About Us

Empowering Communities Through Digital Equity

At The Digital Equity Initiative, we believe that access to information is a public health issue. What began as a response to the digital divide in the Bronx has grown into a broader mission: to improve health outcomes by promoting digital and health literacy through community-based research and evidence-driven advocacy. Our team brings together clinicians, social workers, policy experts, and technologists to identify barriers to engagement, particularly among underserved and limited English proficiency (LEP) populations, and translate that insight into actionable policy. From telehealth access to trustworthy online health content, our work supports interventions that help communities make informed decisions and thrive in today’s digital health ecosystem.

Our Growing Team

Glenn Jakobsen, DO, MPH-C
Founder and Director, The Digital Equity Initiative
Physician, Board Certified Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Fellow/Founding Member, American Board of Disability Analysts
Brown University School of Public Health
Interests: Leveraging AI to reach vulnerable communities, relationship between digital competency and health outcomes, technology as an adaptive aid for disability

Suyin Canonicato Jakobsen, BSeC MBA, EMT

Cofounder, The Digital Equity Initiative

MBA, Keller School of Management

BS, Electronic and Communications Engineering

Volunteer EMT, District EMT of the Year, 2024

Interests: Integration of digital devices and electronic records in prehospital care, fiscal sustainability in community-based volunteer organizations, and communication between limited English proficiency (LEP) communities and providers.

James Young, LCSW
Columbia University, US Army Iraq Veteran
MPH Candidate, Brown University School of Public Health
Interests: Digital literacy and health disparities among veterans and seniors, accessibility of public health services and programs.

Hope Williams, LMSW
Clinical Preceptor, Brown University School of Public Health
24 Years of Experience in Health Literacy in the Bronx, Dept. Social Work, St. Barnabas Outpatient Dialysis Center
Interests: Digital empowerment among those with health challenges. Clinic-based literacy interventions. How digital literacy, health literacy, and general literacy overlap.

Dana-Marie Kai Thomas, MSCMP, PhD, CPM, CSM, ASM
Professor, School of Health Science & Public Policy, Walden University
MPH Candidate, Brown University School of Public Health
Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Preventive Medicine, UAB School of Medicine,

Postdoctoral Scholar, Minority Health, Equity, and Disparities, University of Alabama, Birmingham
Interests: Urban health equity, impact of built environments on health, heat-islands, equity in infrastructure, fostering grass roots change.

Penney Miyan, MA, MS, EMT
Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine
Ph.D. Candidate, Philosophy/Bioethics, Georgetown University
Volunteer Emergency Medical Technician
Interests: Bioethical communication of health information to culturally diverse populations. Addressing barriers to effective interactions in limited English proficiency populations. Fostering community-level engagement and volunteerism.

Kara Bonitatibus, JD, MPH

Founder, Bloomsday LLC, practicing public health consultantancy, community outreach and engagement

company.

Master of Public Health, Brown University

Former Editor, Pace University Law Review

Interests: Empowering vulnerable communities, policy advocacy, digital equity and other social determinants of health.

Bryan Yang, BS, BA, EMT-P

Professional New York City EMT and Flight Paramedic, Volunteer in community-level EMS

Dual degree holder in biology and economics

Interests: Leveraging technology in the pre-hospital healthcare setting to improve education and communication. Ensuring fiscal sustainability of community based programs.