About Us
Who We Are
The lab is a project of Unbossed Creative, the production company behind iHeart Media’s award winning podcasts There Are No Girls On The Internet and Internet Hate Machine.
Dr. Michael S. Amato
Research Director
Dr. Michael Amato is a social scientist with over a decade of experience conducting research on digital health behavior. He received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and previously held the position of Assistant Professor of Medicine (Adjunct) at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He has expertise in the measurement of digital engagement, statistics, risk communication, and tobacco control.
Before founding the Silvestris eHealth Communication Lab, he led the data team for the Innovations Center at Truth Initiative, the largest nonprofit in the United States dedicated to reducing the harm of tobacco. His team was responsible for providing data and analytics for the organization’s digital cessation programs, EX Program and This Is Quitting, which were run both as a public service that helped over 2 million users as well as a living laboratory for field-leading research on the use of digital tools for health behavior change.
Bridget Todd
Creative Director
Bridget is an award winning creator, host, and producer who creates podcasts and other digital content about technology, the Internet, culture, and identity.
She is a research fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Her work explores how marginalized people show up online, and encourages inclusive conversations about the Internet.
Bridget is based in Washington DC, where she co-hosts CityCast DC, a daily podcast that focuses on local news and stories in the District. She is also the host of multiple other award winning podcasts including There Are No Girls On The Internet, Mozilla Foundation’s IRL, and BEEF.
Bridget has met regularly with leadership from platforms like Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok to advocate for and develop policy recommendations to make digital experiences safer and more inclusive. Her writing and work on technology, race, gender and culture have been featured at the Atlantic, Newsweek, the Nation, the Daily Show and several other outlets.
Read more about Bridget and her work on her personal website.
Let’s Collaborate
Elevating online discourse about health through research and practice.