Plinio Morita

Professor Morita is a leading researcher in AI and IoT for public health and global health initiatives. At the UbiLab, his research team focuses on the use of big data and AI to improve current public health surveillance mechanisms and support countries in the monitoring of health indicators (e.g., physical activity, sleep, sedentary behaviour), as well as environmental factors (e.g., heatwaves, extreme air pollution). Professor Morita’s research team has developed large-scale data collection ecosystems for supporting local initiatives in Canada and low and middle-income countries (LMIC) in their efforts to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviours, the impact of extreme air pollution on child and maternal health in LMICs (in partnership with UNICEF Mongolia), as well as the impact of heatwaves on seniors around the globe (in partnership with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada).  

Through the development of data ecosystems and AI solutions, the UbiLab has been pushing the envelope in the development of predictive models that can help public health officials around the world to better understand their data, as well as creating real-time indicators to support risk mitigation initiatives aimed