Abstract

Emily Jordan, PhD

Co-founder and former COO of Ancora.ai

Health equity has become an increasingly important goal for society. The UN SDG 3 includes the aims to “ensure health and well-being for all, reduce inequalities, and ensure no one is left behind”. Towards these aims, it is crucial to consider diversity and representation from the earliest steps of the research process to ensure that new medical innovations can benefit everyone, not just a privileged few. The structured and regulated R&D process for new medical treatments is meant to ensure the safety and efficacy of new products, however, a major flaw in this process is the lack of inclusion of representative populations in research. In this seminar, Dr. Emily Jordan will walk through several examples of the consequences of the lack of diversity in research as well as several potential AI-based solutions to ensure that medical innovations of the future are safe and effective for all.

Speaker bio

Emily Jordan, PhD, is the co-founder and former COO of Ancora.ai, a health tech company with the mission to democratise access to innovative medicine. Dr. Jordan holds a neuroscience PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and an undergraduate degree with highest honours from Columbia University in New York. She is the founder of Halo Angel Group, an early-stage, impact-focused investment group and is an active mentor, speaker and advisor in the health tech ecosystem. She has spent her career working at the intersection of science and tech in 3 countries and has a passion for improving diversity in AI, healthcare and tech.