Advances in Public Health: Bridging Technology and Equity through Digital Health Innovation

Digital health is a rapidly evolving field at the forefront of transforming public health systems and practices. The integration of telemedicine, wearable technologies, and artificial intelligence has introduced a paradigm shift from traditional, hospital-centric models of care to proactive, data-driven, and people-centered approaches. Despite promising advances, the implementation of digital health in public and occupational health faces ongoing challenges: issues of accessibility, health equity, ethical standards, and digital literacy remain central to debates within the field. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of digital health innovations for improving disease prevention, chronic disease management, and inclusive healthcare delivery. Still, there is a pressing need for evidence-based strategies and interdisciplinary perspectives to realize the full benefits of these technologies.

This Research Topic aims to examine how digital health technologies can optimize public health outcomes, advance disease prevention, and support the personalized management of chronic conditions and disabilities. Key objectives include evaluating the effectiveness of telemedicine and wearable devices in bridging healthcare gaps, particularly for underserved populations and in occupational health. Furthermore, submissions exploring the integration of AI and predictive analytics for public health surveillance and clinical decision-making are encouraged, as are those focusing on translational medicine's role in bridging research and practical implementation. The Research Topic seeks to define safe, effective, and equitable pathways for integrating digital health solutions into diverse public health settings.

The scope of this Research Topic encompasses both the opportunities and limitations of digital health interventions in public and occupational health contexts. We invite multidisciplinary contributions that provide evidence, methodologies, and critical analysis on these themes, with an emphasis on fostering collaboration among clinicians, data scientists, policymakers, and public health experts. Themes of interest include:

• Telemedicine applications in preventive and chronic care management

• Wearable technologies for population and occupational health monitoring

• Digital tools supporting disability management

• Artificial intelligence in public health surveillance and health equity

• Translational medicine approaches linking digital innovation with clinical practice

• Ethical, legal, and social implications of digital health adoption

We welcome a variety of manuscript types, including case reports and studies, clinical trials, general commentary, mini-reviews, opinions, original research, policy briefs, reviews, study protocols, and systematic reviews.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: telemedicine, wearable, disability management, artificial intelligence, workplace health promotion, translational medicine

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.