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Federal & policy fluency
We work with federal agencies, congressional offices, and territorial governments to align infrastructure spending with community-defined priorities.
About NHIT · since 2008
Community trust is infrastructure.
For 18 years, NHIT has connected federal infrastructure, industry capacity, and community trust into one operational system for the AI-ready health economy.
Our mission
Innovation that reaches every community.
NHIT's mission is to ensure that innovation in AI, data, and digital health reaches every community — by connecting federal infrastructure, industry capacity, and community trust into one operational system.
We work in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, rural regions across the United States, and in Washington, DC — where policy, capital, and community come together.
Who we are
A translator between four worlds.
Most efforts speak one language — federal, industry, community, or academic. NHIT speaks all four, and translates continuously between them.
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Industry & capital reach
Payers, providers, vendors, and philanthropic capital partners find in NHIT a pre-competitive convening space and a credible deployment partner.
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Community accountability
Community health workers, community-based organizations, and territorial health authorities co-design our programs — not just receive them.
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Academic & evidence rigor
Partnerships with universities, schools of public health, and independent evaluators keep our claims disciplined and our programs accountable.
Our initiatives
Four connected layers.
Intelligence Layer
Data Fusion Center
The intelligence layer — fragmented data into decision-ready insight.
Explore →Workforce Engine
NHIT INSPIRED™
The workforce engine — community-based talent pipelines for the AI-ready health economy.
Explore →Scale Layer
Connected Health & CHCII
The scale layer — proven local models, operationalized regionally and nationally.
Explore →Alignment Layer
Industry Coalition
The alignment layer — payers, providers, vendors, and academia in one room.
Explore →18 years of service · Since June 8, 2008
A record built through community, crisis, and coalition.
Founded in partnership with the HHS Office of Minority Health, NIH's NIMHD, SHIRE, and 100+ organizations — NHIT has spent nearly two decades operating at the intersection of federal capacity and community trust.
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2008
NHIT founded
Established June 8, 2008 as a 501(c)(3) with HHS Office of Minority Health, NIMHD at NIH, SHIRE, and more than 100 founding partners.
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2014–15
Annual conferences and White House convenings
First Annual Conference (Sept 2014), Wall Street Roundtable (Dec 2014), and Spring Summit at HHS with a White House Briefing alongside Obama Administration officials (Apr 2015).
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2015–16
Hepatitis Awareness & Precision Medicine
Community-facing campaigns advancing hepatitis awareness and NHIT's Precision Medicine Challenge under NIH All of Us alignment.
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2017
NHIT Care Campaign launched
Rapid response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, mobilized with AWS, PwC, and Sprint to restore access to care and communications.
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2018
Congressional Briefing
NHIT brought community, federal, and industry voices to Capitol Hill to advance health equity infrastructure.
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2019
$14.7M CMS approval for USVI HIE — NHIT as catalyst
On October 7, 2019, HHS CMS approved $14.7 million for the U.S. Virgin Islands to establish its Health Information Exchange — a direct outcome of the NHIT Care Campaign. Funding was awarded to the Territory; NHIT provided the strategy, federal convening, and technical planning that made it possible. Governor Bryan credits NHIT as “the masterminds” behind securing the funding. Followed by the NHIT–USVI Health Innovation Summit (Nov 2019).
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2020
Puerto Rico earthquakes & Community Transformation Forum
Emergency response to the January 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence, followed by the Community Transformation Forum in April 2020.
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2021
NHIT Data Fusion Center launched
2021: the NHIT Data Fusion Center is established — bringing disparate public and private data sources together so communities and partners can act on them.
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2024
NHIT × PRSTRT partnership
September 23, 2024: strategic partnership launched with the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust to advance the island's innovation and community-health ecosystem.
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2025
INSPIRED Virginia on the HIMSS stage
March 5, 2025: NHIT INSPIRED™ Virginia showcased with HIMSS and academic partners, positioning community-governed AI on the national health-IT stage.
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2026
NHIT INSPIRED AI Academy™ goes national
Fall 2026: the NHIT INSPIRED™ AI Academy cohort brings together 30+ students from 20+ universities across 14 states, DC, and Puerto Rico to build public-health AI capstones for real communities.
Historic access: NHIT has worked across the Obama and Biden administrations, four ONC Directors (Mostashari, DeSalvo, Washington, Tripathi), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and U.S. Virgin Islands leadership.
Leadership
Connecting people, ideas, and organizations to drive lasting impact.
Luis Belén is a nationally recognized leader in community health innovation and digital transformation, dedicated to improving health outcomes and expanding opportunities in rural, underserved, and underrepresented communities. Drawing from his lived experiences and personal journey of resilience, he has devoted his career to creating pathways to better health, education, economic mobility, and community well-being for populations that are too often overlooked.
As President and CEO of NHIT® (National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved), Belén leads initiatives that bring together healthcare, technology, education, and community partners to address complex health and social challenges. Through innovative programs, strategic partnerships, and community-centered solutions, he works to strengthen communities, improve lives nationally, and expand NHIT's impact globally.
Throughout his career, Belén has engaged with leaders across government, academia, healthcare, philanthropy, and the private sector to advance partnerships and solutions that expand access to opportunity and improve community well-being. A co-founder of HIMSS Latino, he is widely recognized for connecting people, ideas, and organizations to drive sustainable change and create lasting impact.
An alumnus of A Better Chance and New York University, Belén has been honored with the 2024 NYU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award and the 2025 HIMSS Policy Influencer Award.
- 2025HIMSS Policy Influencer Award
- 2024NYU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award
- Co-founderHIMSS Latino
- AlumnusA Better Chance · New York University
Congressional trust · U.S. Senate
All Americans must have access to quality, affordable health care – regardless of a person's ZIP code or resources. Yet too many communities, particularly those that have historically been underserved, continue to face barriers to care. I am grateful for NHIT's work – helping to ensure communities have a voice from the start – and look forward to continuing to work together to build a health care system that serves all of our communities.
Territorial trust · U.S. Virgin Islands
NHIT understands that infrastructure without community trust is just hardware. They build both.