My journey within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently introduced me to ARPA-H, a year-and-a-half old agency at the nexus of technology and healthcare. ARPA-H, or the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, seeks to emulate the transformative impact of DARPA, the defense research agency that catalyzed technologies like the internet and GPS. With a laser focus on biomedical breakthroughs, ARPA-H’s mission is to propel innovations that could redefine health preparedness and care in the United States. My role as a strategic advisor to the agency’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) has granted me a front-row seat to the pioneering research that may shape future health outcomes.
Why ARPA-H Matters:
- Efficiency and Dynamism: The slow pace of traditional medical research, mired in red tape and cautious funding, is no match for ARPA-H’s dynamic approach, designed to fast track high-impact projects.
- Cross-disciplinary Synergy: By serving as a conduit for varied expertise — from computer science to bioengineering — ARPA-H champions a unified fight against complex health issues.
- Focused Intent: Steering clear of solely profitable or high-profile research, ARPA-H commits to addressing the overlooked and pressing needs in healthcare, including rare diseases and emergent public health threats.
Innovative Initiatives
The Biden-Harris Administration has recently initiated the ARPA-H Biomedical Data Fabric Toolbox. This project is a leap toward refining biomedical research data to enhance health outcomes. By coalescing disparate data into a cohesive framework, this tool is set to revolutionize the sharing of medical knowledge and expedite innovation, while still protecting patient privacy. The vision is a seamless search engine for diverse datasets, propelling swift responses to pressing health inquiries and nurturing new research trajectories.
Navigating the Prototype-to-Product Chasm
ARPA-H is not just innovating but also ensuring these innovations reach the market. To achieve this, we are building a structure anchored by three pivotal elements: technical feasibility, consumer desirability, and market viability. These elements take physical form in our hubs across Boston, Dallas, and the Washington, D.C. area, each dedicated to a unique facet of healthcare innovation. The crux of our network is not merely the hubs but the interconnectivity they engender. This network is envisioned to serve every American, integrating a wide array of markets and demographics to ensure equitable access to health advancements.
Forthcoming Steps
As we grow, ARPA-H will incorporate various “spokes” into our network, ranging from academic institutions to grassroots health organizations. This expansion is vital to create a resilient and multifarious platform, ready to confront the layered challenges of healthcare innovation.
The strategies and projects I have outlined here reflect ARPA-H’s ambition to transform health research and development profoundly. With a commitment to innovation pathways, a network of collaborative hubs, and the promising horizons of its projects, ARPA-H is poised to effect substantial changes in healthcare.
ARPA-H heralds a reinvigorated dedication to extending the frontiers of healthcare possibilities. As a participant in this transformative endeavor, I am energized by the promise ARPA-H holds — not just in advancing science, but in materially improving lives globally.
Todd Hager is Vice President of Strategic Advisory for Macro Solutions, providing leadership in strategy, innovation, modernization, and team enablement. His work has been instrumental within HHS starting with the COVID response, working closely with the HHS, ACF, and ARPA-H CIOs to plan for and modernize the infrastructure and teams, while helping to develop agile, “service-forward” orientations within and between teams.
Todd is the Industry Chair for the ACT-IAC Emerging Technology Community of Interest (COI) and is a 2021 Federal 100 Award winner. He is a certified PMP, a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), ITIL v3 certified and CMMI v2 certified.
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