European Journal of Information Systems

The future of creating and distributing value in digital health ecosystems

Digital health is ‘associated with the use and development of digital technologies to improve health’ (Sunyaev et al., 2024; WHO, 2025). Use, development, and design of the according technologies have in recent years led to a considerable shift. Specifically, practices affecting an individuals’ health have been shifted from inside hospitals into wider digital health ecosystems where providers, patients, their loved ones, and laypersons interact to jointly shape how care is provided (Bardhan et al., 2020, 2025). IS research has greatly advanced in terms of better understanding the technological foundations of this shift such as artificial intelligence (AI) applications, sensor-based technologies, and smartphone apps (Angst et al., 2024; Baird et al., 2025; Bardhan et al., 2020; Sunyaev et al., 2024). However, at least two major trajectories of research arise from this shift and its underlying technologies. With this special issue, we are looking for papers that aim to fill these trajectories with life.

First, creating value in digital health ecosystems demands to take into account diverse kinds of value to be potentially created through these technologies (Günther et al., 2017; Porter, 2010). Financial value is an important kind of value to be created in digital health ecosystems; however, it is by far not the sole kind of value that matters in these settings (Barrett et al., 2016). It is important to understand which kinds of value technology helps to create as well as how, why, and when it does so. Second, creating value is not per se synonymous with distributing it so that an important line of inquiry is about how to distribute value among ecosystem participants and over time (Yan et al., 2021; Yoo et al., 2024).

We are asking for papers speaking to these topics and see two broad ways in which submissions to our special issue could do so. The first is cumulative and much in line with how research in IS and adjacent fields such as computer science, management, and medicine is conventionally done. It resides in furthering our understandings and toolkits for creating value in digital health ecosystems. However, the more data are available the higher is arguably the potential for misuse (Morley et al., 2020; Murdoch, 2021; Siala & Wang, 2022), especially when genomic and bio data are in question (Jarvenpaa & Markus, 2018; Rothe et al., 2019, 2023; Thiebes et al., 2020; Vassilakopoulou et al., 2018). This is why research about creating value from data logically calls for research about how to distribute value among ecosystems participants.

The second way to address the abovementioned research trajectories is consistent with EJIS’s recent developments towards promoting ‘contrarian studies’ (Nandhakumar, 2010). We see much promise of contrarian studies investigating the creation and distribution of value in digital health ecosystems. Research about digital health is replete with assumptions touching on the outcomes that large volumes of data are likely to generate. This stands in stark contrast to the fact that on the ‘ground floor’ where most clinicians work the data are hardly ever available in the format, quality or volume needed to even remotely live up to these expectations (Jones, 2019). It is, therefore, paramount to offer fundamentally new ways of thinking about creating and distributing value in digital health ecosystems.

These considerations lead us to a set of issues which we would like to address through putting together this special issue. These issues include but are not limited to:

• The role of data management and data sharing in digital health ecosystems
• Designing for measuring kinds of value arising from new digital technologies like XR, 5G, web 3.0, and machine or hybrid learning in digital health ecosystems
• The role of digital health ecosystems during pandemics or natural disasters; specifically with an eye toward how data help to distribute value among ecosystem participants
• (Data-driven) change of professional roles, identities, and institutions in digital health ecosystems
• The difference between creating value for intervention vs. for prevention
• Design of inclusive and responsible digital technologies for healthcare and well-being
• Digital tools and use of digital health data to connect different participants of health service networks, to support decision making and to improve organizational processes
• Negative consequences of digital technologies implementation in healthcare, such as health givers burnout and patients’ anxiety
• The role of digital tools like virtual coaching for autonomy of health care providers and patients

Associate editors:

• Bogdan Negoita, HEC Montréal, Canada
• Camille Grangé, HEC Montréal, Canada
• Cristina Trocin, Católica Porto Business School, Portugal
• Farkhondeh Hassan Doust, University of Auckland, New Zealand
• Guy Paré, HEC Montréal, Canada
• Heiko Gewald, HS Neu-Ulm, Germany
• Maike Greve, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
• Johann Kranz, LMU, Germany
• Manuel Trenz, University of Göttingen, Germany
• Saeed Akhlaghpour, University of Queensland, Australia

Special issue timeline (tentative):

• March 1^st 2026: Submission of extended abstracts/ declaration of interest to submit papers to the special issue. Submissions are subject for discussions at a paper development workshop in the context of ECIS 2026 in Milan, Italy
• Full paper submission deadline: November 30^th 2026
• First round decisions due: March 31^st 2027
• Revise and Resubmit workshop: Authors who received a revise and resubmit are invited to present their revision strategies in the context of ECIS 2027
• Revisions due: September 30^th 2027
• Second round decisions due: December 15^th 2027
• Third round revisions due (if necessary): February 28^th 2028
• Final decisions due: May 31^st 2028

Guest editor biographies

Lauri Wessel holds the chair for Information Management and Digital Transformation at the European New School of Digital Studies at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. Lauri’s research interests fall into three areas: digital transformation, digital health, and data governance. In his work, Lauri uses organization theory and qualitative methods. His work has been published in core information systems journals such as Journal of the Association for Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Business and Information Systems Engineering as well as organization theory journals like Journal of Business Ethics and medicine journals like Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions or Psycho-Oncology. Lauri serves as senior editor of Information and Organization and he has or is currently editing special issues in Information and Organization, Information Systems Journal, and the nature portfolio journal Health Systems.

 Melanie Reuter-Oppermann is a Senior Research Fellow at Maastricht University and ILS Mannheim gGmbH. In 2017, she received her PhD in Operations Research from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on the analysis and optimization of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems. At KIT, she established the HealthCareLab at the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute. She is a joint coordinator of the GI Digital Health Group and the European Working Group on Operational Research Applied to Health Services (ORAHS). In her research, she applies Information Systems and Operations Research methods to support decision making in healthcare. In 2020, she received the Julius von Haast Fellowship from the Royal Society of New Zealand. She serves as Associate Editor for the Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal.

Roxana Ologeanu-Taddei is an associate professor at TBS Education and University of Montpellier in France. Her research focuses on digital transformation especially in hospitals. Her recent research explores ethical issues of AI and environmental sustainability related to digital technologies design and use. Her work has been published in medical journals as well as in information systems journals including European Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, and Journal for the Association of Information Systems. She is co-editor in chief of the French Journal of Management Information Systems. She published in 2025 a book (in French) entitled Artificial intelligence and anthropomorphism: From illusion to confusion.

Hannes Rothe holds the Chair of Sustainability and Innovation in Digital Ecosystems at Rhine-Ruhr Institute of Information Systems, University of Duisburg-Essen. He heads the Co-Creation Lab: Place Beyond Bytes, and is co-founder of the Digital Entrepreneurship Hub at Freie Universität Berlin. At day, he studies digital innovation & entrepreneurship, sustainability and growth in digital ecosystems, and organizing data and knowledge. His research has been published in leading journals of information systems and strategic management, including Information Systems Research, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, European Journal on Information Systems, or Information Systems Journal. He coordinates multiple research projects, e.g., the research consortium European Health Data Spaces for All (EHDS4ALL). He has been appointed to editorial roles at European Journal on Information Systems and Electronic Market, and is a member of the Editorial Review Board at Information Systems Journal. At night, he runs a pre-incubator for digital ventures, engages with the BRYCK Startup Alliance and K.I.E.Z Accelerator, and helps AI entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams of changing the world for the better.

Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa is Professor of Information Systems and Bayless/Rauscher Pierce Refsnes Chair in Business Administration at the McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on inter-organizational and inter-personal collaboration and innovation in fast paced and technologically advanced data and knowledge environments with regulatory and policy implications. She has held many distinguished appointments at the leading universities including Marvin Bower Fellow at Harvard Business School and Finnish Distinguished Professor at Aalto University. Her work has appeared in information systems, management, engineering, accounting, marketing, psychology, and anthropology journals. She has published a co-authored book “Words Matter: Communicating Effectively in the New Global Office.” She is a recipient of Association of Information Systems (AIS) Fellow and LEO Awards (LEO stands for Life Time Achievement of Exceptional Global Contributions in the field of information systems). She has received the Information Systems Society (ISS) Distinguished Fellow Award. She has been awarded four honorary doctorates. She is a recipient of the Alexander Humboldt Prize for her research achievements.

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