Dr. Emily Tonorezos, the director of the office of cancer survivorship at the National Cancer Institute, joins us for this episode to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of cancer patients, as well as ways technology is being used to support cancer care delivery and mental health services.

If there's anything federal technologists can learn from RPA, it's that although it has widespread applicability in many different areas, there are commonalities in overcoming its challenges from which health care leaders can learn. Hear from health and defense leaders on how RPA is enabling mission success.

Jonathan Weiner, founding director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Population Health IT (CPHIT), discusses the application of big data to safeguard public health and manage care during the COVID-19 pandemic — including his work on the Population Health Segmentation Framework and the ongoing development of the JHU ACG System.

In this episode, Dr. Ryan Vega, executive director of the Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem (IE), discusses how the IE has been critical for advancing health care and biomedical advances within Veterans Affairs. Vega also discusses the upcoming VA Innovation Experience forum, a digital summit that brings together some of the most promising ideas developed within the IE this year.

Check out this event recap episode on our Oct. 1 Digital Health Modernization virtual event to learn more about what agencies are doing to share data, expand access to health services, and improve patient care with digital health.

To streamline patient access to care during the pandemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs developed a COVID-19 screening tool. Its creators, Presidential Innovation Fellow Dr. Kaeli Yuen and Digital Service Expert Patrick Bateman, outline the motivations behind creating the application, as well as how the VA’s recent digital modernization push allowed for rapid programming and deployment of a product designed to safeguard the health of both veterans and VA caregivers.

In this episode, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute CIO Alastair Thomson explains how his agency is advancing international research related to COVID-19 with an expansive cloud-based ecosystem, called BioData Catalyst. Thomson also touches on how AI can improve patient health outcomes, the importance of diversity in research, agency funding opportunities and partnerships, and more.

Dr. Amy Abernethy, the principal deputy commissioner and acting CIO of the Food and Drug Administration, discusses the FDA’s plans to update its data strategy and technology to move with the speed of scientific advancement. She also explains the importance of leveraging innovative technology like AI and blockchain, migrating to the cloud, and public-private partnerships supporting the agency's COVID-19 response efforts.

If you missed the House Oversight and VA Digital Modernization event this month, catch up with these highlights as federal leaders discuss the tech successes behind the agency's telehealth, electronic health records, customer experience and more during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and while suicide rates have increased significantly in recent decades and has become one of the leading causes of death in America, the transgender and nonbinary communities are especially at risk for suicidal ideation and attempts. We spoke to Bri Barnett, Director of Development and Interim Director of Communications at Trans Lifeline, a non-profit trans suicide prevention hotline and trans microgrants resource center. They discussed causes behind trans suicide, online resources that support trans people, and how allies can uplift the trans community.