Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
EQL Band aims to silence green light bias in smartwatches with the power of sound. Building on years of clinical equality advocacy, FCB Health New York, an IPG Health Company, created EQL Band – an innovative prototype for the world’s first smartwatch band that uses sound smart technology to accurately hear all heartbeats equally, regardless of skin tone.
In partnership with Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance – a leading health equity advocacy organization with initiatives like #BlackDataMatters and When We Trial campaigns – FCB Health New York is calling on the tech industry and smartwatch manufacturers to join the fight for equal health data.
More than 70 million Americans rely on smartwatches to track their health and use the data generated to inform lifestyle and treatment decisions. But what if that health data isn’t accurate for everyone? Recent studies have shown that the green light technology used in smartwatches inaccurately reads heart rates in people with darker skin tones, which ultimately results in people of color left behind, delayed treatment and diagnosis, and lost lives.
“People of color have a long history of being overlooked in clinical settings, and despite incredible technological advancements over time, it’s still happening in many ways today. This includes smartwatch technology, which has been shown to provide inaccurate health data for people with darker skin tones,” said Sommer Bazuro, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at IPG Health. “People use that data to make lifestyle decisions. That flawed data is fed into databases that inform long-term, and often life-saving treatment decisions. It’s used in clinical trials which fuel medical innovations and treatment choices of tomorrow. The scale and impact of this health data bias is enormous.”
AWARDS
D&AD 2024
- Future White Pencil
CREDITS
Brand: Touch, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance.
Creative Agency: FCB Health New York, an IPG Health Company.
Chief Creative Officer: Kathleen Nanda.
Chief Medical Officer: Sommer Bazuro.
Director, Corporate Communications and PR: Chido Tsemunhu.
Senior Creative Engineer: Alexis Moses.
Creative Engineer: Joe Theoharakis.
SVP, Director, Creative Engineering: Joseph Graiff.
SVP, Creative Director: Bibi Brink.
SVP, Creative Director: Lisa Lim.
VP, Creative Director: Yzabelle Munson.
Senior Integrated Designer: Everett Aldritch.
Senior Copywriter: Natalie Nascenzi.
Designer: Franky Zhang.
Designer: Pedro RicciGama.
Global Executive Creative Director: Shaheed Peera.
EVP, Executive Creative Director: Bryan Gaffin.
SVP, Group Creative Director of Craft & Art: Erico Braga.
Executive Producer: Andrew Pearson.
VP, Executive Producer: Dorothy Saint Jean.
Editor, Motion Graphics Artist: James Towning.
EQL Band aims to silence green light bias in smartwatches with the power of sound. Building on years of clinical equality advocacy, FCB Health New York, an IPG Health Company, created EQL Band – an innovative prototype for the world’s first smartwatch band that uses sound smart technology to accurately hear all heartbeats equally, regardless of skin tone.
In partnership with Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance – a leading health equity advocacy organization with initiatives like #BlackDataMatters and When We Trial campaigns – FCB Health New York is calling on the tech industry and smartwatch manufacturers to join the fight for equal health data.
More than 70 million Americans rely on smartwatches to track their health and use the data generated to inform lifestyle and treatment decisions. But what if that health data isn’t accurate for everyone? Recent studies have shown that the green light technology used in smartwatches inaccurately reads heart rates in people with darker skin tones, which ultimately results in people of color left behind, delayed treatment and diagnosis, and lost lives.
“People of color have a long history of being overlooked in clinical settings, and despite incredible technological advancements over time, it’s still happening in many ways today. This includes smartwatch technology, which has been shown to provide inaccurate health data for people with darker skin tones,” said Sommer Bazuro, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at IPG Health. “People use that data to make lifestyle decisions. That flawed data is fed into databases that inform long-term, and often life-saving treatment decisions. It’s used in clinical trials which fuel medical innovations and treatment choices of tomorrow. The scale and impact of this health data bias is enormous.”
AWARDS
D&AD 2024
- Future White Pencil
CREDITS
Brand: Touch, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance.
Creative Agency: FCB Health New York, an IPG Health Company.
Chief Creative Officer: Kathleen Nanda.
Chief Medical Officer: Sommer Bazuro.
Director, Corporate Communications and PR: Chido Tsemunhu.
Senior Creative Engineer: Alexis Moses.
Creative Engineer: Joe Theoharakis.
SVP, Director, Creative Engineering: Joseph Graiff.
SVP, Creative Director: Bibi Brink.
SVP, Creative Director: Lisa Lim.
VP, Creative Director: Yzabelle Munson.
Senior Integrated Designer: Everett Aldritch.
Senior Copywriter: Natalie Nascenzi.
Designer: Franky Zhang.
Designer: Pedro RicciGama.
Global Executive Creative Director: Shaheed Peera.
EVP, Executive Creative Director: Bryan Gaffin.
SVP, Group Creative Director of Craft & Art: Erico Braga.
Executive Producer: Andrew Pearson.
VP, Executive Producer: Dorothy Saint Jean.
Editor, Motion Graphics Artist: James Towning.
