2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

WIP: Telehealth, Law, and Inequality: How Policy Shapes Digital Health Access in Underserved Communities

Telehealth has become an essential component of modern healthcare delivery and a critical application domain for digital infrastructure and socio-technical systems. However, residents in underserved communities continue to face significant barriers to access and use. Gaps in broadband connectivity, limited funding, and narrowly framed policies contribute to widening inequities in digital access, with implications not only for healthcare delivery but also for participation in digital learning environments and workforce preparation in technology-enabled sectors. These structural barriers constrain equitable care delivery, limit exposure to digital skills development, and weaken community resilience within an increasingly digital society.
This work-in-progress study examines how laws and policies shape access to telehealth by focusing on the intersection of technology, regulation, and inequality within a historically marginalized urban community. Guided by the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and the Digital Healthcare Equity Framework (DHEF), the study applies a mixed-methods (QUAN–QUAL) design. The quantitative phase analyzes policy impact and broadband access data, while the qualitative phase explores lived experiences, legal barriers, and ethical challenges through interviews and document analysis.
Together, these methods provide a comprehensive understanding of how funding mechanisms, legal rules, policies, and governance frameworks influence access to digital health technologies as socio-technical systems. This study is designed to examine whether and how certain laws and funding models may unintentionally reinforce the digital divide, with downstream effects on digital literacy, educational access, and workforce readiness. The study aims to produce evidence-based policy recommendations that inform engineers, educators, policymakers, and healthcare leaders seeking to design, evaluate, and govern inclusive digital health and broadband systems that support equitable access, learning opportunities, and community resilience.

Authors

Toluwani Comfort Oyedepo Morgan State University [biography]

Toluwani Oyedepo is a graduate scholar currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sociology at Morgan State University, with an interdisciplinary background spanning law, community empowerment, and sustainable development. Her work focuses on research and evaluation and policy analysis, with particular attention to examining structural inequalities and advancing evidence-based solutions that promote social inclusion and equitable development. Toluwani holds a Bachelor’s degree from Adeleke University, Nigeria, as well as a Bachelor of Laws (B.L.) qualification from the Nigerian Law School. Her academic training bridges legal frameworks with sociological inquiry and community-centered research. Through this combined expertise, she brings a critical, policy-oriented perspective to initiatives aimed at addressing social disparities through research-driven and sustainable interventions.
Julius Ogaga Etuke http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2710-2803 Morgan State University [biography]

Julius Ogaga Etuke is a seasoned civil engineer and Ph.D. Candidate in Civil Engineering at Morgan State University, where his research focuses on sustainable and resilient infrastructure engineering. With over 15 years of consulting and project leadership experience, primarily in Nigeria's infrastructure landscape, he brings a robust, practical perspective to academic inquiry. His doctoral research is at the cutting edge of transportation resilience, integrating virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), climate adaptation modeling, and data-driven solutions to improve disaster preparedness and risk mitigation in complex transportation systems. As a COREN-registered engineer and member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, his work emphasizes impactful research and consultancy that bridges structural design principles with urgent sustainability and resilience challenges.
Dr. Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E. Morgan State University [biography]

Dr. Oludare Owolabi, a professional engineer in Maryland, joined the Morgan State University faculty in 2010. He is the director of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development, Smart Innovation and Resilient Engineering Research Lab, Department of Civil Engineering at Morgan State University
Israel Oluwaseun Jimson http://orcid.org/https://0009-0007-0756-0448 Morgan State University
Dr. Uttam Gaulee http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3010-2812

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026