Technology and Health Outcomes for Black Women

Research and Innovation By: Damian McNamara | October 21, 2024 | 5 min. read |  Share Article Summary Dr. Judite Blanc is using National Institutes of Health grants to study app-based telehealth for pregnant Black women and the impact of virtual reality on South Florida Black women with hypertension. The first study provides expectant mothers with free access to behavioral, interpersonal and compassion-focused therapy on the InovCares app. The second study introduces an eight-week, virtual reality-based stress reduction program. One study focuses on a telehealth app. Another uses virtual reality. Both projects aim to improve health outcomes for Black women. A major aim of two University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Holistic Families Lab initiatives is to determine, with the help of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding, if technology can reduce risks of adverse health outcomes. The phase 1 Cocooned Moms Project, for example, will test if a maternal telehealth app can reduce stress, depression and blood pressure among pregnant Black women. “Overwhelming, mental health is one of the drivers of the maternal health crisis, as well as a driver of higher maternal health mortality,” said Judite Blanc, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences...