Please note this is a Hyrbid session meaning you can join us in-person or virtually.

Maternal health is in crisis globally and here in the United States. Rates of maternal morbidity and mortality are higher in the U.S. than in any other developed nation, with severe racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in maternal health outcomes persisting across the country. While there are many complex contributing factors and potential solutions, new biomedical technologies have the potential to improve maternal health and reduce morbidity and mortality rates. The National Institutes of Health, as part of the White House call to action to reduce pregnancy-related deaths and complications, has issued multiple opportunities to support innovators developing maternal health technologies to address this crisis, two of which will be presented at this session. The NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge for Maternal Health is offering up to $1 million in cash prizes to spur and reward the development of prototypes for low-cost, point-of-care molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic sensing and diagnostic technologies that could ultimately be used to diagnose and prevent the primary conditions associated with maternal morbidity and mortality. Additionally, NIH is encouraging the small business and technology transfer communities to apply for grant funding to support the development and validation of various approaches, technologies, and tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, that indicate states of increased risk for and presence of maternal morbidity and mortality.