First Name
Laura
Last Name
Ospina Pinillos
What is the champion's current position?
Assistant Professor
Website
Linkedin
Twitter
What are the champion's specialties or areas of expertise?
Laura has been actively involved in the design, research and development of several technological solutions to better assist young people to manage their mental health and wellbeing. Currently, her research focuses on the design, translation and cultural adaptation of mental health ICTs into Low-and-Middle Income Countries. She has expertise using participatory design methodologies, involving end users at all stages of the process from design to implementation.
What are the champion's achievements in digital health?
Laura worked on the development of ICTs aimed to improve mental health in different countries, languages and cultures. She created collaborative research partnerships between Australia, Europe and Colombia. She established a Colombian eMental Health research line, awarded PI and Co-PI of national and international projects. During the pandemic, she designed, implemented and led a technology based emotional support platform that have done more than 2000 free sessions over the past 6 months.
Why is the champion passionate about digital health (how did the champion become interested in digital health)?
Laura entered digital health (DH) with her PhD in 2014. She understands the potential of DH to reduce mental health treatment gap. Technology gives care the chance to reach individuals jumping service barriers and reducing stigma. People living in LMIC and non-English speakers experience more health and digital inequities. Her ambition is to create of DH solutions that can be adapted; utilized everywhere by making a rational use of resources and always involving end users.
How can we attract more women to work on digital health?
Laura believes that pandemic brought awareness to digital health to people, including women. She thinks now it’s time to show women behind successful initiatives that have helped during this difficult time. It’s also important to connect women of all related disciplines and to establish easily accessible collaborative networks and spaces, where interested woman can join, share experiences and get academic support and training. Through collaborative partnerships promote and create initiatives to attract more funding and as such build and support employment.
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Which organization does the champion work for?
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
What is the champion's country of origin?
Colombia
Where does the champion live (country)
Colombia