Vanderbilt University, already recognized as a spoke for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health Investor Catalyst Hub, has extended its influence by being named as a spoke for the ARPA-H Customer Experience Hub. This wider involvement reflects Vanderbilt’s commitment to advancing health care research and innovation.
ARPA-H’s mission is to improve health outcomes through research into health science futures, proactive health, scalable solutions and resilient systems.
“Our expanding role in ARPA-H, complemented by our multi-institution innovation partnerships such as NSF I-Corps Mid-South Hub, NIH REACH and Army Pathfinder, showcases Vanderbilt’s leadership in advancing the products of research to benefit society,” Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Padma Raghavan said. “These partnerships are at the heart of Vanderbilt’s mission to develop innovative, equitable health care technologies reflecting our core values of inclusivity and community-focused research.”
The Customer Experience Hub, which has 208 spoke members, emphasizes listening to and building trust with communities using a human-centered approach to health care solutions.
The hub’s primary goal is to make vital health innovations accessible to all Americans, focusing on traditionally underrepresented populations. Its strategy includes integrating patient feedback throughout the research and development process with the goal of ensuring that innovations will be widely adopted and effectively meet the needs of patients.
Being a spoke enables Vanderbilt to network with other hub members, stakeholders and government partners and provide valuable feedback to ARPA-H initiatives.
Vanderbilt will also play a key role in activities like user testing, rapid prototyping of health tech devices and new clinical trial methodologies, aiming to reach diverse and representative patient populations.
The Customer Experience Hub seeks to combine local, regional and national efforts to generate significant benefits in key areas of medicine and health. This unified approach underlines the importance of collaboration and inclusive innovation in health care.
Since ARPA-H was created in 2022, teams from Vanderbilt’s Research Development and Support and Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization have worked together on ways to ensure the university’s participation.
“I want to thank the CTTC and RDS teams for their hard work. Their collaboration resulted in Vanderbilt being named a spoke for not just one, but two ARPA-H hubs,” Raghavan said. “Together, these teams amplified our dedication to get health innovation breakthroughs to larger, more diverse communities.”
For more information about the Customer Experience Hub and its initiatives, visit www.customerexperiencehub.org.
