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Stefan Escobar-Agreda, MD

Research Associate, Digital Health Research Center

About

Stefan Escobar-Agreda, MD, is a biomedical and health informatics graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with professional experience spanning digital health, telehealth, health technology assessment, public health research, and AI-enabled interventions in Peru and the United States. His work focuses on telehealth service design, virtual care, patient safety, quality improvement, and the evaluation of digital and LLM-based health interventions. He has contributed to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and multidisciplinary projects on oncology, telemedicine, digital transformation, and health system strengthening.

Experience

Graduate Research Assistant

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · August 2025 – Present

Contributes to research in biomedical informatics, digital health, and virtual care, with active involvement in projects related to telehealth, LLM-based interventions, patient safety, and quality improvement.

Division of Health Engineering, School of Medicine · January 2026 – Present

Participates in the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement internship, collaborating on scientific manuscripts about the use of AI in nursing oncology and on quality improvement initiatives in radiation oncology.

Carolina Health Informatics Program · August 2025 – Present

Collaborates with the Center for Virtual Care Value and Excellence (ViVE) on the design, coordination, and publication of projects related to telehealth and LLM-based interventions.

Medical Researcher

Telehealth Unit, School of Medicine, National University of San Marcos · March 2019 – July 2025

Led the design, coordination, and publication of studies in digital health, telehealth, and AI-based interventions. Also served as Teaching Assistant for the Diploma in Digital Health and Telehealth, coordinated the Digital Health Research Internship for undergraduate students, led the tele-mentoring program for health professionals in rural areas, and developed a PAHO consultancy on social determinants and interoperable health information systems in Peru.

Medical Researcher

Health Technology Assessment Center, Peruvian National Institute of Health · March 2025 – July 2025

Designed, developed, and published projects focused on the assessment of digital health interventions to support evidence-based decision-making in the public sector.

Technical Team Member

Telemedicine Directorate, Peruvian Ministry of Health · June 2023 – December 2024

Contributed to the baseline evaluation of telemedicine maturity in primary healthcare facilities across Peru, conducted technical assessments of telemedicine implementation and impact, and advised on regulations and national guidelines for telehealth and digital health services.

Medical Researcher

Strategic Interventions Unit, Peruvian National Institute of Health · April 2020 – May 2023

Prepared technical reports and scientific articles on COVID-19, monkeypox, dengue, and other priority diseases in Peru, while also identifying interoperable information sources linked to national health information systems.

Assistant Faculty

Ethics Committee, University of San Martin de Porres · August 2020 – July 2023

Conducted ethical and methodological review of thesis projects developed by undergraduate medical students.

Research Consultant

Action Against Hunger and EsSalud · 2021 – 2022

Developed applied research and data analysis projects, including a baseline study on the health needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Lima for a PAHO-related consultancy, and the analysis of a social accompaniment and emotional well-being program for older adults at EsSalud.

Early Research Training

UPCH, Partners In Health Peru, and NAMRU-6 · 2014 – 2017

Completed formative research roles in clinical trials, field studies, and epidemiologic research, contributing to projects on malaria, tuberculosis in children, and migration-related health research.

Education

Master of Professional Science in Biomedical and Health Informatics

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Expected completion: July 2026. Recipient of the Graduate School Master’s Merit Scholarship funded by the Carolina Health Informatics Program.

Diploma in Clinical Research

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

Completed in March 2020 with scholarship support from the Fogarty Center of the National Institutes of Health (Training Grant TW001140).

Medical Doctor (MD) and Bachelor in Medicine

Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos

Bachelor in Medicine completed in February 2019 and MD degree completed in March 2019. Thesis completed with honors, graduating summa cum laude.

Honors & awards

Graduate School Master’s Merit Scholarship

Issued by Carolina Health Informatics Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · 2025

Advisor of the Group Awarded First Place in the XXXVIII International Scientific Competition

Issued by FELSOCEM · 2024

Finalist, III Exchange of Experiences, Stories, and Best Practices in Primary Health Care

Issued by Pan American Health Organization · 2022

First Place, Kaelin Award in Health Sciences

Issued by EsSalud · 2021

Award code: Resolution N°23-IETSI-ESSALUD.

First Place, “Action Now” Projects

Issued by Telefónica Foundation · 2021

Languages

  • English — Professional working proficiency
  • Spanish — Native or bilingual proficiency
This author has a total of 19 publications. The publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which may result in incorrect or missing publications.
Beyond the algorithm: why oncology nursing in Asia-Pacific needs evidence-based AI evaluation.
Authors: Karthik Adapa, Suguna Kotte, Mounika Metta, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Resham Sethi, Girish Patil, Lukasz Mazur
Journal: Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing
PMID: 42022299
Correction: Effectiveness, Usability, and Satisfaction of a Self-Administered Digital Intervention for Reducing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in a University Community in the Andean Region of Peru: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Authors: Rosario Yslado-Méndez, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, David Villarreal-Zegarra, Wilfredo Manuel Trejo Flores, Junior Duberli Sánchez-Broncano, Ana Lucia Vilela-Estrada, Jovanna Hasel Olivares Córdova, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Claudia Alvarez-Yslado, Leonardo Rojas-Mezarina
Journal: JMIR formative research
PMID: 41428460
Effectiveness, Usability, and Satisfaction of a Self-Administered Digital Intervention for Reducing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in a University Community in the Andean Region of Peru: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Authors: Rosario Yslado-Méndez, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, David Villarreal-Zegarra, Wilfredo Manuel Trejo Flores, Junior Duberli Sánchez-Broncano, Ana Lucia Vilela-Estrada, Jovanna Hasel Olivares Córdova, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Claudia Alvarez-Yslado, Leonardo Rojas-Mezarina
Journal: JMIR formative research
PMID: 41092084
Machine Learning-Based Prediction of No-Show Telemedicine Encounters.
Authors: C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Wanting Cui, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Leonardo Rojas-Mezarina, Joseph Finkelstein
Journal: Telemedicine reports
PMID: 40630810
Leveraging Large Language Models for the Extraction of General and Domain-Specific Signs and Symptoms.
Authors: C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Joseph Finkelstein
Journal: Studies in health technology and informatics
PMID: 40588903
Protection of Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Against Different Variants, Including Omicron Descendants, in a Country with High Viral Transmission.
Authors: Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Roger V Araujo-Castillo, Luis Pampa-Espinoza, Javier Silva-Valencia, Lely Solari
Journal: Pathogens & immunity
PMID: 40391284
Methodological and reporting quality of machine learning studies on cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
Authors: Aref Smiley, David Villarreal-Zegarra, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Joseph Finkelstein
Journal: Frontiers in oncology
PMID: 40297817
Exploring Artificial Intelligence Biases in Predictive Models for Cancer Diagnosis.
Authors: Aref Smiley, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, David Villarreal-Zegarra, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Joseph Finkelstein
Journal: Cancers
PMID: 39941776
Patient Engagement With and Perceptions of the COVIDA Project, a Volunteer-Led Telemonitoring and Teleorientation Service for COVID-19 Community Management: Mixed Methods Study.
Authors: Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Javier Silva-Valencia, Percy Soto-Becerra, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Kelly De la Cruz-Torralva, Max Chahuara-Rojas, Bruno Hernandez-Iriarte, Daniel Hector Espinoza-Herrera, Carlos Alberto Delgado, Silvana Matassini, Javier Vargas-Herrera, Leonardo Rojas-Mezarina
Journal: JMIR formative research
PMID: 39269741
Assessment of a Pilot Program for Remote Support on Mental Health for Young Physicians in Rural Settings in Peru: Mixed Methods Study.
Authors: Kelly De la Cruz-Torralva, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Pedro Riega López, James Amaro, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Leonardo Rojas-Mezarina
Journal: JMIR formative research
PMID: 39255480
Self-Administered Interventions Based on Natural Language Processing Models for Reducing Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Authors: David Villarreal-Zegarra, C Mahony Reategui-Rivera, Jackeline García-Serna, Gleni Quispe-Callo, Gabriel Lázaro-Cruz, Gianfranco Centeno-Terrazas, Ricardo Galvez-Arevalo, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Alejandro Dominguez-Rodriguez, Joseph Finkelstein
Journal: JMIR mental health
PMID: 39167795
Complicated grief and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in older adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru: a cross-sectional analysis.
Authors: Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Zoila Romero Albino, Pavel J Contreras, María Sofía Cuba-Fuentes
Journal: BMC psychiatry
PMID: 38053085
Usability and perceptions of a one-on-one telementoring program for young physicians in rural settings of Peru: a mixed method study.
Authors: Leonardo Rojas-Mezarina, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Max Chahuara-Rojas, Javier Silva-Valencia, Daniel Hector Espinoza-Herrera, C Mahony Reátegui-Rivera, Miguel Moscoso-Porras, Juan Quispe-Gamarra, Gerardo Ronceros
Journal: BMC medical education
PMID: 36949455
Effectiveness of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine in preventing infection and death in health care workers in Peru 2021.
Authors: Javier Silva-Valencia, Percy Soto-Becerra, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Manuel Fernandez-Navarro, Miguel Moscoso-Porras, Lely Solari, Percy Mayta-Tristán
Journal: Travel medicine and infectious disease
PMID: 36933851
Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine for COVID-19 after a primary regimen with BBIBP-CorV or BNT162b2 vaccines in Lima, Peru.
Authors: Natalia Vargas-Herrera, Manuel Fernández-Navarro, Nestor E Cabezudo, Percy Soto-Becerra, Gilmer Solís-Sánchez, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Javier Silva-Valencia, Luis Pampa-Espinoza, Ricardo Bado-Pérez, Lely Solari, Roger V Araujo-Castillo
Journal: PloS one
PMID: 36251630
Relative vaccine effectiveness of the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for preventing death in individuals with a primary regimen based on the BBIBP-CorV, ChAdOx1-S, or BNT162b2 vaccines during the Omicron wave in Peru: A nested case-control study using national population data.
Authors: Javier Silva-Valencia, Percy Soto-Becerra, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Manuel Fernandez-Navarro, Oliver A Elorreaga, Percy Mayta-Tristán, Edward Mezones-Holguin, Lely Solari
Journal: Vaccine
PMID: 36202642
[Level of drop out in a virtual course in health in Peru].
Authors: Juan Quispe-Gamarra, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Miguel G Moscoso, Javier Vargas
Journal: Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica
PMID: 35385023
Association between acculturation surrogates and alcohol consumption in rural-to-urban migrants: The PERU MIGRANT study.
Authors: Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Alvaro Taype-Rondan, J Jaime Miranda
Journal: Journal of migration and health
PMID: 34095890
Need for the Development of a Specific Regulatory Framework for Evaluation of Mobile Health Apps in Peru: Systematic Search on App Stores and Content Analysis.
Authors: Leonardo Rojas Mezarina, Javier Silva-Valencia, Stefan Escobar-Agreda, Daniel Hector Espinoza Herrera, Miguel S Egoavil, Mirko Maceda Kuljich, Fiorella Inga-Berrospi, Sergio Ronceros
Journal: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
PMID: 32352926

Digital Mental Health and Mental Health Informatics

Telemedicine