Emerging Technologies
Grace Wickerson is the Health Equity Policy Manager at the Federation of American Scientists. They work on embedding equity in health policies, with an eye towards leveraging data and technology as key tools for accelerating change. They are committed to ensuring technologies are accessible to all as well as securing innovations for patients who are under-researched and underserved in medicine.
They received their Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. Their research focused on materials, design, and fabrication strategies for advanced medical devices, from wearables to implantables. In addition to their research on medical devices, Grace worked as a research intern with the Center for Health Equity Transformation working on engineering design methods for building with those with lived experiences of illness. They are passionate about re-tooling engineering education to serve the public good, writing about transforming engineering for equity in Scientific American and for The American Society of Engineering Education. Prior to Northwestern, Grace received their B.S. in Materials Science and Nanoengineering from Rice University.
Through the broad uptake and implementation of the Heat Action Planning framework by key agencies and offices, the federal government will enable a more heat-prepared nation.
To better incorporate extreme heat and people-centered disasters into U.S. emergency management, Congress and federal agencies should take several interrelated actions.
In a blackout, access to critical services like telecommunications, transportation, and medical assistance is also compromised, which only intensifies and compounds the urgency for coordinated response efforts.
To protect the health and well-being of the nation’s children, the federal government must facilitate efforts to collect the data required to drive extreme heat mitigation and adaptive capacity in the classroom.
The National Institutes of Health should form an Office of Co-Production in the Office of the Director to ensure meaningful public engagement and rebuild trust.
When federal agencies need expert input, they look to advice from external experts and interested citizens through a series of public engagement mechanisms, from public meetings to public comment.
FAS introduces a cohort of over 20 experts from our Extreme Heat Policy Challenge to develop high-impact policy recommendations that comprehensively address the extreme heat crisis.
To bring participatory science into the mainstream, there will need to be creative policy solutions for incentive mechanisms, standards, funding streams, training ecosystems, assessment mechanisms, and organizational capacity.
Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer of Americans, yet receives minimal targeted federal support and dedicated funding for planning, mitigation, and recovery.
Maternal mortality is a crisis in the United States. The Biden-Harris Administration should establish an AI Center of Excellence to bring together data sources and then analyze, diagnose, and address maternal health disparities, all while demonstrating trustworthy and responsible AI principles.
There’s more work to be done to build a healthier future for all Americans, but here are some ideas for starters.
Just over a year ago, I found myself pausing during a research lab meeting. “Why were all the subjects in our studies of wearable devices white? And what were the consequences of exclusion?” This question stuck with me long after the meeting. Digging into the evidence, I was alarmed to find paper after paper signaling embedded […]