transform the quality of care, not an end in itself.”
Ashutosh Sabharwahl, co-director of the institute and Rice’s Ernest D. Butcher Professor of Engineering, said “the technical questions in digital health are increasingly solvable.”
“The unsolved problems are about evidence, incentives, workflow and trust. That is what this symposium is designed to address.”
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required and space is limited. For the full program, livestream access and registration, follow event updates on the Digital Health Institute Fall 2026 Symposium landing page.
Media planning to attend should contact Silvia Cernea Clark at sc220@rice.edu.