Mapping Connected Health County by County

The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs jointly hosted a webinar to further explore the potential of the recently launched Mapping Broadband Health in America platform for the public sector. This free, one-hour "deeper dive" webinar was particularly tailored to the needs and interests of state and local government offices and agencies.

Mapping Broadband Health in America (available at www.fcc.gov/health/maps), is a web-based mapping platform created by the Connect2Health^FCC Task Force to drive more efficient, data-driven decision making at the intersection of broadband and health.  Users can generate customized, county-level maps that drive action ― displaying broadband access, adoption and speed data alongside various health outcomes, access and quality measures (e.g., obesity, diabetes, and physician access) in urban and rural areas.  The mapping platform can be used by both public and private sectors and local communities to identify gaps and opportunities in connected health.

This webinar focused on how state and local government offices, agencies and other local community stakeholders can effectively use the Mapping Broadband Health in America platform. Key audiences for the webinar included federal, state and local agencies and offices that address health, connectivity, technology and/or rural development.

The webinar featured:

• An overview of the power of the platform, showcasing the broadband, health and rural “filters” that drive the functionality;
• Step-by-step instructions and user scenarios tailored to how agencies can use the platform to drive broadband health efforts in their respective areas and communities;
• Information on how agency web developers and data experts can incorporate their own proprietary or public datasets of interest into the mapping platform – our so-called, “open integration” model; and
• An opportunity to pose questions about the broadband health mapping platform to Connect2Health^FCC experts. 

Webinar Presenters:

• Dr. Yahya Shaikh, Chief Data Officer at Greystone Health IT Solutions and Senior Consultant to the Connect2Health^FCC Task Force;
• Karen Onyeije, Chief of Staff, Connect2Health^FCC  Task Force; and 
• Katie Gorscak, Director of Communications, Connect2Health^FCC Task Force.

For additional information about the webinar, please contact Barbara Britt at Barbara.Britt@fcc.gov or (202) 418-0323 or Katie Gorscak at Katie.Gorscak@fcc.gov or (202) 418-2156.

Speaker Bios

Karen Onyeije is an Associate General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and serves as Chief of Staff of the Connect2Health^FCC Task Force, a senior-level, multi-disciplinary effort created by Chairman Tom Wheeler to explore the intersection of broadband, advanced technology and health.  Connect2Health^FCC is working to chart the broadband future of health and care, recognizing the critical role connectivity will play in the health care system of the future, and focusing on improving data-driven decision-making in the connected health space.  Ms. Onyeije is a 17-year veteran of the FCC, where she has held a wide variety of leadership positions throughout the agency including overseeing the Enforcement Bureau’s wireless enforcement portfolio and serving as an Assistant General Counsel focusing on administrative law, universal service, and transactional matters.  In addition, Ms. Onyeije has over a decade of experience in broadcast and cable regulation, Internet and competition policy, previously serving as the media advisor to former FCC Chairman William Kennard.  In her current role as Chief of Staff of the Task Force, she marries this extensive communications law and policy experience with a passion for exploring how technology can connect individuals to the people, services, and information they need to get well and stay healthy.  Before joining the FCC, Ms. Onyeije was Senior Policy Advisor for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).  Her work at NTIA involved universal service, spectrum management, and policy efforts to bridge the digital divide.  Ms. Onyeije received an LL.M. in Advocacy from Georgetown University, a J.D. from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Psychology from Loma Linda University.

Dr. Yahya Shaikh is Chief Data Officer at Greystone Health IT Solutions and serves as Senior Consultant to the Connect2Health^FCC Task Force at the Federal Communications Commission.  In this capacity, he advises the Task Force and agency leadership on the intersection of broadband, public and population health, and advanced technology.  Dr. Shaikh previously directed the Johns Hopkins University Health Innovation Lab and currently serves as adjunct faculty in the Health Systems Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Shaikh is a physician technologist and innovator, and an expert on connected health systems. His research and practice have focused on using connectivity and information technology to add real-time, analytic, and artificial intelligence capabilities to strengthen public health systems. Dr. Shaikh's research interests are related to meeting the chronic care needs of our nation and towards understanding how innovations in informatics and technology can improve the health of communities in the U.S. and abroad. In the past, he has worked in the international health and humanitarian response sectors, directed multi-sectoral disaster response teams, and provided consultation to the World Health Organization for equity in humanitarian response. He continues to research using data and emerging technologies to strengthen humanitarian responses. He has also advised a broad range of startups in the connected-health space related to analytics, artificial intelligence, IoT, nanotechnology, and genomics.  Dr. Shaikh obtained his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and completed residency training in Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Shaikh also has a Master of Public Health degree, with a double focus on Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Humanitarian Assistance and Human Rights.  In addition, Dr. Shaikh is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

Katie Gorscak serves as the Connect2Health^FCC Task Force’s Director of Communications and brings more than a decade of professional communications experience to this role. Ms. Gorscak’s expertise includes leading communications campaigns, media relations, event planning and digital strategy in both the non-profit and government sectors. Prior to joining the FCC, she was a public affairs/digital communications specialist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she led digital communications efforts for several health initiatives including bullying prevention, mental health, and flu season. Ms. Gorscak has also served as a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service where she was the media point person for all scientific-related trade issues and regularly wrote blogs promoting U.S. agricultural exports. Before joining the government, Ms. Gorscak worked in communications in the non-profit sector for a cancer advocacy organization and an engineering trade association.   Ms. Gorscak holds a master’s degree in public communication from American University, where she focused her thesis efforts on public health communication, and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Dayton.