This PhD research project aims to develop a participatory digital ecosystem that combines the principles of citizen science, behavioural health science, digital twins, smart healthy cities, and decision support systems with artificial intelligence, to support dynamic decision-making for pollution reduction and health promotion.
This work sits at the intersection of biomedical engineering, digital health, and systems engineering, and aims to design, develop, and evaluate a participatory decision support system based on digital twins. The system will integrate behavioural models and data to support European cities in implementing dynamic health promotion strategies.
The research will be developed within the new “Digital Health Factory” laboratory and will collaborate with the cities of Funchal, Nantes, and Valencia.
The PhD will contribute to transforming citizens into active sensors and integrating their data into urban digital twins to support dynamic decisions that reduce pollution and promote health, focusing on:
If you are interested, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Prof. Luís Lapão: l.lapao@fct.unl.pt
This PhD thesis aims to explore the future of digital primary care. The work is part of the international GOAL-MM project, which seeks to strengthen primary healthcare through the integration of Goal-Oriented Care and digital solutions for multimorbidity (MM) management. The study will focus on the adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of the METHIS digital platform, designed to support the longitudinal follow-up of patients with multiple chronic diseases, improve coordination among healthcare professionals, and promote active patient engagement in managing their health.
The research will be conducted at the Digital Health Factory, leveraging expertise in decision support systems and artificial intelligence, in collaboration with teams from Portugal (ULS São José and ULS Almada-Seixal), Norway, and Canada, integrated into an international primary care research network (Practice-Based Research and Learning Network) of WONCA.
The research will follow the Design Science methodology, enabling the design and testing of a digital artefact in a real-world clinical practice setting. The PhD candidate will participate in co-creation processes with healthcare professionals, health information system managers, and patients, with the aim of adapting the METHIS platform to the needs of different healthcare systems and technological infrastructures.
The work will include defining functional requirements, integration with electronic health record systems, pilot implementation in primary care units, and the development of training and capacity-building strategies for professionals and patients.
The final phase of the thesis will evaluate the impact of the platform on care coordination, patient engagement, and primary care efficiency, through the collection and analysis of real-world usage and clinical outcome data. This work will contribute to the development of an international Learning Health System for multimorbidity management, generating knowledge applicable to improving primary healthcare and expanding evidence-based digital solutions across different healthcare contexts.
If you are interested, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Prof. Luís Lapão: l.lapao@fct.unl.pt