• Florida State University announced an Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, aiming to study and integrate digital tools in nursing and medical education 
• Founded by two new faculty members, the institute will work to facilitate research efforts between collaborating universities 
• The institute will also provide practical experience to students who could apply research material to a future career in healthcare 
• Through the effort, Florida State will seek collaboration with medical groups in the region including HCA Florida and Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare 

Florida State University (FSU) announced its Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, created by two new faculty members, aiming to integrate digital tools in nursing and medical education.

The institute, which will operate as an extension of FSU’s College of Nursing, will emphasize the use of digital tools in health education and treatment while also facilitating collaboration between the university and healthcare operators.

The consortium aligns with FSU’s ongoing expansion of healthcare-related research and education programs, as it strengthens its health research portfolio while seeking collaborations with groups in North Florida including Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, HCA Florida, and the Mayo Clinic.

Established by two new faculty members, Lisa Hightow-Weidman and Kathryn Muessig, who will serve as Director and Assistant Director, respectively, seek to create a foundation within the initiative to promote and encourage meaningful research within the digital medicine world.

“This institute will bring together and foster collaborations across multiple diverse groups, including academic, community, and industry stakeholders,” Hightow-Weidman said. “And what the institute can offer hopefully is to create an ecosystem to facilitate the advancement of rigorous, translational research focused on solving real-world needs of patients and that ultimately benefit health care systems and communities.”

The institute also will provide practical experience to students who could apply research and a digital health approach to careers in health care, public service, or academia, according to the university.

The two founding faculty members also state that the initiative will serve as an epicenter of team-based research across multiple universities nationwide, seeking to establish new research methods that can lead to a diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease within patients.

“Research at the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation will promote equitable care that uses novel digital solutions, fulfilling the College of Nursing’s mission to boldly tackle challenges in how health care workers deliver the best care to patients,” College of Nursing dean Jing Wang said. “This initiative will also provide more training opportunities for students and will foster collaboration and innovation across campus to impact the entire health care ecosystem in Florida, nationally and globally.”

The announcement comes as the digital healthcare space is becoming more utilized and expanding its footprint. Last week, Orlando Health, one of Florida’s largest healthcare providers, announced that it will begin offering at-home hospital care through partially digital means in 2023.

Orlando Health will perform its proprietary in-home care using portable technology that connects patients to the Orlando Health Patient Care Hub for remote monitoring and virtual care by nurses and providers.