In Full Health initiative to advance equitable health innovation

The In Full Health Learning & Action Community to Advance Equitable Health Innovation initiative seeks to advance equitable opportunities in health innovation investment, solution development and purchasing.

AMA is partnering with founding collaborator organizations to support the In Full Health Learning & Action Community with content, tools, resources and opportunities to connect, engage and learn with and from each other to advance equitable health innovation.

The In Full Health initiative grew out of the AMA’s Organizational Strategic Plan to Embed Racial Justice and Advance Health Equity, specifically related to the “Ensure equitable structures and opportunities in health innovation” strategic approach. The Center for Health Equity facilitated the development of the initial In Full Health principles with the AMA’s External Equity & Innovation Advisory Group.

The initiative is built around five principles for advancing equitable health innovation opportunities, inviting community members to:

1. Understand how structural racism, sexism and bias impact health innovation resource allocation, so that steps can be taken to dismantle them.
2. Assess the value of all health innovation solutions by their impact on health equity as a fundamental metric.
3. Invest in health innovations designed by innovators building from and for historically marginalized communities.
4. Utilize health innovation investment models that support asset ownership and wealth development within historically marginalized communities.
5. Engage industry influencers in addressing systems-level barriers and needs.

Despite decades of increasing investment in health innovation, data shows that the U.S. continues to have worse health outcomes than other high-income nations and persistent inequity.

The root of the problem is that Black, Latinx, Indigenous, People of Color and women comprise approximately 70% of the U.S. population but are underrepresented in health solution investment, development and purchasing decisions.

Read the entire In Full Health business case.

In Full Health provides health industry stakeholders with the opportunity to change long standing, industry-wide systems of inequity by prioritizing investment in health innovations developed by, with, and for Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other communities of color; women; LGBTQ+ communities; communities with disabilities; communities with low income; rural communities; and others living within and at the intersection of historically marginalized communities.

Institutional investors, fund managers, payers and health care delivery systems, health startups and other solution developers, and policymakers are invited to form a community of stakeholders committed to learning and action to center equity in their health innovation investment and resource allocation.

The community will provide access to experts, resources and opportunities for members to share lessons learned and challenges with each other, and to identify opportunities for collective action and policy change. Join In Full Health Now.

Are you a solution developer, purchaser or investor? Download the Solution Development Toolkit and ensure that the health innovation products or services you are building meaningfully advance health equity.