To conduct rigorous research and data science to support evidence-based mobile health (mHealth) programs for the improvement of global health.
GLOBAL HEALTH – DIGITAL HEALTH – DATA SCIENCE
GOALS
Our 4 focal points
Collaboration
Foster collaborative, interdisciplinary mHealth research activities.
Opportunities
Create opportunities for students, staff and faculty to participate in interdisciplinary training in the area of mHealth.
Public Health
Using mHealth interventions for international public health monitoring to optimize patient care during complex emergencies, such as COVID-19 pandemic and HIV epidemic.
Technology
Leverage AI technologies and conversational data collected by mHealth technologies to capture patient priorities and inform care.
What is mHealth?
mHealth, also known as mobile health, refers to the application of mobile technology for the provision of health care to support patients and healthcare providers. Currently, there are more than 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, 89% of whom live in developing countries. Thanks to the accessibility, portability, and timeliness of mobile phones, mHealth is increasingly being harnessed to improve access, engagement and delivery of health services. Integrating mHealth interventions into existing health care systems is also considered a cost-effective solution to provide health support to even the most disadvantaged and remote populations. Applications include education and awareness, diagnostic and treatment support, remote data collection, patient monitoring, healthcare provider telecommunication, training and disease management, as well as increasing opportunities to utilize Artificial Intelligence techniques, specifically Natural Language Processing (NLP).

UBC mHealth Research Group
The UBC mHealth Research Group, led by Dr. Richard Lester, is dedicated to investigating the efficacy, effectiveness and implementation of mobile health across a variety of disease and demographic settings. Our group is currently conducting research within Canada, USA, UK, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

36
Projects
100+
Publications
35+
Clinics
5
Countries