2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Effectiveness of Telehealth Interventions in Reducing Health Disparities Among Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review.

The rapid digital transformation of healthcare has expanded the reach of telehealth, yet its benefits remain unevenly distributed across low-income, rural, and racially and ethnically marginalized populations. For these groups, persistent gaps in broadband access, digital literacy, and culturally responsive care risk reproducing and in some cases amplifying existing health disparities. Telehealth therefore represents not only a technological innovation but also a critical equity test: its effectiveness depends on how systems are designed, implemented, and supported. This systematic literature review examines how telehealth interventions influence healthcare access, engagement, and clinical outcomes among vulnerable populations, and under what conditions these interventions meaningfully reduce disparities rather than reinforce them, beyond public health outcomes, this review frames telehealth as a socio-technical system whose performance is shaped by infrastructure, interface design, and user-system interaction. Guided by the Digital Divide Framework and conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, the review synthesizes peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 across PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. Data extraction and quality appraisal, using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), focus on telehealth modality, population characteristics, digital access constraints, literacy and navigation supports, and outcome domains including access, adherence, and health improvement. Comparative synthesis evaluates the equity performance of video-based care, mobile health applications, and remote patient monitoring relative to traditional in-person services. Preliminary findings indicate that telehealth interventions are most effective in reducing disparities when paired with digital literacy support, connectivity assistance, and culturally responsive workflows. Anticipated contributions include an equity-oriented typology of telehealth strategies, identification of contextual enablers and failure points, and evidence-based design principles that frame telehealth equity as a systems-level engineering and policy challenge. The findings inform engineering design considerations for equitable telehealth systems, including human-centered interfaces, scalable infrastructure, and competency-aligned workforce training. By positioning equity as a core design requirement rather than a downstream consideration, this review informs future research, system design, and engineering practice in equitable health technology implementation.

Authors

Jeremiah Olaoluwa Akinlade http://orcid.org/0009-0009-1908-2361 Morgan State University [biography]

Jeremiah Olaoluwa Akinlade is a Doctoral student in Civil Engineering at Morgan State University, with strong interests in structural and transportation engineering, data-driven analysis, and engineering education. His academic and research pursuits align closely with ASEE’s mission of advancing excellence, innovation, and inclusivity in engineering education, with a focus on translating research into impactful teaching, workforce development, and real-world engineering practice.
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.
Sarah Halleluyah Adeyemi Morgan State University [biography]

Sarah Halleluyah Adeyemi is a Master student in the Department of Bioinformatics at Morgan State University. She holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology from Mountain Top University, Nigeria. Her research interests focus on gene expression analysis, cardiovascular genomics, antimicrobial resistance, and the application of computational tools in biomedical research. She is also currently working towards being a Data Scientist.

Sarah has research experience from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, where she contributed to infectious disease diagnostics and antimicrobial studies. She also worked in the R&D division at FrieslandCampina WAMCO, gaining insight into food safety, quality control, and process validation. Currently, she serves as a graduate assistant on interdisciplinary research projects funded by NASA and ETA-STEM, supporting data analysis and science education initiatives.

She is a member of ASEE, IEEE, passionate about STEM education and is passionate about integrating bioinformatics and molecular biology to solve health-related challenges and promote inclusive scientific research.
Olorunfunmi Samuel Shobowale Morgan State University [biography]

Olorunfunmi Shobowale is a graduate research assistant at Morgan State University, Maryland, pursuing a Masters degree in Advanced Computing. He has over nine years of experience in IT, edtech and STEM education. His research focuses on equitable engagement strategies and the integration of AI in learning environments.
Dr. Olushola V. Emiola-Owolabi http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-8521-5769 Morgan State University [biography]

Olushola Emiola-Owolabi is an engineering pedagogy specialist, researching active learning in engineering classrooms and specializing in qualitative methods research on teaching and learning – particularly in remote synchronous learning environments.
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.
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