NHIT Legislative Summit 2025: Building an AI-Ready Workforce Through Bipartisan Action and Public/Private Partnerships
Washington, D.C. — July 31, 2025 – The National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT), in partnership with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), hosted the 2025 NHIT Legislative Summit on Capitol Hill on July 29. This bipartisan convening brought together almost 50 national leaders to address how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can transform healthcare, education, and the economy, and prepare our workforce for this rapidly evolving digital era.
Titled “The Promise of AI and Its Future-Ready Workforce,” the Summit explored AI’s impact on critical systems and the urgent need to equip individuals with essential skills. Policymakers, tech leaders, and educators discussed building an inclusive, future-ready workforce.
AI is poised for significant economic impact. Goldman Sachs projects generative AI could add nearly 7% ($7 trillion) to global GDP over the next decade, with the U.S. alone seeing up to a $1 trillion annual increase. By 2030, an estimated 60% of the U.S. workforce will require retraining, signaling job transformation and creation, not just elimination.
A central theme was the critical role of collaboration in realizing AI’s promise for all, especially in underrepresented and rural communities. This cooperation was on display during a fireside chat featuring Brittany Brignac (staffer for Senator Rounds) and Michelle Galdamez (staffer for Congresswoman Kelly) who highlighted the strong bicameral and bipartisan support for expanding AI access and workforce training. The importance of these bipartisan policies for equitable AI access in underserved areas was highlighted.
This focus aligns with the recent White House AI Action Plan, emphasizing responsible AI innovation and broad societal benefits.
A key highlight was the NHIT INSPIRED™ students, fresh from completing its first of its kind, hands-on Agentic AI course, proudly showcased their real-world applications. NHIT and HIMSS then presented them with certificates for their achievement. This summer, NHIT hosted students from:
- Community College Dual Enrollment High School Students
- George Mason University- Undergraduate and Graduate
- University of California, Berkeley
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
- Brown University
- Lusaka Apex Medical University (Zambia)
- University of the Virgin Islands
- Morgan State University
- Upskilling and Reskilling Professionals
The Summit underscored NHIT’s dedication to building an AI-ready workforce through strategic public/private partnerships. Last year, NHIT and the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRST) partnered to launch NHIT INSPIRED Puerto Rico, fostering innovation and economic development. This momentum continued earlier this year with an MOU with HIMSS to establish NHIT INSPIRED Virginia, creating a regional health IT innovation and workforce training hub.
“Today’s Summit underscored our unwavering commitment to ensuring no community is left behind in the AI revolution, particularly in underrepresented and rural areas,” said Luis Belen, CEO of NHIT. “Through the NHIT INSPIRED AI Academy and our strategic public/private partnerships, we are building an AI-Ready Workforce ready to harness AI’s transformative power for improved health and economic growth. Bipartisan collaboration is crucial to achieving these goals.”
The Honorable Former Congresswoman and First Female Doctor elected to Congress, Donna Christensen, an NHIT Board Member, added, “The summit provided incredibly insightful discussions on the multifaceted pathways to building an AI-ready workforce. The invaluable insights shared from policy, education, healthcare, and technology are crucial as we shape our critical national strategy.”
“At HIMSS, preparing a future-ready, digitally skilled health workforce is a top priority,” said Tom Leary, Senior Vice President and Head of Government Relations at HIMSS. “This summit highlights the power of public-private partnerships to align policy, education, and innovation—ensuring we have the talent pipeline needed to lead in an AI-driven health system.”
The Legislative Summit provided a critical forum for leaders to explore how investments in AI, supercomputing, and education can reshape government, healthcare, and economic infrastructure. Discussions focused on creating policies and strategic partnerships to connect underrepresented populations with training opportunities, build pathways to upward mobility, and align innovation with workforce needs. These efforts position America’s workforce not just to adapt to an AI-driven economy, but to lead globally, fostering inclusive growth and improved health outcomes.
To learn more about NHIT and its initiatives, please visit www.nhit.org.
About NHIT® (National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved)
Established in 2008, NHIT engages underrepresented populations in the development and use of health information technology (HIT) to support and sustain health transformation and economic mobility. NHIT’s work is grounded in five pillars: Workforce, Innovation, Policy, Research, and Community.
About HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)
HIMSS is a global advisor and thought leader committed to reforming the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology. With a network spanning more than 125,000 individuals, 650 technology corporations, and over 470 non-profit partners, HIMSS drives innovation in health equity, digital health transformation, and public policy to improve health access and outcomes worldwide.
