Your zip code can have just as much of an impact on your health as your DNA.

In a recent podcast episode with Joyanna Gamble-George, MHA, PhD, and Karriem Watson, DHS, MS, MPH, the above statement didn’t just stop us in our track – it reshaped the entire conversation.

As a public health researcher and epidemiologist, I’ve spent decades understanding the impact of location-based factors on a variety of illnesses, along with human health at large. And just as Watson noted, the data speaks for itself: Where you live, and more specifically, how you access care, can be a life-or-death difference in your health care journey.

Because of this reality, it’s crucial that leaders implement programs and policies that empower the health of all people and all communities and work to eliminate the health inequities plaguing some of the most vulnerable populations.

Thankfully, Gamble-George and Watson are two leaders who are doing just that.

Leading the charge in health research – and health improvement

Gamble-George grew up on a rural Alabama farm and watched her grandparents, neighbors, and loved ones travel more than an hour to see a doctor. She watched as family members faced illnesses and received subpar health care services that wouldn’t meet current quality standards.

While Gamble-George’s experiences shaped her as a leader today, they also ignited a fire in her to drive for better outcomes for everyone who faces or could face the same inequities in care that she witnessed. As a neuroscientist at the Yale School of Public Health, she conducts research on many topics, including designing more effective health policies and interventions to support underserved and vulnerable populations.

Watson shares a similar story as Gamble-George. At an early age, he watched as his mother developed and passed away from breast cancer. Fast forwarding years down the road, he witnessed real-time advancements in medicine as another close family member also battled cancer and was treated with different data points, different levels of care quality, and had a different outcome of care.

Watson’s lived experience shaped his life, and he has become a clinical trial leader, a health researcher, and now, the chief engagement officer of the National Health Institutes All of Us Research Program.

Collecting data isn’t enough – analyzing and interrogating it is crucial

The All of Us Research Program is the NIH’s largest precision medicine initiative, and it’s rooted in the idea that there is no “one size fits all” approach to medicine. Leaders like Gamble-George and Watson know that idea not just to be a tagline but the truth.

“Our bodies are all different and our levels of exposure are all different,” states Watson. “We collect millions of points of data, and then we can provide that data to researchers like Gamble-George who interrogate that data and work to understand how certain things impact individuals.”

Analyzing data efficiently is crucial, especially in areas where health care and health outcomes are at stake. But doing so quickly doesn’t matter if we can’t also do so in a trustworthy, transparent and ethical way.

“There’s a long history of skepticism towards research. But it’s equally important to recognize the significant strides we’ve made to enhance the trustworthiness and effectiveness of research,” says Gamble-George. “Researchers are increasingly expected to make their data sets publicly available, which bolsters the reproducibility of research.”

The future? Cutting-edge, trustworthy technology to drive better outcomes

Throughout the conversation, Gamble-George and Watson mention the importance of data, analytics and technology in furthering their research and providing better outcomes for all communities and all populations facing illness or disease.

In fact, it’s technology that enabled researchers to visualize and understand the zip code-based health disparities highlighted previously in the conversation. And it will be technology that helps researchers uncover various patterns, suggest policy changes and understand the next step in the journey to reduce and eliminate health inequities and disparities.

As an epidemiologist, reliance upon data and analytics is a bedrock to answering some of the most challenging public health questions—from discerning the impact of community on health outcomes to treatment pathways and access to preventive care and every topic in between. In my own experience, and as Gamble-George and Watson discussed, using advanced analytics propels the science of public health toward a healthier, safer future for all.

Ensuring that technology is trustworthy, transparent and built with diverse expertise is critical, especially when the conclusions drawn from systems inform policy and programs.

That is where the All of Us program steps into the spotlight – and is how true, long-lasting policy and treatment changes will be made to ensure that zip codes won’t predestine health outcomes in the future. Social determinants won’t reduce quality of life; rather, an individual’s health will be managed more proactively. The stories of subpar health care quality will decline because entire communities that were once vulnerable are now receiving the quality of care they need.

Gamble-George and Watson will continue to research, work and fight for better health outcomes for all. They will continue to use data and advanced technology as they build a healthier future. To learn more about their work and hear the full conversation, catch the full episode here.

Check out The Health Pulse Podcast for the latest data and AI trends in health care and life sciences.

WANT MORE GREAT INSIGHTS MONTHLY? | SUBSCRIBE TO THE SAS INSIGHTS NEWSLETTER