Anika Heavener is Vice President of Innovation and Investments at The SCAN Foundation, a philanthropic organization working to ensure all Americans can age well with purpose. Toward this mission, she writes about the intersection of aging and innovation, focusing on emerging topics within data equity, financial security, and workforce development. Her background includes supporting the creation of the Dementia Discovery Fund, academic research on innovative financing models to increase access to dementia care in low- and middle-income countries, and developing an enterprise data and digital health program at the Harvard-affiliated academic medical system, Mass General Brigham.
Equitable AI isn’t an aspiration; it’s an absolute necessity, particularly for the millions of older Americans who remain unseen within the current frameworks and miss out on algorithmic benefits such as risk profiles and early interventions for certain diseases.