Equity and Access in Digital Mental Health: The Role of Privacy, Safety, and Ethic-View Presentation

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Dr. John Torres, Director of the Digital Psychiatry Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, introduces a webinar titled "Equity and Access in Digital Mental Health: The Role of Privacy, Safety, and Ethics." The webinar, led by Dr. Nicole Martinez-Martin, an assistant professor at Stanford School of Medicine, focuses on biases, privacy, and access issues in digital mental health tools. Dr. Martinez-Martin discusses the ethical concerns in developing digital health technologies, especially those related to privacy, data bias, and the need for equitable access. She highlights that many digital mental health tools, which aim to improve accessibility and treatment via smartphones and apps, often fail to serve marginalized communities adequately. Challenges include infrastructure disparities and biases in algorithms due to limited data representation from diverse groups. Moreover, concerns about privacy and data security remain prominent, as data from digital tools can inadvertently affect marginalized populations negatively. Solutions proposed include more inclusive research, transparent data practices, and involving diverse stakeholders in app development. The webinar concludes with Dr. Martinez-Martin answering questions on how mental health apps can be made more inclusive and equitable, emphasizing the need for systematic research and transparency to ensure these technologies benefit all users effectively.

Keywords

Digital Mental Health

Equity

Access

Privacy

Ethics

Bias

Diverse Representation

Data Security

Inclusive Research