Dr Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza
Research Fellow
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Dr Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza, PhD, is a scientist who facilitates healthy living and better public health services. Her work sits at the intersection of implementation science, applied artificial intelligence, data science, program evaluation, and digital health innovation, with a focus on interventions that deliver measurable, equitable, and sustainable impact.
Dr Pinero advocates for evidence-based research as a member of the JBI Evidence Implementation Network, two JBI expert reference groups (Cardiovascular and Aged Care), and an Associate Editor for JBI Evidence Implementation (Q1 Journal).
Leadership: PROLIFERATE and PROLIFERATE_AI
Dr Pinero de Plaza leads PROLIFERATE and PROLIFERATE_AI, complementary frameworks grounded in:
• Co-design
• Transdisciplinary collaboration
• Multiple coexisting indicators of success
• Relational and contextual evaluation
• Integration of lived experience with clinical, organisational, and technical expertise
PROLIFERATE provides a human-centred methodology to understand adoption and system change in complex health contexts.
PROLIFERATE_AI retains these principles while extending them with applied AI and data science to enable predictive analytics, continuous learning models, and AI-enabled evaluation pipelines at scale.
According to SciVal (2022–2026), PROLIFERATE_AI is positioned in the top 1% globally.
- Certified in Applied AI and Data Science Program, MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2025 - completed 2026)
- University Teaching Enhancement at Flinders (UTEF) Program, Flinders University. Feb 2024 → Apr 2025. Award Date: 28 Apr 2025
- Currently, a Research Fellow. Caring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Flinders University. 2021 - 2027
- Full Member, Caring Futures Institute (CFI), Flinders University
- Adjunct Fellow, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide (2025 - 2028)
- Research Fellow, University of Adelaide/ Flinders University (2019-2021); NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence.
- Doctor of Philosophy, Field of Research 111712 –Health Promotion; SEO: 920401- Behaviour and Health, Marketing. Funded: Australian Postgraduate Award. Deakin University (2013-2017)
- Other certifications
- Master of Marketing Science, upgraded to PhD, Funded: Australian Postgraduate Award and a top-up scholarship from MARS/UNISA. University of South Australia (2010-2013)
- Postgraduate training: Social Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Religion, and Ecology. Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC). Advanced Studies Centre (2004-2006)
- Licentiate, a degree equivalent in Australian standards to a master's in Social Communication, as it includes a 1-year research thesis embedded into a 5-year coursework degree, which is one step below a doctorate - under European standards - (Social Communication, Journalism, Public Relations & Advertising) Andrés Bello Catholic University (1993-1998)
She has achieved significant recognition nationally and internationally through her diverse contributions to research. Her portfolio includes publishing research book chapters, abstracts, posters, commissioned reports, review articles, comments/debates, videos, data management plans, and various dissemination pieces. This extensive activity has earned her several distinctions, prizes, and awards, exemplified by her receipt of the Vice-President & Executive Dean's Awards in 2021 and 2022, recognizing her embodiment of university values in research and others:
- Certificate of Excellence – KAMS 2025 Excellence in Educational Standards Oct 2025
- Healthcare Innovator Award 2024
- CSIRO ON Prime Innovation Reward 2024 (CSIRO coverage and CSIRO media 2026)
- GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Staff Recognition Award 2024
- NHMRC Grant 2023 - 2027
- Second Place Research Poster Award: Population Health - Sponsored by The Hospital Research Foundation Group 2023
- Consumers' Choice Research Poster - Sponsored by The Heart Foundation 2023
- ACvA CV Champion 2022 -2023
- The Vice-President & Executive Dean's Awards 2022
- Vice-President & Executive Dean's Awards 2021, "For the FEARLESS embodiment of Flinders University values in Research."
- A winner of the Big Ideas video competition to improve the Australian health system. Consumer Health Forum of Australia, 2021.
- NHMRC Partnership Grant, AU. 2020-2024
- Caring Futures Institute's Collaborative Grant Scheme, Flinders University, AU. 2020
- Caring Futures Institute's Accelerator Grant Scheme, Flinders University, AU. 2019
Recently led research outputs and contributions:
- Advancing Digital Evaluation for Inter-Professional Education: A PROLIFERATE_AI Mixed-Methods Analysis
- Telehealth as a care solution for homebound people: Systematic review and meta-analysis of healthcare utilization, quality of life, and well-being outcomes
- Human-centred AI for emergency cardiac care: Evaluating RAPIDx AI with PROLIFERATE_AI
- The Caring Life Course Theory: Opening new frontiers in care-A cardiac rehabilitation example
- Co-designing, measuring, and optimizing innovations and solutions within complex adaptive health systems
- Effectiveness of telehealth versus standard care on health care utilization, health-related quality of life, and well-being in homebound populations: a systematic review protocol
- Using a Complex Network Methodology to Track, Evaluate, and Transform Fundamental Care
- Measuring fundamental care using complexity science: A descriptive case study of a methodological innovation
- Spanish adaptation of the Fundamentals of Care Framework
- The trouble with personhood and person-centred care (Publication)
- Health System Enablers and Barriers to Continuity of Care for First Nations Peoples Living with Chronic Disease
- Piloting a Big Data Epidemiology Approach to Support Frail, Homebound, and Bedridden People
Contribute to knowledge (81+)
Research and implementation science
- Informing the new Cardiac Rehabilitation Services Model of Care - SA Health. 2026, via the Chap Program of research.
- Evaluating an Artificial Intelligence tool (via PROLIFERATE_AI) for the NHMRC-funded project (RAPIDx) - receiving A$ 1,230,191
- Evaluating virtual care in the Safe@Home project, securing A$ 1,096,999- NHMRC - A$ 350,000 - NALHN
- Investigating and disseminating the NHMRC-funded project: Cardiac Rehabilitation Especially for Women (CREW)- A$ 150,000 The Hospital Research Foundation
- Investigating Cardiac Rehabilitation for All (CR4ALL) project, A$ 24,990.30 - Flinders Foundation
- Investigating changes in practice in response to COVID-19, A$ 49,891 - Flinders - CFI Grant
- Investigating with and for the Frail, Homebound, and Bedridden People (#FHBP) - Caring Futures Institute, $4000
In the Bachelor of Health Sciences programme, Dr. Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza is the Topic Coordinator and Tutor for AGES2002, Enabling Environments for Older People. Beyond this role, she possesses a broad range of teaching interests across various key areas of healthcare and research:
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Healthcare Systems & Evaluation: Emphasising science implementation, care metrics, and the evaluation of healthcare systems and interventions, including innovation.
-
Social & Care Networks: Focusing on social network analysis, care networks, and family and community integration in healthcare settings.
-
Healthcare Technologies & Innovation: Utilising prediction modelling, digital health tools, and innovative technologies such as AI and telehealth to enhance healthcare delivery.
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Complex Systems in Health: Applying complex adaptive health systems and systems theory to improve healthcare services and outcomes.
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Equity in Healthcare: Addressing health disparities through policy analysis, equitable care delivery, and the development of interventions that promote inclusion and justice.
Dr. Pinero de Plaza aims to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical applications, concentrating on the intersection of communication, technology, and systemic factors to enhance public health and healthcare services. With her expertise, she offers interdisciplinary courses that highlight the integration of healthcare technologies, system evaluation, and innovative approaches to improving health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations.
External positions:
Associate Editor for JBI Evidence Implementation (Q1 Journal) Oct 2024 → …
JBI Global Aged Care Expert Reference Group, JBI Global
25 Aug 2023 → …
Member and researcher, International Learning Collaborative
4 Apr 2023 → …
Affiliate participant of The Australian Network for Social Network Analysis (ANSNA)
2023 → …
JBI Global Cardiovascular Expert Reference Group, JBI Global
5 Apr 2022 → …
Member as Early Career Researcher, Australian Association of Gerontology Ltd
2021 → 2022
JBI Adjunct Staff, Centre for Remote Health. Global reach - collaborator | Joanna Briggs Institute
2021 → …
JBI Global Cardiovascular Expert Reference Group, JBI Global
2021 → …
Knowledge Translation and Research Advisor to the Board, ME Group Australia
2021 → 2025
Adjunct Staff, Mparntwe Centre for Evidence in Health, Flinders University: A JBI Centre of Excellence
2021 → …
Member, Patient Reported Measures Research Collaborative - The Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health (CEIH) and Health Translation SA (HTSA)
2021 → 2025
Member of the JBI Evidence Implementation Network, JBI EVIDENCE IMPLEMENTATION
2019 → …
Member of The Health Consumer Advocacy Network of South Australia, Health CAN SA - the Network
2019 → …
Research Fellow, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence: Frailty and Healthy Ageing
2019 → …
Community & Consumer Engagement Advisor -Community & Consumer Engagement Committee, Adelaide BioMed City Partner
2018 → 2021
Community & Consumer Engagement Advisor -Expert Reference Group, NHMRC CRE APPRISE
2018 → 2023
- Artificial intelligence
- Behaviour
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Community/Public health
- Public health
- Social inclusion
- Implementation science
Some of her projects have been focused on:
- Leading Innovation: At the forefront of the RAPIDx AI initiative, she is co-leading the consumer engagement and knowledge translation efforts within a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of computer algorithms in enhancing care provision for patients presenting symptoms potentially linked to cardiac issues in hospital emergency departments. Introducing the PROLIFERATE evaluation framework and method, she obtained ethical approval for its implementation across 12 hospitals in South Australia. This framework and its extension, PROLIFERATE_AI, refines integrating artificial intelligence technologies into clinical workflows, ultimately enhancing patient care delivery.
- Investigating Health Equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities: Dr Pinero de Plaza is committed to addressing health disparities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: in partnership with the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium and SAHMRI, they led a review focusing on Health System Enablers and Barriers to Continuity of Care for First Nations Peoples Living with Chronic Disease, funded by the SA Department for Health and Wellbeing. It has been published as an article and a full report for national decision-makers.
- Creating and Delivering Awareness and Impact: Her contributions to the Frail, Homebound, and Bedridden People (#FHBP) research program have reverberated in policymaking circles, evidenced by citations in two submissions to the Australian Senate and inclusion in training materials on violence against women published by the Government of Queensland. Internationally, she is esteemed as an expert, having been a reviewer many times and published in Q1 journals. Additionally, her expertise extends to peer-reviewing various National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Grant Schemes and ARIIA Grants, offering impartial advice to aid funding decisions.
Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042
South Australia | Northern Territory
Global | Online
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