Promoting better glucose control for gestational diabetes with mindfulness during pregnancy
Official title: Promoting Glucose Management and Maternal and Fetal Health with People with Gestational Diabetes via Mindfulness
Funded at Brown University · NIH-11425566 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A mindfulness-based program called EMPOWER will be developed and tested to help pregnant women with gestational diabetes manage glucose and improve health for both mom and baby.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $739,990 |
| NIH project number | 1R34AT013231-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11425566 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant individuals in the third trimester diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
✕Less likely to help
Women without gestational diabetes or those not in the third trimester may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you have gestational diabetes, EMPOWER uses a technology-enabled mindfulness program to support healthier choices, reduce stress, and improve daily routines that affect blood sugar. The project plans to create and trial the program to see if it helps with glycemic control, pregnancy outcomes, and postpartum well-being. It builds on prior work showing mindfulness can benefit mental health and healthy lifestyle habits, with a focus on pregnancy and diabetes risk reduction. The study is led by Brown University researchers and aims to provide a scalable option that could be used in clinical care if successful.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, EMPOWER could provide an accessible tool to help pregnant women with GDM manage glucose and reduce future diabetes risk for themselves.
How similar studies have gone: Mindfulness-based approaches have shown promise for psychological health and lifestyle changes, but there is limited US data specifically for women with gestational diabetes.
Where this research is happening
-
Brown University
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sun, Shufang — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Sun, Shufang
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Digital twins of the hypothalamus, placenta, and gut to help manage gestational diabetes
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-
IGF factors and binding proteins in gestational diabetes and fetal growth
A study in pregnant people looks at how insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins affect gestational diabetes and how a baby grows.
-
STRONG group prenatal care to reduce gestational diabetes in American Samoa
A Yale-led program tests a group prenatal care approach to lower gestational diabetes among pregnant Pacific Islander women in American Samoa.
-
Pancreatic beta cells, oxidative stress, and gestational diabetes
A study is exploring how oxidative stress and changes in pancreatic beta cells during pregnancy may contribute to gestational diabetes and future diabetes risk for both mother and baby.
-
NDPP-MAP: A tailored online-hybrid program to reduce long-term health risks after pregnancy with gestational diabetes
A patient-friendly program adapts a proven diabetes prevention approach to help women who had gestational diabetes lower their risk of type 2 diabetes and heart problems.
-
In Vivo Look at Placental Blood Flow in Gestational Diabetes
A non-invasive MRI study in pregnant people with gestational diabetes and those without will map how placental blood vessels work and relate to baby outcomes.
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.