Dr Maria Ambrósio, MBBS, MPH, PhD | Public Health Researcher

Hello! Welcome to
my research space.

"My research focuses on digital health interventions, with a particular interest in child development, parenting, nutrition, and physical activity."

My work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), The BMJ, and Nature.

Biography

About me

I am a public health researcher in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. My research uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the socio-economic factors that influence parental engagement in digital parenting interventions. I aim to identify the factors that facilitate parents’ use of these interventions and strengthen parent-child interactions, to support the scale-up of digital health interventions promoting positive parenting practices, and improving children’s health and cognitive development.

My doctoral research at the University of Oxford focused on ParentText, a chatbot-led parenting intervention designed by the Parenting for Lifelong Health. My research was conducted in collaboration with academic, government and international public health institutions such as UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and mothers2mothers and was funded by the Oak Foundation and LEGO Foundation. Before starting my PhD, I worked as a Public Health Specialist at the Georgia Department of Public Health and applied my expertise to support the American government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After completing my Medical Doctor degree at Belgorod State University in Russia, I moved to Angola and combined my clinical practice with community-based health research initiatives. Such research experiences sparked my desire to strengthen my methodological expertise and pursue a more research-focused career. In 2019, I moved to Atlanta, USA, and completed a Master of Public Health at Georgia State University, graduating with a first-class honours degree.

At the University of Oxford, I am part of the following research groups and societies: the Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research, Centre for Evidence-Based Intervention and the Oxford Global Health and Care Systems Society.

Access my CV

Department Affiliation

University of Oxford Department of Social Policy and Intervention
Academic Background Medical Doctor, Master of Public Health, PhD

Key Digital Health Publications

Access to Chatbot-based Interventions in LMICs

Klapow M, Zinser P, Lachman J, Facciola C, Han Q, Ambrósio MDG, . . . Stern D. (2026). Effective access to chat-based health interventions in LMICs: Multi-country evidence and design strategies. npj Digital Public Health doi:10.1038/s44482-026-00027-5

Publication 1

Behavioural Determinants of Engagement in Digital Health

Ambrósio MDG, Vyas S, Stromin J., … Lachman JM. (2025). Exploring the association between behavioural determinants and intention to use a chatbot-led parenting intervention by caregivers of adolescent girls in South Africa: A cross-sectional study. JMIR Pediatr Parent. doi:10.2196/76992

Publication 2

The Mediating Role of Intention in Digital Health Engagement

Ambrósio MDG, Vyas S, Stromin J, … Lachman JM. (Under review). Investigating intention to use as a mediator of associations between behavioural determinants and caregiver engagement with a parenting chatbot in South Africa. BMC Public Health. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-10283344/v1

Publication 3

Determinants of Digital Health Engagement and Behaviour Change

Ambrósio MDG, Vyas S, Stromin J, … Lachman JM. (Under review). When intentions are translated into actions: A thematic qualitative investigation of the factors associated with caregivers’ engagement with a non-AI chatbot-led parenting intervention in South Africa. BMC Public Health. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-10296995/v1

Publication 4

Scientific Portfolio

Research Projects

Explore my clinical and community research in the fields of child health, nutrition, and adult cardiovascular disease across multiple countries.

Child Health

Digital Health: Factors Associated with Parental Engagement in the ParentText Chatbot, PhD research, University of Oxford, UK (October 2022 – May 2026)

The Digital Health Engagement Model (Ambrósio et al., 2025).

Meeting parents and traditional leaders in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa prior to the study implementation.

I conducted this study during my doctoral training at the University of Oxford, UK. My PhD thesis examined factors associated with user engagement in a chatbot-led parenting intervention delivered to 1,034 caregivers of adolescent girls in low-income communities in South Africa. While digital delivery offers a cost-effective opportunity to scale evidence-based parenting programmes, low user engagement often limits their effectiveness in preventing parental violence. My thesis addresses this critical implementation gap and makes two main original contributions. First, I developed and empirically tested a novel Digital Health Engagement Model. Second, I provided unique insights into the key role of integrating person-centred design and community partnerships alongside strategies to address structural barriers to user connectivity in digital parenting interventions. The Digital Health Engagement model supports the systematic identification of facilitators and barriers to user engagement across individual, community, and structural levels. In doing so, it can inform more responsive design and delivery strategies for scaling digital health interventions.

My research findings indicate that the chatbot contributed to improvements in parent–adolescent relationships and adolescent mental health, and to increased communication about sensitive topics, including reproductive health. The results highlight the importance of co-designing digital interventions with communities to ensure responsiveness to local needs and constraints. A gender-intentional approach is also critical, as restrictive gender norms may limit women’s and girls’ access to digital spaces. The thesis findings directly informed the adaptation and scale-up strategies for digital delivery within the Parenting for Lifelong Health programme, which reaches over 8 million families across 35 countries and has contributed to averting an estimated 81,000 cases of severe child abuse.

Oral Health: Cross-Sectional Study of Children in Low-Income Communities of Luanda, Angola (June 2017- June 2018)

Standing with the children of the Symphonic Orchestra of Luanda while they hold a manual containing guidance for better oral health hygiene practices.

I created and implemented oral health surveillance for children of deprived communities enrolled in the nonprofit Symphonic Orchestra of Luanda, Angola. I created and conducted a survey to evaluate children’s oral health behaviour, status, and knowledge.

Nutrition: Cross Sectional Study of Children of Soyo, Angola (July 2014)

Measuring a child’s height during data collection at the Mbubu Island in the North of Angola.

I collaborated with the Municipal Hospital of Soyo, Angola, on a cross-sectional study to evaluate the health status of children aged 6 months to 5 years living in the village of Soyo and the surrounding islands. The study evaluated the oral health, relevant comorbidities, vaccination compliance, and nutritional status of children. The data collected was used to help the local government build a child nutrition centre in the region.

Adult Health

Cardiovascular health: Cross-Sectional Study of Health Behaviour Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease Among Mid-Aged Women in a Faith-Based Community of Luanda, Angola (June 2018)

Distributing surveys to collect data on women’s knowledge about nutritional and physical activity behaviour in Luanda, Angola.

A volunteer medical student assessing the blood pressure of a participant.

A volunteer middle-aged women demonstrating aerobic physical exercises to the audience.

In cooperation with local medical students and a faith-based institution, I conducted a health promotion campaign targeting middle-aged women diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes, and those at risk, to increase their knowledge of healthy eating and the importance of physical activity. I created and conducted a survey to evaluate women’s knowledge about healthy lifestyles and behaviour. I analysed the association between cardiovascular disease risk and cultural determinants, health behaviour, and key anthropometrics.

Milestones

Awards & Accomplishments

Recognition of my scientific journey, global conference presentations, and public health impact.

Profile in the Women in Science Campaign, Wolfson College, Oxford, UK (2026)

Wolfson College Women in Science Profile

I was invited to give an interview at the Wolfson College’s Women in Science campaign, University of Oxford, which was featured as part of celebrations for the British Science Week and International Women’s Day. As part of this campaign, I gave a written interview in which I shared my journey as a woman in research and offered advice to girls and women interested in pursuing careers in academia and science more broadly, particularly in digital health. You can read the full interview here.

North American Society for Prevention Research 33rd Annual Meeting, WA, USA (27-30 May 2025)

I presented the Digital Health Engagement Model that I developed in my doctoral research, a model that highlights the importance of human-centred designs, community-level collaboration and the identification of structural barriers when designing, developing, and implementing digital health interventions. Addressing a multidisciplinary audience of prevention scientists, policymakers, and practitioners, I presented my research findings, highlighting critical determinants influencing engagement with digital parenting interventions in low-resource settings. My presentation emphasised the importance of embedding community network groups within existing local services to strengthen trust, enhance uptake, and support the sustainable scale-up of digital health innovations.

International Society for Research on Internet interventions 13th Scientific Meeting, California, USA (04-07 August 2025)

Presenting at the 13th Scientific Meeting of the International Society for Research on Internet interventions

I presented findings from my doctoral research and emphasised the importance of gender-intentional design to support mothers, who often face restrictive social norms limiting digital engagement, and to increase the inclusion of fathers, who remain underrepresented despite their critical role in child wellbeing. Over four days of interdisciplinary exchange, I engaged in discussions on scaling equitable digital health solutions.

International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Conference, Uppsala, Sweden (18-21 August 2024)

Presenting at the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Conference

I presented preliminary findings from my doctoral study at the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Congress in Uppsala, Sweden. This global, multidisciplinary conference convened policymakers, researchers, and practitioners from 73 countries and was inaugurated by Queen Silvia of Sweden. Presenting at ISPCAN allowed me to contribute to international dialogue on how digital innovations can strengthen and scale child protection interventions.

Symposium for Early Career Researchers in Social Policy and Intervention (SERSPI), University of Oxford, UK (2024)

At the initial stage of my doctoral research and development of the Digital Health Engagement Model I gave an oral presentation at St Hilda’s College and the University of Oxford during the Symposium for Early Career Researchers in Social Policy and Intervention.

People’s Choice Award, 3 Minute Thesis Competition, Georgia State University, USA (2021)

I received the People’s Choice Award at the Three Minute Thesis competition at Georgia State University, an internationally recognised research communication competition. My presentation translated my master’s thesis on Telehealth for paediatric care in low- and middle-income countries into a compelling three-minute narrative for a non-specialist audience. The work synthesised evidence from Angola, Kenya and Denmark through a scoping review, highlighting the potential of Telehealth to expand access to paediatric services in resource-constrained settings.

Community & Academia

Beyond Research

Teaching and Volunteer Activities

Since the early years of medical school, I have been deeply committed to volunteer work focused on improving children’s well-being and development. In 2014, I founded a student-led Christmas benefit concert that raised donations for the cancer centre at the Belgorod Children’s Regional Clinical Hospital. This initiative brought together students of different nationalities in support of children undergoing cancer treatment. In 2012, during a university holiday in Angola, I co-founded a long-term volunteer initiative at the government-run orphanage Lar Kuzola in Luanda. For over a decade, the project facilitated weekly visits of an average of 20 volunteers from a faith-based organisation, providing peer support and social engagement to approximately 300 children living in the orphanage. The project expanded in 2023 to provide two annual scholarships for orphans attending the church school. Since December 2024, I have supported children from underprivileged backgrounds, including Ukrainian refugees, at Tunnicliffe Education children’s holiday club run in collaboration with the Oxford Museum of Natural History.

Beyond my core research responsibilities, I make sustained contributions to teaching and capacity building within the department of Social Policy and Intervention. I support the Quantitative Analysis course delivered to approximately 40 MSc and MPhil students each year, dedicating an average of 8–10 hours per week during term time to workshop facilitation and the marking of weekly assignments.

Playing the guitar during a small Christmas celebration with the children and parents of children hospitalised at the Belgorod Children’s Regional Clinical Hospital. The celebration aimed at giving the gifts raised during the Christmas benefit concert.

Giving a 2-hour lecture at the Methods meetup research group at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, UK.

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