Meeting the Editorial Board Member of MH: Prof. Robert S. H. Istepanian

Posted On 2025-02-07 08:40:20


Robert S. H. Istepanian1, Jin Ye Yeo2

1Institute of Global Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK; 2MH Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company

Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. MH Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: editor@themhealth.org

This interview can be cited as: Istepanian RSH, Yeo JY. Meeting the Editorial Board Member of MH: Prof. Robert S. H. Istepanian. mHealth. 2025. Available from: https://mhealth.amegroups.org/post/view/meeting-the-editorial-board-member-of-mh-prof-robert-s-h-istepanian.


Expert introduction

Prof. Robert S. H. Istepanian (Figure 1) is a pioneer of mobile health (mHealth), and is a renowned world-leading expert and widely recognized as the first scientist to coin and define the concept of (mHealth). His pioneering work laid the foundation for mobile health and the use of mobile health technologies to improve healthcare access and effectiveness, particularly in resource-limited settings. His work and research in this area have won numerous academic awards and widespread international recognition. He was a visiting professor at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College, London, UK, until 2022. Prior to this post, he held several professorial and academic posts in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere. Prof. Istepanian led numerous multidisciplinary research projects and pioneering clinical studies in the areas of m-health, e-health, and telehealth. These were funded by the Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC), UK, The European Commission (EU), Telecom industries (French Telecom/ Orange, Motorola, USA), and other funding bodies. He served on the editorial board of several high-impact journals. He also served as an expert on numerous national assessment and peer evaluation panels in the UK, EU, Canada, and elsewhere. He was also an expert on the WHO ‘WHO’s guideline Recommendations on Digital Interventions for Health System Strengthening.’ His publications exceed 200 peer-reviewed papers and books in the areas of m-health, biomedical signal processing, and other engineering areas.

Figure 1 Prof. Robert S. H. Istepanian


Interview

MH: You are credited with coining the term ‘m-health’. How did you come up with this concept, and what was your vision for it when you first introduced it to the world?

Prof. Istepanian: The genesis of the idea behind mobile health ( mHealth) dates back to more than three decades ago during my PhD research at Loughborough University, UK in the early 1990s. I was then developing a novel acoustic digital signal processing and microcontroller based system to monitor in real time the physiological parameters (ECG, breathing rate, and pressure) from human divers in underwater environments. However, the Eureka moment came in 1996 when I was reading a magazine article at the San Francisco Airport on my way to attend a conference. It was about using the then new cellular phones to remind elderly patients to take their medications. From that moment, the concept of using a ‘mobile phone’ for other medical applications emerged. Since then, my early research work has evolved from the ‘mobile telemedicine’, first published in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare (1997) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1258/1357633991933017); and later to ‘Unwired e-med’, published in ‘IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine (2000)’ (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5956074). These evolved to the seminal work on ‘mobile health’ (2003), (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1362649), which was followed by the first book on this transformative area (2006), (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/b137697).

MH: Over the years, how have you seen the m-health field evolve, especially in terms of technology, applications, and its acceptance within the healthcare industry?

Prof. Istepanian: During the last two decades, mobile health has significantly evolved from an academic and research concept to a global and transformative area in numerous healthcare, clinical, and wellness applications. This rapid progress was mostly due to the advancement in the key technological and scientific pillars of mobile health (mobile communications, computing, and sensing). The introduction of smartphones, particularly the iPhone in 2007, marked a pivotal moment in the evolution and progress of mHealth. This technological development has subsequently introduced the mobile health applications (Apps) areas and their global markets and industries that have redefined and dominated mobile health since then. In recent years, the global smartphone-based mobile health markets have reached unprecedented levels of investments reaching into the $10 billions. These global markets and their numerous application areas include applications in areas such as remote patient monitoring and mobile disease management of chronic diseases, mobile diagnostics, medication compliance, mobile consultations, smart behavioral change, mobile health education via SMS, mobile apps for healthcare professionals, medication adherence, wearables and fitness tracking and health promotion, among many other applications. The introduction and success of several specialist and peer-reviewed journals with focused publications on the developments in this area (e.g. mhealth; JMIR mHealth, and uHealth), is a reflection of the global importance and growing interest in mobile health.

MH: You have led numerous multidisciplinary research projects in mobile healthcare and telehealth. Can you share a particular project or breakthrough that stands out to you, and what impact it had on the field?

Prof. Istepanian: One of my early areas of interest in this area, is in the mobile chronic disease management systems. This is because chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases are major global health threats and pandemics. These are prevailing globally on unprecedented levels. I recognized early on that mobile health, the long-term management of chronic diseases, and the need for continuous monitoring and management of patients made them ideal candidates for effective and innovative areas for mobile health solutions.

In this area, more than a decade ago, I led the first randomized clinical trial in the UK on the effectiveness of mobile health technologies and interventions designed to improve outcomes for patients with both diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular (CVD) complications. The results of this trial showed improvements in the clinical outcomes, including HbA1c and BP control (1). This pioneering study and clinical trials subsequently established the relevant research and the global markets on smart mobile diabetes monitoring and management systems or the mobile diabetes Apps health sector. From the technological perspective, I also pioneered the research work that underpins a broad range of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) for mobile health applications (Internet of m-health Things) "m-IoT" (2). I have also pioneered mobile health research work and clinical trials in some of the resource-limited and conflict settings globally (3).

MH: How do you think mobile healthcare can address pressing global health challenges, particularly in developing countries?

Prof. Istepanian: Mobile Health can address some of the most pressing global health challenges in developing countries and resource-limited settings. These include:

  1. Improving Healthcare Access: m-Health technologies can effectively bridge the gap in healthcare access for many of the underserved and rural areas and populations. These can be done by leveraging the widespread adoption of mobile phones in many of the low-income and developing countries, healthcare services can reach areas with limited or poor physical health infrastructure.
  2. Enhancing Disease Management: As described above and in many other studies, mobile health can be used for chronic disease management, particularly for conditions like diabetes and heart diseases, and provide cost-effective care and more efficient and personalized care services, particularly for the increasing patient population in these areas and regions.
  3. Strengthening Health Systems: These can be translated to many effective channels such as Data Collection and Disease Surveillance: m-Health technologies can facilitate real-time data collection and disease surveillance that can enable quicker responses to health crises; Health Worker Support: mHealth can also provide point-of-care support for health workers, enhancing their capabilities in resource-limited settings and poorer countries; mHealth Education: Cost effective and available technologies such as SMS and WhatsApp can raise health awareness and promote preventive care in many of these areas and settings; Maternal and Child Health: mHealth can also effectively support many scaled-up initiatives that aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality that are key priorities in these setting; Infectious Disease Control: m-Health technologies can also aid in tracking and managing infectious diseases, which remain a significant burden in many developing and low-income settings.

However, it is imperative to note that all these solutions and applications need to be developed and deployed in sustainable and workable ways that are tailored to the healthcare for each individual setting. There is no fit-for-all model or application. The scalability of the above solutions, particularly in the poorer regions and resource-limited settings need to adapt to different business models that are typically used in the developed world. These need to balance carefully between the m-health market and ROI investment push from one end and the patient’s care needs, long-term usage, and expectations from the other end.

MH: What do you think are the most exciting developments in mobile health right now, and where do you see the greatest potential for innovation in the coming years?

Prof. Istepanian: The scientific developments and innovations in mobile health areas are all based on the emerging developments in the original three key pillars of mobile health (i.e., mobile communications, computing, and sensing). There are several areas within these pillars that are shaping the future of healthcare delivery and services and will create more innovative markets and business opportunities. These include:

  1. Computing: Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Driven Diagnostics and Personalization
    The recent advances in AI and learning algorithms are revolutionizing mobile health by enabling more accurate diagnostics and personalized care. These will provide new and perhaps more tailored treatment recommendations and predictive insights. These will also enhance the capabilities of mobile health apps, allowing for more precise and timely interventions. These developments will be translated into the next generation of mHealth Apps.
  2. Mobile Communications: 6G and Internet of m-health Things ‘m-IoT’ technologies
    The recent developments of IoT for mobile health are increasingly creating a network of connected medical devices that collect and exchange data in real-time. This trend is particularly impactful for chronic disease management and is providing new insight and early prediction, especially if combined with the advances and AI capabilities. The integration of these technologies with emerging (6G) communications will further enhance these existing capabilities to levels that will allow for seamless, faster, more secure data communications, and global access. These will be particularly useful in applications that require real-time high data throughputs and ultra-low delays. However, the many challenges in security, privacy, and enhanced interoperability between these systems for improving data sharing and integration between different health data records, systems, and devices will be subject to further research and global regulations.
  3. Sensing: The recent developments in this area that include advances in wearable devices (e.g. smart watches, smart rings, and patches) will become increasingly integral to wellness, health monitoring, and preventive care. The ongoing and future developments in wearables will be an important part of the emerging developments in the ‘Digital Therapeutic’ systems that aim to prevent, manage, or treat many medical and mental health disorders. However, these technologies remain mostly within the commercially driven and market-oriented mHealth products. There will be a need to develop more frugal devices that are accessible and affordable globally, and not restricted to high-income countries.

It is also important to highlight that most of these developments are increasingly widely marketed under the ‘digital health’ solution and services.

MH: How has your experience been as a longstanding Editorial Board Member of MH?

Prof. Istepanian: Serving on the editorial board of MH since its inception was and still is a highly rewarding and exciting experience. I am pleased that the journal has been at the forefront of the research publications in this important area, and is contributing significantly towards its future development and scientific progress in different mobile health disciplines. The recent impact factor gained by the journal is a recognition of these achievements. However, there are the challenges of the proliferation in recent years of highly impactful ‘digital Health’ journals, that are competing with existing journals such as MH for highly impactful research work and publications in different mobile health applications, mostly cited and published under ‘digital health’.

MH: As an Editorial Board Member, what are your aspirations and expectations for MH?

Prof. Istepanian: I hope that the journal will continue in its mission in shaping future directions and strategies in mobile health (mHealth). In the continuation of its mission and the sustainability of its highly impactful publications and papers, with scientific rigor and integrity of its peer review process. I also hope that the journal continues to act as a vehicle for enhancing the academic careers of its new additions to its editorial board, and as a focal point for networking and enhancing their careers and research work in this important and transformative area.


References

  1. Earle KA, Istepanian RS, Zitouni K, et al. Mobile telemonitoring for achieving tighter targets of blood pressure control in patients with complicated diabetes: a pilot study. Diabetes Technol Ther 2010;12(7):575-579.
  2. Istepanian RS, Hu S, Philip NY, Sungoor A. The potential of Internet of m-health Things "m-IoT" for non-invasive glucose level sensing. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2011;2011:5264-5266.
  3. Istepanian RS, Woodward B. m-Health: Fundamentals and Applications. Wiley; 2017.