Pregnancy Checkup app to lower pregnancy-related illness and deaths
Official title: High reach, multi-level digital intervention for Pregnancy-Related and -Associated Morbidity and Mortality (PRAMM) Disparities
Funded at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences · NIH-11171431 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This expands a pregnancy app to give pregnant people tailored risk screening, helpful content, and immediate live-chat support to connect them with services.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Lansing, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,113,508 |
| NIH project number | 5U54HD113291-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11171431 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant people receiving antenatal care or with smartphone access, especially those from communities with higher pregnancy risks (including Black birthing people), are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, lack smartphone or internet access, or whose needs cannot be addressed through digital referral may not benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
You would use an expanded Pregnancy Checkup app that screens for pregnancy risks, delivers short tailored content, and offers referrals to local services. The app adds features that target four levels of support — you, your support network, your healthcare providers, and your community — and the team will co-create content with community members most affected. The app also gives secure live-chat access to a Community Health Worker who can arrange warm handoffs to local care. This build extends an existing app already integrated with antenatal services in Michigan.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the app could help identify problems sooner, speed connections to local care, and lower serious pregnancy complications and deaths.
How similar studies have gone: The original Pregnancy Checkup is already in use in Michigan and similar digital screening and referral tools have shown promise, but this multi-level, community-partnered model with live Community Health Worker chat is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
East Lansing, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ondersma, Steven J — Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Ondersma, Steven J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Training program to reduce pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated morbidity and mortality disparities
A multi-year training program helps scientists and trainees build skills to study and reduce disparities in pregnancy-related health outcomes.
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Scale-up approach to reduce pregnancy-related harm and disparities
A national-scale plan to spread proven hospital and community care practices to reduce pregnancy-related harm and disparities, especially in outpatient and community settings.
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PRAMM: a patient-friendly digital program to reduce pregnancy-related morbidity
A digital program called PC-PRAMM uses a flexible app to screen pregnant people, share tailored guidance, and connect them to live help to reduce pregnancy-related complications.
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Multilevel, community-centered plan to reduce pregnancy-related illness and death and close disparities
A large, real-world trial will test a coordinated set of community and healthcare changes to reduce pregnancy complications and death, with a focus on Black, Hispanic, and Medicaid populations.
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Pregnancy and Heart Health: Predicting and Preventing Pregnancy-Related Cardiovascular Problems
A research grant is developing advanced data tools to identify pregnant women at high risk of heart-related complications so clinicians can prevent maternal death.
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Expanding hospital and community care to reduce pregnancy-related illness, deaths, and racial gaps
This project is rolling out proven care bundles in hospitals and community clinics to help pregnant and postpartum people—especially Black birthing people—have fewer serious health problems and deaths.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.