Bio: Chukwuebuka Anyaegbuna (Chuk), MD, is a 2025-26 U.K. Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice. He is a Nigerian-born physician passionate about transforming health care through technology and innovation. With a unique blend of frontline clinical experience and a deep curiosity about technology, he has successfully launched and scaled digital health solutions across multiple continents, improving access and outcomes for hundreds of thousands of patients-- particularly in underserved communities. Anyaegbuna's work sits at the intersection of medicine, technology, and equity, with a strong focus on culturally competent care. As a Harkness Fellow, he is exploring how AI can personalize health care and advance health equity for diverse populations whilst also positively impacting the clinician's experience
Placement: Stanford University
Mentors: Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Center for Biomedical Informatics Research and Division of Hospital Medicine, Stanford Department of Medicine; Nirav Shah, M.D., Senior Scholar, Clinical Excellence Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine
Project: Bridging the Gap: Optimizing Digital Mental Health Interventions to Improve Access and Outcomes for Underserved Populations in the U.S. and U.K.
Description: Despite the growing availability of digital mental health interventions (DMHIs), underserved populations in both the U.S. and U.K. continue to face significant barriers to accessing effective mental health care. This project will assess how DMHIs are adopted, used, and experienced across diverse demographic groups and explore strategies to improve their design, uptake, and impact in underserved populations. Using a mixed-methods approach, including user data analysis, surveys, interviews, and policy review, the research will examine the effectiveness of DMHIs, identify barriers to engagement, and compare how regulatory environments in the U.S. and U.K. influence adoption. Findings will inform policy recommendations, best-practice frameworks, and design principles to support equitable, culturally responsive digital mental health solutions across both health systems.