Interoperability: The Engine for Data Equity — Why SPD -15 Matters

Описание: In an era defined by data-driven decision-making, data equity depends on the integrity and interoperability of the data that shape our systems of care, research, and public policy. This session explores why equitable data standards—anchored in revisions and extensions to the implementation of OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD-15)—are essential for accurately representing race and ethnicity. Additionally, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity, including disability and geography, are crucial factors across federal and private-sector datasets.

The discussion will examine how interoperability serves as the engine of data equity, enabling data to move seamlessly across systems and supporting more inclusive population health insights. Through practical examples and real-world implications, panelists will discuss the intersection of policy, technology, and practice—highlighting how harmonized standards and transparent data collection can close long-standing gaps in access, outcomes, and accountability.

Moderator

Courtney Lang, JD
Founder and Principal
Langco + Partners

Courtney Lang is a strategic communications and public affairs expert with extensive experience driving change through advocacy, grassroots mobilization, and care transformation. She is the founder and principal of Langco + Partners, a health justice firm dedicated to mobilizing constituencies to advance equity in healthcare and public policy through coalition-building and stakeholder engagement. A nationally recognized advocate and accomplished change agent, Courtney has advised a wide range of corporate and nonprofit organizations on translating complex research for non-scientific audiences, affordability, data disaggregation, and crisis mitigation. Her leadership has shaped major public health campaigns, accelerated care navigation, and strengthened the interface between providers, patients, and the healthcare delivery system.

Panelists

Chinonye Onwunli
Lecturer of Health Administration
NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Managing Director, Health Information Technology Policy
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Chinonye Onwunli is a Lecturer of Health Administration at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is Managing Director, Health Information Technology Policy at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). Prior to BCBSA she was a Senior Policy Analyst and Branch Chief at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, now Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Her work has covered Health IT regulation and policy development, in both the government and the private sector.

Prior to her work at HHS, Chinonye was a Senior Analyst at the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) a non-partisan legislative branch agency that provides policy and data analysis and makes recommendations to Congress, the Secretary of HHS, and the states on issues affecting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Before moving to Washington D.C., she was a Medicaid expenditure analyst with Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration where she worked on implementing the state’s Long-Term Care Managed Care program and evaluating Florida’s long-term care waivers. Chinonye was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow 2019-2020. She holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in health policy from the University of South Florida. She also holds a Master of Science in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida State University.

Aishat Magbade
Legislative & Regulatory Policy
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Aishat Magbade is the Director of Health Equity Policy at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) with a background in public health policy, advocacy, and health equity. She began her role at BCBSA in July 2022 and works on a variety of health equity issues such as social drivers of health, tribal health equity, and health equity accreditation.

Prior to joining BCBSA, Aishat worked at a boutique life sciences government relations consulting firm, assisting clients on a variety of policy issues. At the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, she focused on government relations, regulatory affairs, and market access policy issues in the United States and Europe. She has also worked at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where she collaborated with regional oncology societies to identify emerging policy issues affecting the practice of oncology and patient care, and the American Society for Microbiology where she managed federal grants on biosecurity, laboratory capacity, and antimicrobial resistance.

Aishat’s passion for public health and health equity began while she earned her undergraduate degree in Community Health from the University of Maryland.