Automation. Predictive analytics. These are all technologies driving a new digital era. But can they also bridge longstanding health disparities?
At Acclinate, we believe they can—when they’re designed with representation, cultural awareness, and community at the core, ultimately leading to more equitable healthcare outcomes and more effective clinical research for our sponsor partners. Technology alone won’t solve inequities in clinical research and healthcare at large. But when paired with trust, transparency, and user-informed design, it becomes a powerful catalyst for change.
We're here to connect people to opportunity. To use technology to improve lives—not just processes. And to create a future where equitable clinical research isn’t the exception, but the standard.
In healthcare, we know the stakes are too high for innovation to be built in isolation. That’s why we begin every product conversation not with code, but with people. That’s what building Affective Trust is all about.
Trust Begins with Touch
At Acclinate, we don’t lead with tech—we lead with tech and touch . Before wireframing a single feature, we’ve spent hours in real conversations with community members, asking questions, listening to their needs, and learning from their lived experiences.
We’ve always believed that touch informs tech. It’s one of the reasons our mobile app, launched in 2025, reflects exactly what our communities told us they needed: connection, accountability, and culturally relevant motivation to make healthy choices.
The reality is people don't just want information. They want to connect with other community members. They want to hear each other, encourage each other, and access tools that make wellness feel accessible, not overwhelming. So, what did we do next? We built those features in. Not because a competitor was doing it, but because people asked for it.
Building for People, Not Personas
If you’re trying to improve equity in healthcare, you can’t build solutions based on generalized assumptions. You need real insights from the people you aim to serve.
What’s the best way to collect this vital information? Treating technology users like partners, not numbers. Our user research and UX teams work side-by-side with community members in live focus groups. We dialog together. We test features live, in real time, because feedback should happen in the moment—not just through surveys.
From these interactions, we continuously refine our product roadmap. We ask questions like: Does this feature make your life better? Is it intuitive? Would you actually use it? If the answer is no, we pivot. Because we’re not here to build for vanity metrics—we’re here to build for impact.
The Power—and Risk—of AI
Artificial intelligence holds enormous potential in healthcare, but it also carries risk. One of the biggest? Biased datasets that reflect the gaps of the past rather than the needs of the present.
That’s why we built our own model—the PPI (Participation Probability Index )—based entirely on data from our own community. It helps us generate insights and predict engagement with clinical trials in a way that feels accurate, ethical, and aligned with the communities we represent.
We don’t use AI to replace human judgment. We use it to enhance and organize what we already know to be true from our hands-on engagement. And because our team is as diverse as the people we serve, we bring lived experience into every layer of model development and validation.
Trust Isn’t Just External
It’s not just our users who trust what we build—it’s our team, too.
Our product strategy is shaped by a diverse set of voices because we know the best products come from rich collaboration. Different perspectives don’t slow us down—they sharpen us. We ask better questions, anticipate more needs, and build stronger, more inclusive products as a result.
Whether someone on our team comes from a healthcare background, tech, community work, or other, they bring insight that helps us create something meaningful. When you're trying to change an industry as complex as healthcare, you can't afford to have everyone in the room think the same way.
Tech That Scales Without Losing Humanity
As any product leader knows, scaling personalization is one of the toughest challenges. How do you keep that human feel as your user base multiplies?
For us, the answer lies in transparency, communication, and the smart use of automation. We leverage AI to help personalize touchpoints, but we never let it replace relationship-building.
We’re also deeply committed to continuous feedback loops. As we scale, we bring our communities with us. Whether through advisory boards, in-app feedback tools, or face-to-face focus groups, we keep asking questions. And we use technology to help us listen better—not just move faster.
Discover how Acclinate’s touch-first approach helped expand maternal and fetal health opportunities.
Supporting All Stakeholders with One Purpose
Acclinate operates at a unique intersection. On one side, we serve our community—helping individuals make informed, confident decisions about their health. On the other, we support our clients—clinical researchers and healthcare institutions—that need better tools to make trials more inclusive, efficient, and successful.
The Acclinate advantage is that each side strengthens the other. When communities trust us, our insights become more accurate. When valued partners trust us, we can bring more opportunities to the people who’ve historically been excluded.
When it comes to technology, we aren’t just partners. We act as a vital conduit. And it’s an honor to sit in that space, knowing the tools we build can lead to healthier lives, better outcomes, and generational impact.
For Product Leaders Trying to Build Trust
If you’re in the business of building technology for equity, here’s my advice:
- Be present. You can’t design for communities you don’t engage with.
- Be curious. Ask questions, then ask better ones.
- Be flexible. The North Star doesn’t change, but your path might.
- Be bold. Challenge assumptions—even your own.
- And above all, be human. Because your tech will only be as trustworthy as the intent behind it.
If you're not building with the people you're trying to serve, you're not building for them either.
Staying True While Scaling Up
Change is constant. In the past few months alone, our industry has seen major shifts. But through it all, we remain grounded in who we are and why we started this work.
It’s not always easy. But the moments when we see that connection in action—like watching a friend extend her life through access to a clinical trial—make it all worth it.
When trust powers technology, real and long-term impact is possible.
Ready to learn more about Acclinate's touch-first approach? Contact our team.
