MommaConnect

The MommaConnect project is rooted in the compelling research and statistics surrounding postpartum depression (PPD) and its impact on maternal mental health and infant outcomes. PPD affects approximately 1 in 5 women, with higher rates observed among African American/Black (AA/B) women after giving birth. The adverse effects of untreated PPD include chronic and treatment-resistant depression, functional impairment, dysfunctional family relationships, and increased suicide risk in mothers. Furthermore, PPD negatively affects mother-infant interaction, leading to decreased attention to infant safety, reduced breastfeeding rates, and poor infant developmental outcomes. Infants of mothers with PPD are at significant risk for long-term cognitive, emotional, and neurobehavioral issues. Access to specialized mental healthcare for AA/B women with PPD is limited, exacerbating healthcare disparities. MommaConnect addresses these challenges by offering evidence-based therapies, such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Mother-Baby Interaction Therapy (MBI), targeting both mothers with PPD and their infants. By leveraging a tailored mHealth platform, MommaConnect improves treatment accessibility, reduces mental health stigma, and addresses social determinants of health. It provides a comprehensive and innovative approach to perinatal mental health, aiming to enhance therapy sessions, facilitate ongoing monitoring and support, and ultimately improve outcomes for AA/B mothers and their infants. MBC is one of only three programs that target intensive mental health treatment among low-income postpartum women of color. MommaConnect’s innovative features include: ● MommaConnect combines evidence-based therapies for maternal mental health and mother-infant interaction. ● MommaConnect utilizes a customized digital platform for remote psychotherapy and support. ● MommaConnect overcomes access barriers by offering online/offline capabilities and targeting low-income postpartum women (African American/Black mothers with PPD). ● MommaConnect enables patient data collection and promotes collaborative treatment decisions between clinicians and patients. 

MommaConnect: A project on postpartum depression and its impact on maternal mental and infant health

The MommaConnect project is rooted in the compelling research and statistics surrounding postpartum depression (PPD) and its impact on maternal mental health and infant outcomes. PPD affects approximately 1 in 5 women, with higher rates observed among African American/Black (AA/B) women after giving birth. The adverse effects of untreated PPD include chronic and treatment-resistant depression, functional impairment, dysfunctional family relationships, and increased suicide risk in mothers. Furthermore, PPD negatively affects mother-infant interaction, leading to decreased attention to infant safety, reduced breastfeeding rates, and poor infant developmental outcomes. Infants of mothers with PPD are at significant risk for long-term cognitive, emotional, and neurobehavioral issues. Access to specialized mental healthcare for AA/B women with PPD is limited, exacerbating healthcare disparities. MommaConnect addresses these challenges by offering evidence-based therapies, such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Mother-Baby Interaction Therapy (MBI), targeting both mothers with PPD and their infants. By leveraging a tailored mHealth platform, MommaConnect improves treatment accessibility, reduces mental health stigma, and addresses social determinants of health. It provides a comprehensive and innovative approach to perinatal mental health, aiming to enhance therapy sessions, facilitate ongoing monitoring and support, and ultimately improve outcomes for AA/B mothers and their infants. MBC is one of only three programs that target intensive mental health treatment among low-income postpartum women of color. MommaConnect’s innovative features include:  ● MommaConnect combines evidence-based therapies for maternal mental health and mother-infant interaction.  ● MommaConnect utilizes a customized digital platform for remote psychotherapy and support.  ● MommaConnect overcomes access barriers by offering online/offline capabilities and targeting low-income postpartum women (African American/Black mothers with PPD).  ● MommaConnect enables patient data collection and promotes collaborative treatment decisions between clinicians and patients.

MommaConnect for mothers

The MommaConnect project is rooted in the compelling research and statistics surrounding postpartum depression (PPD) and its impact on maternal mental health and infant outcomes. PPD affects approximately 1 in 5 women, with higher rates observed among African American/Black (AA/B) women after giving birth. The adverse effects of untreated PPD include chronic and treatment-resistant depression, functional impairment, dysfunctional family relationships, and increased suicide risk in mothers. Furthermore, PPD negatively affects mother-infant interaction, leading to decreased attention to infant safety, reduced breastfeeding rates, and poor infant developmental outcomes. Infants of mothers with PPD are at significant risk for long-term cognitive, emotional, and neurobehavioral issues. Access to specialized mental healthcare for AA/B women with PPD is limited, exacerbating healthcare disparities. MommaConnect addresses these challenges by offering evidence-based therapies, such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Mother-Baby Interaction Therapy (MBI), targeting both mothers with PPD and their infants. By leveraging a tailored mHealth platform, MommaConnect improves treatment accessibility, reduces mental health stigma, and addresses social determinants of health. It provides a comprehensive and innovative approach to perinatal mental health, aiming to enhance therapy sessions, facilitate ongoing monitoring and support, and ultimately improve outcomes for AA/B mothers and their infants. MBC is one of only three programs that target intensive mental health treatment among low-income postpartum women of color. MommaConnect’s innovative features include: MommaConnect combines evidence-based therapies for maternal mental health and mother-infant interaction. MommaConnect utilizes a customized digital platform for remote psychotherapy and support. MommaConnect overcomes access barriers by offering online/offline capabilities and targeting low-income postpartum women (African American/Black mothers with PPD). MommaConnect enables the collection of patient data and promotes collaborative treatment decisions between clinicians and patients.

OC-DETECT: home-based screening for early oral cancer detection

Oral cancer is a major public health problem in India. It is estimated 267 million people in India use tobacco in some form with approximately 199 million people being users of smokeless tobacco alone. In 2018, India accounted for one-third of the global burden of oral cancer (OC) cases and mortality with 119,992 new cases and 72,616 deaths. More OC screenings are needed due to the high alcohol and tobacco consumption rates. Prevention, early detection through screenings, and timely and appropriate referrals to treatment are the most effective approaches to reducing OC morbidity and mortality. The most frequent risk factors for OC are frequent tobacco consumption (SLT or smoking), alcohol consumption, dietary deficiencies, positive family history of OC, viral infections like HPV, and poor oral hygiene.   OC-DETECT   will provide a low-cost solution focused on improving education and providing family educators with skills to support a home-based screening for early OC detection for at-risk individuals. Innovative components include simple mHealth screenings for early detection . Screenings for tobacco and alcohol use, as well as signs and symptoms of OC, will be delivered via mobile devices and administered periodically by family members using a checklist screening instrument .  The mobile app will provide a step-by-step guide for a family member to take multiple images of the oral cavity. These images will be stitched together to create a virtual 3D image of the patient’s mouth. Using an algorithm that incorporates the screening results in combination with the oral cavity photos, OC-DETECT will display a risk assessment (binary: low and high). All patients will be required to visit the doctor for an in-person appointment after this to confirm the diagnosis. OC-DETECT will also support education using microlearning content and provide in-app reminders to patients and family members to conduct routine screenings.