Success Factors for Older Adults in Digital Health Training and Caregiver Support

For over 20 years, Fran Ayalasomayajula, executive health and life sciences strategist and technologist, has been dedicated to serving the interests of populations around the world, in an effort to improve the quality of care, increase access to healthcare, and promote health literacy and patient engagement.

Currently the Head of Population Health Worldwide at HP, Inc., Fran directs the organization in the development of strategies and innovations designed to advance and deliver improved clinical outcomes and better population health. Prior to HP, Fran worked for major healthcare institutions, including WHO, CDC, BMS, and UHG. Fran holds degrees in epidemiology, public health, information technology, and certifications in project and clinical trial management.

She is actively involved in community minded initiatives, such as rare disease patient advocacy, and the application of technology services for the promotion of aging with independence and community connectedness. In 2015, Fran was a contributing writer on the Fact Sheet submitted to the White House Conference on Aging, and in 2017 co-author of the LeadingAge whitepaper on Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology for Long-Term and Post-Acute Care. Fran is the author of several publications on technology-enabled population health management, including best practices for the successful adoption of virtual reality in the clinical setting.

Fran is presently a Board Member of the NHA of San Diego; Advisory Board Member of the PCHAlliance; Advisory Council Member of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIMED); and the co-chair of the PCHAlliance Aging and Technology Taskforce. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for theHealth and Fitness Technology Division of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), an active member of the Center on Aging Services and Technologies, LeadingAge, American Public Health Association, special interest participant in the NAHC, and founder of IBHealthy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit digital health and wellness organization, whose mission is to provide ease of access to the resources needed to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Majd Alwan, Ph.D., a noted researcher and authority on aging-services technologies, is LeadingAge’s senior vice president of technology and business strategy, and executive director of the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST). Dr. Alwan is responsible for creating and leading a network of technology companies, providers and research institutions focused on technology solutions for an aging society. Prior to joining CAST, Majd served as an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Robotics and Eldercare Technologies Program at the University of Virginia's Medical Automation Research Center. Majd Alwan received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Damascus University, Damascus, Syria, his M.S. in control engineering with distinction from Bradford University, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering (intelligent assistive robotics) from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London.