Biography
Dr. Mia Liza A. Lustria is a Professor in the School of Information at Florida State University, where she also chairs the Committee for the Ph.D. in Information Program. She holds courtesy appointments in the School of Communication, the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine in the College of Medicine, and the Public Health Program in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. She is also an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Translational Behavior Science and the Institute for Successful Longevity.
Dr. Lustria earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Kentucky. She received her M.S. and B.S. degrees in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, where she previously served as an Assistant Professor in the College of Development Communication.
With more than two decades of experience in health informatics and digital health research, Dr. Lustria has established an interdisciplinary research program focused on the development, optimization, and evaluation of technology-based health interventions. Her work integrates behavioral and communication science, persuasive technology, and human-centered design to investigate how digital technologies can support health information needs, informed decision-making, patient engagement, self-management, and sustained health behavior change.
Her research spans tailored health communication, mobile and wearable health technologies, and AI-enabled personalized and adaptive interventions. She has led and contributed to externally funded, interdisciplinary research involving collaborations across FSU and with researchers at other institutions. Her current work includes the development of intelligent health technologies that integrate clinical, behavioral, and contextual information to provide personalized health support, with particular emphasis on older adults, individuals managing chronic and complex health conditions, and populations experiencing barriers to healthcare access and engagement.
Areas of Expertise: Health informatics; digital health (eHealth/mHealth); digital health intervention design and optimization; AI-enabled personalized and adaptive interventions; just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs); persuasive health technology; behavioral and communication strategies for sustained engagement and behavior change; health communication and information behavior; health literacy and patient empowerment; human-centered and participatory design; usability and user experience research; and health technology adoption and implementation.
Education
Ph.D. in Communication, 2005 | University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
M.S. in Development Communication, 1996 | University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines
B.S. in Development Communication, 1990 | University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines | Cum Laude
Research Interests
My research focuses on advancing the science of digital health intervention design and optimization. Drawing on health informatics, behavioral and communication science, and human-centered design, I investigate how technology can be purposefully designed and used to help individuals understand health information, make informed decisions, manage their health, and sustain positive health behaviors.
A guiding principle of my work is the concept of appropriate technology: leveraging technological advances in ways that meaningfully address people’s health needs, abilities, circumstances, and barriers to care. I am particularly interested in how we can move beyond technological innovation alone to develop interventions that are theoretically grounded, responsive to users’ needs, and effective in supporting meaningful health outcomes.
My current research explores AI-enabled personalization and adaptive interventions, including the integration of clinical, behavioral, wearable, and contextual data to deliver timely, relevant, and actionable health information and self-management support. I am also interested in designing and optimizing theory-informed, multicomponent intervention strategies that promote sustained engagement and long-term behavior change. Across these areas, I emphasize participatory and human-centered approaches, trustworthy and safe use of intelligent technologies, and real-world readiness, including fit with patient circumstances and clinical workflows.
Through interdisciplinary research, I aim to advance the development of effective, scalable, and sustainable digital health interventions that can be adapted to diverse populations, health conditions, and clinical and community settings.
Teaching Interests
Courses Taught at FSU
- LIS 6939 Seminar in Experimental & Survey Research Design
- LIS 6936 Proseminar in IS Research and Teaching
- LIS 6279 Research in Information Studies
- LIS 5631 Health Information Sources
- LIS 5419 Introduction to Consumer Health Informatics
- LIS 5418 Introduction to Health Informatics
- LIS 5786 Information Architecture
- LIS 5751 Computers as Persuasive Technology
- LIS 5275 Usability Analysis
- LIS 5255 IT and Older Adults
Course Descriptions: https://ischool.cci.fsu.edu/academics/courses/grad/
Publications & Research
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1144-2985
NLM MyBibliography: NLM MyBibliography
Google Scholar: Google Scholar Profile
Grants & Awards
He, Zhe (M-PI), LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (M-PI). “ALCOVE: A Personalized AI Concierge to Promote Community Engagement and Social Connectedness Among Older Adults”. Funded by Humana Foundation (FP00009573). Total Budget: $349,926 (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2028)
He, Zhe (M-PI), LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (Co-I). “Developing a Multi-Agent AI System for Explaining Lab Results to Older Adults.” National A2 Pilot Grant Competition funded by NIA’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research (P30AG073105). Total Budget: $282,278 (10/2025 – 5/2027)
He, Zhe (M-PI), LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (M-PI). “LabGenie: A Patient-Engagement Tool to Aid Older Adults’ Understanding of Lab Test Results.” R21/R33 Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (1R21HS029969-01). Total Budget: $1,018,982.00 (April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2029)
Killian, M. (Co-PI), Gupta, D. (Co-PI), LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (Co-I) “Evaluation of a Mobile App-Based Video Directly Observed Therapy (Video DOT) Intervention for Medication Adherence in Pediatric Heart Transplant Patients”. Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Small Business Innovation Research Award Direct to Phase II- 1R44HL167591-01A1). Total Budget: $1,676,046 (April 2023-March 2025).
Goal: The project aims to develop and evaluate a mobile video-directly observed therapy (MV-DOT) to improve medication adherence among pediatric heart transplant patients.
Naar, S. et al. (PI) et al., … with LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (Co-I) “SHARE Program: Self-management of HIV and Alcohol Reaching Emerging Adults”. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (1P01AA029547-01). Total award: $6.5M (Sept. 2021-Aug. 2026).|
Goal: The pilot micro-randomized trial (MRT) seeks to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an mHealth intervention to increase medication adherence among minority, HIV-positive young adults. The mHealth intervention incorporates gamification and different engagement strategies to promote medication adherence.
He, Zhe (PI), LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (Co-I), Kim, Kyunghye (Co-I), Wang, Jing (Co-I), Zhang, Zhan (Collaborator), Luo, Xiao (Collaborator), & Hanna, Karim (Collaborator). “Towards an AI-Assisted Application for Lab Result Comprehension for Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions”. Funded by FSU Institute for Successful Longevity. Total award: $25,000 (May 2022–May 2023).
Goal: To explore factors that influence older adults’ comprehension of lab test results in patient portals. Results of the study will be used to support an NIH proposal to design, develop, and evaluate a prototype of a web-based patient engagement tool that will include an expert system and a patient-facing application designed to improve patients’ understanding of lab results and facilitate doctor-patient communication.
Boot, W. (PI), Charness, N., Zhe, H., Carr, D., Charkraborty, C., Terracciano, A. with LUSTRIA, M. L. A. (Co-I) “The Adherence Promotion with Person-Centered Technology (APPT) Project: Promoting Adherence to Enhance the Early Detection and Treatment of Cognitive Decline”. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01AG064529). Total award: $2.9M. (July 2019-June 2024).
Goal: The APPT project focuses on developing and evaluating an AI-based adaptive and tailored support system to improve long-term adherence to home-based brain training and cognitive assessments among older adults with multiple chronic conditions.