Florida State University is known for positively impacting its communities. As director of the College of Nursing’s Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI), Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman conducts research to strengthen FSU’s public health leadership and improve patient care.
Hightow-Weidman entered the medical research industry as an infectious disease specialist, advancing her work in the early 2000s when the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was becoming more understood through cause, diagnosis and treatment. She centered her research around helping young individuals with HIV lead healthier lives — setting the stage for her breakthrough in the world of digital health.
“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 smartphone technology advanced and the epidemic evolved, Hightow-Weidman’s work also shifted. She expanded her realm of care beyond HIV, addressing health domains that young people struggled with, including mental health, substance use and more. To make the process more seamless, she began investing her time in developing digital health platforms that housed essential patient data and provided interventions.
Hightow-Weidman became a pioneer in digital health research, demonstrating that web and mobile-based interventions could reduce HIV risk behaviors and improve care. She created several digital health platforms that promote HIV prevention in innovative ways.
For example, through partnerships with organizations like the National Institute of Health (NIH), Hightow-Weidman accelerated the commercialization and scalability of digital health with the platform HealthMPowerment (HMP) that bridged academic discovery with real-world impact. Optimized for mobile use, HMP addresses a patient’s full spectrum of health based on years of clinical trials and human-centered design.
The translational nature of her work has attracted health organizations like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to partner with her.
“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.”
Hightow-Weidman came to FSU in 2022 after 21 years as a professor at the University of North Carolina with the mission of advancing individual and public health through collaborative and synergistic partnerships. While at UNC, she ran the Behavior and Technology Lab for many years but was motivated to enhance her ideas and create an institute.
“There was a lot of support at Florida State to develop the institute,” Hightow-Weidman 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
Hightow-Weidman has assembled a team that includes six faculty members, 12 affiliated faculty, a founding co-director, two postdoctoral scholars and several more staff. The IDHI is leading the public health landscape in addressing many of the chronic issues plaguing patients, including HIV, chronic pain, mental health, cardiovascular disease and more.
Similar to other institutes at FSU, IDHI offers extensive interdisciplinary opportunities.
“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.”
Hightow-Weidman admires the university’s steadfast approach in promoting the work of its professors, sending a clear message that FSU is a hub for research excellence.
“At FSU, there’s a desire to promote, honor and value research,” Hightow-Weidman said. “For example, at Discovery Days they hold a principal investigator recognition event. There is a gratitude and respect for research here, and a mindset about the importance of it. Coming here, I felt valued.”
With an unwavering commitment to leveraging technology for public good, Hightow-Weidman’s visionary leadership continues to redefine the future of digital health.
For more information on the IDHI, visit idhi.fsu.edu.