Leveraging Technology for Birth Without Bias
By: Grace Rajan, MPH Summer Intern 2024
This summer, I had the privilege of working with Irth App—short for “Birth” without the “B” for bias. Irth is the only app on the market that provides prenatal, birthing, postpartum, and pediatric reviews from Black and Brown birthing people and families, challenging the notion that all families experience similar standards of care. Irth also has a program called Birth Without Bias, which partners with hospitals nationwide to collect Irth data and develop targeted interventions based on community feedback.
I spent my summer working primarily on two projects. The first involved developing a data dissemination strategy and toolkit for various stakeholders. The second focused on creating a monitoring and evaluation framework for hospital partners to achieve accreditation from Irth. I had the opportunity to pitch and develop multiple ideas currently in the pipeline, aimed at better understanding how we can collect and share data with app users and hospital partners. This work included drafting reports and slide decks and collaborating with app developers to enhance data dissemination through engaging, community-driven features in the app. I conducted data analysis for hospital systems based on review data and presented my findings to hospital partners nationwide, developing targeted indicators to improve culturally concordant care delivery and supporting providers in eradicating bias to build more equitable healthcare systems for all families.
This project also led me to work closely with the app development and product design teams, allowing me to help develop UI/UX functionality that prioritizes health decision-making and equity. By understanding how to better synthesize and display data using various APIs, I explored how design choices can impact the narratives we highlight. This empowers users to make informed health decisions by providing more accessible insights and tailors their experiences to their cultural and health needs.
My second project involved drafting a landscape analysis, which informed a report with recommendations and frameworks for an accreditation system. The goal of this framework is to help hospitals achieve set targets for KPIs I developed based on literature and data availability, ensuring high standards for hospital partners actively working to improve patient outcomes for Black and Brown families.
This internship provided a dynamic environment where I could exercise new and existing skills in UX/UI, app development, business strategy, health equity solutions, community-centered data analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. I am deeply grateful for my time at Irth and appreciate the leadership, mentorship, and supportive environment fostered by the team. Irth is unique in its strong dedication to community, coupled with a continuously evolving tech platform and hospital partnership program. They have built a socially responsible model that meets community needs both online and offline, making hospitals safer, providing immediate support to families facing the consequences of systemic and medical racism, fostering community voices nationwide, and creating a platform by and for those who need it most.
I extend my gratitude to The Wallace Center and Irth for this opportunity and partnership!