Sandra Ulrich, PhD

Work at ZHAW

Position

Researcher

Focus

Wellbeing, chatbot coaching, health apps, health behavior, prevention, resilience

Teaching

• AI in Psychology
• Research Methods (F21-1)
• Research Methods (F2-1)
• Health coaching (A11-4)
• Designing a digital intervention (DIG2-1)
• Health behavior skills: health apps (GP1-1)

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD / Medical Sciences
  Care and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zurich
  02 / 2020 - 06 / 2024
• Master of Science / Psychology
  Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  09 / 2010 - 11 / 2018

Continuing Education

Certificate in Good Clinical Practice
Clinical Trials Center CTC, University Hospital Zurich
08 / 2020

Network

Membership of networks

ZHAW Digital Health Lab

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0008-5828

Projects

• Resource-oriented self-help app for people in the catchment area of Psychiatrie Emmental / Project leader / ongoing
• Revision and Evaluation of a Smartphone-Based Self-Help App for Individuals With Headaches / Project leader / ongoing
• Resource Activation for Teachers' Well-being / Project leader / ongoing
• User-centered design of a resource-based selfmanagement app / Project leader / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Ulrich, S. et al. (2025) 'Maintained effectiveness of a smartphone-based chatbot coach (BalanceUP) for mental well-being in headache sufferers : preliminary findings from a single-arm 6-month follow-up study', mHealth, 11(49). doi: 10.21037/mhealth-25-9.
• Ulrich, S. et al. (2024) 'A chatbot-delivered stress management coaching for students (MISHA app) : pilot randomized controlled trial', JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 12, p. e54945. doi: 10.2196/54945.
• Ulrich, S. et al. (2024) 'Development and evaluation of a smartphone-based chatbot coach to facilitate a balanced lifestyle in individuals with headaches (BalanceUP App) : randomized controlled trial', Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, p. e50132. doi: 10.2196/50132.
• Ollier, J. et al. (2021) 'Elena+ care for COVID-19, a pandemic lifestyle care intervention : intervention design and study protocol', Frontiers in Public Health, 9(625640). doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.625640.
• Hauser-Ulrich, S. et al. (2020) 'A smartphone-based health care chatbot to promote self-management of chronic pain (SELMA) : pilot randomized controlled trial', JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8(4), p. e15806. doi: 10.2196/15806.

Other publications

• Ulrich, S. (2022) 'Kopfschmerz-Coaching per App', Migräne Magazin, 2(96), p. 16.
• Hauser-Ulrich, S. et al. (2020) 'Text-based healthcare chatbot coaching to reduce stress of people suffering from chronic pain and migraine', in 2. Digital Health Lab Day, online, 1. October 2020. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-22237.
• Ulrich, S. (2019) 'Chronische Schmerzen dank App bessern : Ergebnisse zum Schweizer Projekt SELMA', Migräne Magazin, (85), p. 17.
• Ulrich, S. (2018) 'Per App besser mit chronischen Schmerzen umgehen', Migräne Magazin, (80), p. 18.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Ulrich, S. (2026) 'REACT : eine smartphone-basierte Intervention zur Ressourcenaktivierung bei Lehrpersonen', in NPG Vernetzungsanlass, Bern, Schweiz, 22. Januar 2026.
• Ulrich, S. (2025) 'Digitale Gesundheitsinterventionen per Chatbot : die Smartphone-Apps SELMA und BalanceUP', in HPR Symposium, Interlaken, Schweiz, 4. September 2025.
• Ulrich, S. (2025) 'Keynote on the evaluation of PDTx', in UMZH Precision Digital Therapeutics Summer School, Zurich, Switzerland, 18-22 August 2025.
• Ulrich, S. (2025) 'Digitale Medien und Schmerz', in St.Galler Schmerzsymposium «Prävention chronischer Schmerzen – neu gedacht», St.Gallen, Schweiz, 15. Mai 2025.
• Ulrich, S. and Burtscher, M. J. (2024) 'Chatbot-Coaching zur Ressourcenförderung bei Lehrpersonen', in Brown Bag Seminar, PH Luzern, Schweiz, 28. März 2024.
• Kamm, K., Klan, T. and Ulrich, S. (2023) 'Neue Horizonte der Migränebehandlung : Patientenorientierte Versorgung – Kogniphobie – Chatbot-Coaching', in Deutscher Schmerzkongress, Mannheim, Deutschland, 18.-21. Oktober 2023.
• Ulrich, S. (2023) 'Balance Up : digitale Medien in der Optimierung der Lifestyle-Faktoren', in Kopfschmerz Symposium, Bern, Schweiz, 15. Juni 2023.
• Hauser-Ulrich, S. and Künzli, H. (2021) 'Chatbots im Coaching', in 6. Internationaler Coachingkongress 2021 «Coaching meets Research», online, 18.-19. November 2021.
• Hauser-Ulrich, S. (2021) 'SELMA pain-self-management in the context of rheumatology', in 3rd Digital Rheumatology Day, Lausanne, 6 May 2021.

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