Interdisciplinary Workshop on Digital Health, AI, and Data Governance 

CALL FOR PAPERS – 25 JUNE 2024  

The rapid advancement of digital health technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and the increasing importance of data governance have brought forth new challenges and opportunities in the healthcare sector. Digital health and AI have the potential to revolutionise healthcare delivery, improve patient outcomes, and optimise resource allocation. However, the implementation of these technologies raises concerns about data privacy, security, and ownership. Further, the adoption of digital health technologies is not without resistance, as social and cultural factors influence their acceptance. Understanding the barriers and enablers to the adoption of digital health and AI is crucial for developing strategies to address resistance and promote responsible use. Moreover, the importance of the regulatory frameworks and policies needed to balance innovation and data protection in the healthcare sector also need to be carefully scrutinised. However, the health sector is not the only field undergoing rapid digital transformation and so we are keen to explore how these issues are playing out in other fields such as employment, smart cities, publishing, insurance technology, education, financial services, cybersecurity, engineering, retail and e-commerce. 

The workshop will explore different country experiences around digital health and data governance. This workshop is keen to explore perspectives from emerging economies (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) on the regulatory challenges of new digital technologies and data governance. We are particularly interested in thinking about the development of new governance models in different jurisdictions at the community, municipal or country level.  

We are keen to receive papers from a wide range of stakeholders such as researchers and academics from various disciplines, civil society groups focusing on health and digitalisation, health practitioners and healthcare service providers, manufacturers of medical devices, and regulatory bodies. 

We welcome abstracts on any of the following key themes:  

• Interdisciplinary perspectives on the advancements and applications of digital health technologies and AI in healthcare. 
• Ethical, legal and social implications of data privacy, security, and ownership in digital health. 
• Balancing the benefits and risks of data-driven healthcare: Perspectives from medicine, ethics, law and social sciences. 
• Informed consent, data ownership, and transparency in digital health and AI: Challenges and solutions from an interdisciplinary standpoint. 
• Examining algorithmic bias and discriminatory outcomes in healthcare: Insights from computer science, sociology, psychology and public health. 
• Comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks and policies for digital health and AI across different countries and disciplines. 
• Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding barriers and enablers to the adoption of digital health technologies. 
• Strategies for promoting the responsible use of digital health: Contributions from healthcare professionals, policymakers, ethicists and community stakeholders. 
• Cross-disciplinary lessons learned from digital health initiatives and policies in different countries. 
• The future of digital health and AI: Interdisciplinary visions and collaborative research agendas. 

Submission Guidelines: 

We welcome abstracts of up to 500 words, outlining the proposed paper's objectives, central ideas/key findings, and relevance to the workshop themes. Please submit your abstracts via email to lyla.latif@warwick.ac.uk by April 15, 2024. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by April 30, 2024. 

The workshop will be held in a hybrid format, allowing for both in-person (University of Warwick) and virtual participation. Selected papers will be invited for presentation during the workshop, with the opportunity for collaborative publication. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions and engaging in fruitful discussions during the workshop. 

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