Heidelberg University Hospital
Heidelberg Institute of Global Health
Global Health

Digital Global Health

We generate evidence on digital innovations, implementation, and capacity building to improve health outcomes in diverse global contexts.

Our Projects

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We partner with research teams, implementers, and funders to co-design, evaluate, and scale digital health solutions in global contexts.
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Digital Global Health

We explore how digital innovation improves our understanding of health and drives the transformation of health systems globally, through interdisciplinary research, education, and implementation science.

Building on this mission, our current focus lies at the intersection of climate change and health. We investigate how digital tools, from wearables to AI, can strengthen health systems and reveal new insights into climate-related health risks in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

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Our Focus Areas

About

We are an interdisciplinary research group exploring how digital innovation can strengthen health systems, advance global health education, and improve the understanding of climate-related health risks. Our work focuses on the use of digital tools, wearables, artificial intelligence, environmental sensing, and implementation science to generate actionable evidence in global health contexts.

Our current research has a particular focus on the intersection of climate change and health, especially in low- and middle-income settings in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Through applied, collaborative research, we examine how digital technologies can support risk prediction, health systems strengthening, capacity building, and locally relevant adaptation.

By combining research, education, and implementation, we aim to contribute to more equitable, data-informed, and sustainable approaches to global health.

Key research areas
  • Digital tools for climate–health research: using wearables, mobile health tools, environmental sensors, and digital data collection to better understand climate-related health risks.
  • AI and data integration for global health: applying artificial intelligence, machine learning, and graph-based approaches to connect heterogeneous health, environmental, and population data.
  • Health systems strengthening and implementation science: evaluating how digital innovations can be implemented, adapted, and scaled in real-world health system contexts.
  • Digital education and capacity building: developing online learning, active learning approaches, and training formats to strengthen global health and climate–health research capacity.
  • Equity-oriented digital global health: examining how digital innovation can support more inclusive, accessible, and locally relevant health solutions in low-resource settings.
Selected Publications
  • Kwaro, D., Mendt, S., Okoth, J., Munga, S., Gunga, H.-C., Heim, Z. H., Matzke, I., Bunker, A., Barteit, S., & Maggioni, M. A. (2025). Acceptability and feasibility of research grade wearables for monitoring heat stress in Kenyan farmers. npj Digital Medicine, 8, 255. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01601-6 Nature
  • Ciecierski-Holmes, T., Singh, R., Axt, M., Brenner, S., & Barteit, S. (2022). Artificial intelligence for strengthening healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review. npj Digital Medicine, 5, 162. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-022-00700-y DOI
  • Barteit, S., Boudo, V., Ouedraogo, A., Zabré, P., Ouremi, L., Sié, A., Munga, S., Obor, D., Kwaro, D., Huhn, S., Bunker, A., Sauerborn, R., Gunga, H.-C., Maggioni, M. A., & Bärnighausen, T. (2021). Feasibility, acceptability and validation of wearable devices for climate change and health research in the low-resource contexts of Burkina Faso and Kenya: Study protocol. PLOS ONE, 16(9), e0257170. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257170 PubMed Central (PMC)
  • Huhn, S., Matzke, I., Koch, M., Gunga, H.-C., Maggioni, M. A., Sié, A., Boudo, V., Ouedraogo, W. A., Compaoré, G., Bunker, A., Sauerborn, R., Bärnighausen, T., & Barteit, S. (2022). Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 972177. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.972177 Frontiers
  • Barteit, S., Guzek, D., Jahn, A., Bärnighausen, T., Mendes Jorge, M., & Neuhann, F. (2020). Evaluation of e-learning for medical education in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 145, 103726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103726 PubMed
  • Nieder, J., Schwerdtle, P. N., Sauerborn, R., & Barteit, S. (2022). Massive Open Online Courses for Health Worker Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A scoping review. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 891987. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.891987
See all publications
Projects
Carl Zeiss Stiftung PULSE-AI
PULSE-AI: Climate, AI & Global Health
AI-powered research on heat exposure and climate health in vulnerable communities – funded by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung.
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Transdisciplinary Higher Education for Global Wellbeing
THE-GLOW project empowers Higher Education Institutions in Thailand and Europe to cultivate transdisciplinary skills, fostering collaboration across diverse fields to address global 'wicked problems' and prepare the future workforce for innovative problem-solving.


THE-GLOW Project Website
Wearables & Health Cohorts
Using wearables and AI to study heat stress and strengthen health data systems in Burkina Faso and Kenya.
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E-Learning and MOOCs
HEAT CARES: Heat Adaptation Through Community-based Approaches and Research
Southeast Asia's annual heat-related mortality is projected to surge by 295% by 2030. To mitigate this, our research focuses on evaluating behavioral and structural interventions in Malaysia, aimed at reducing heat-related health risks among vulnerable communities. We introduce interventions to augment heat health literacy and leverage digital technologies like wearables to understand individual exposures.

Wellcome Trust Project Website
Engagement Global - ASA Program
The ASA Programme provides spaces for learning, capacity-building and engagement on development policy - our ASA program team comprises two Zambian members and two German members who work together as a team to strengthen medical education with digital health approaches in Zambia.

ASA Program (external website)
Wearable Devices for Health Research
We research consumer-grade wearable devices to understand how climate change-induced effects of extreme weather events, like heat, impact health of vulnerable populations in Burkina Faso and Kenya.


DFG Research Unit Climate Change and Health
View all projects
Graduate theses
  • Ongoing
Topic Project Name Degree sought
Impact of climate change on health of adults living with and without HIV in Siaya, Kenya DFG RU CCH Kassem, Nour Dr. med.

Evaluating the effects of heat stress on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma in a rural population in Nouna, Burkina Faso

 DFG RU CCH Boutros, Perla Dr. med.
The effect of a short, animated story-based video on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: An online randomized controlled trial Online Cohorts: Vaccine Hesitancy Beleites, Ferdinand Dr. med.
Feasibility and acceptance of measuring health data using consumer-grade wearable devices in the low-resource context of the Siaya HDSS, Kenya DFG RU CCH Koch, Mara Dr. med.
Sensor-based wearable devices for population-based climate change and health research in Burkina Faso, Africa DFG RU CCH Matzke, Ina Dr. med.
Novel direct health measurements using personal wearable devices in the low-resource context of Burkina Faso DFG RU CCH Huhn, Sophie Dr. med.
Evaluation of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on "Research methods for the study of health and climate change" DFG RU CCH Nieder, Jessica Dr. sc. hum.
  • Graduated
Topic Project Name Degree Year
Teledentistry in India (Scoping Review) MSc IH  Kannan, Abirami M.Sc. 2023
Mapping Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain within the Healthcare Sector: Scoping Review MSc IH Osman, Hassan M.Sc. 2022
Challenges and Benefits of Implementing E-Learning and Blended Learning Methods in Medical Curricula in Low- and Middle-Income Contexts MSc IH Elhassan, Lamees M.Sc. 2022
Risk profiles of school children in sub-Saharan Africa: A machine learning approach Adolescent Risk Profiles Yan, Elina M.Sc. 2022
What is the effectivness and usage of telemedicine platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries? MSc IH Mahmoud, Kareem M.Sc. 2021
Evaluation of the feasibility of an electronic logbook in the BSc Clinical Sciences program in Zambia BLiZ Schmidt, Jelena Maike B.Sc. 2020
Effectiveness of Head-Mounted Displays for Extended Reality in Medical Education within the Global Context: A Systematic Review MSc IH Lanfermann, Lucia M.Sc. 2019
Measures used to assess the effectiveness of asynchronous e-learning in medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review MSc IH Guzek, Dorota M.Sc. 2017
  • MSc IH = Master of Science in International Health (see HERE for more information)
  • DFG RU CCH = DFG-funded Research Unit "Climate Change and Health in sub-Saharan Africa" (see HERE for more information)
Teaching
SUMMER Semester 2023
WINTER Semester 2022/23
SUMMEr Semester 2022
WINTER Semester 2021/2022
Summer Semester 2021
WINTER Semester 2020/2021
Massive Open Online Courses

 

Latest Updates

Recent highlights from our research, teaching, and collaborations.

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Group Leader

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Sandra Barteit

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Applications

Thank you for your interest in our working group. Please note that we are unable to consider unsolicited applications. We kindly ask you to apply only in response to specific advertised vacancies.

Group Administration and Project Management

 

 

Paoline Martini

Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3
69120 Heidelberg
Phone:+49 (0) 6221 56-4904
Fax:    +49 (0) 6221 56-5039
Email