Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman, director of the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI) at Florida State University, is recognized for her work in advancing public health through digital platforms. Her research focuses on improving patient care and strengthening FSU’s leadership in public health.
Hightow-Weidman began her career as an infectious disease specialist during a time when understanding of HIV was expanding. She focused her early research on supporting young people living with HIV. “We didn’t necessarily have smartphones. We had cell phones, but they were flip phones back then,” Hightow-Weidman said. “I got into developing computer-delivered interventions because, at the time, it was a way to meet young people where they were.”
As technology developed and the epidemic changed, Hightow-Weidman broadened her research to include mental health and substance use among young people. She started creating digital health platforms to store patient data and deliver interventions more efficiently.
She became a pioneer in digital health research by showing that web and mobile-based interventions could reduce risky behaviors related to HIV and improve care outcomes. One example is HealthMPowerment (HMP), a platform developed in partnership with organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Optimized for mobile devices, HMP addresses a wide range of health needs using clinical trials and human-centered design.
Her work has drawn interest from major public health organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “We’ve been able to show the CDC that HMP, for example, is a successful intervention,” Hightow-Weidman said. “It’s one of the few true digital health interventions that has that stamp. We’ve shown the importance of digital health tools in addressing some of these conditions.”
After 21 years as a professor at the University of North Carolina, where she led the Behavior and Technology Lab, Hightow-Weidman joined FSU in 2022 to further advance public health through partnerships and innovation. “There was a lot of support at Florida State to develop the institute,” she said. “In our institute, we’ve really expanded the breadth of what digital health and digital interventions can do — to improve health for all populations and not just focus on research, but also on teaching and innovation.”
“In our institute, we’ve really expanded the breadth of what digital health and digital interventions can do — to improve health for all populations and not just focus on research, but also on teaching and innovation.” – Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Director of the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation
At IDHI, she leads a team including six faculty members, twelve affiliated faculty members, a founding co-director, two postdoctoral scholars, along with other staff members. The institute works on chronic issues such as HIV, chronic pain, mental health challenges, cardiovascular disease among others.
The IDHI promotes interdisciplinary collaboration within FSU: “I’ve been able to collaborate with personnel in the College of Communication and Information, the College of Medicine and Department of Computer Science,” Hightow-Weidman said. “It’s a breeding ground to foster innovation across disciplines and do true team research and science.”
She also appreciates FSU’s efforts to recognize its researchers’ contributions: “At FSU there’s a desire to promote, honor and value research,” she said. “For example at Discovery Days they hold a principal investigator recognition event. There is gratitude and respect for research here, and a mindset about the importance of it. Coming here I felt valued.”
More information about IDHI can be found at idhi.fsu.edu.
