2025 | Flash Funding | Enhancing Remote Access to Postpartum Care in Rural Communities in Virginia

FLASH FUNDED PROJECT | Whole Health Consortium

Enhancing Remote Access to Postpartum Care in Rural Communities in Virginia

TEAM:

• Mengxi Zhang – Department of Health Systems and Implementation Science, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
• Xuan Wang – Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech
• Kathy Hosig – Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia Tech
• Megan D. Whitham – Carilion Clinic Maternal Fetal Medicine

Postpartum care is critical to maternal health, yet nearly one-third of women—especially those in rural areas—do not receive adequate follow-up care due to provider shortages, transportation barriers, and hospital closures. This project seeks to address these disparities by developing a digital intervention toolkit to support postpartum recovery. The toolkit will include educational materials and a fine-tuned large language model (LLM) that offers personalized guidance tailored to the needs of postpartum patients.

The research team is collaborating with Carilion Clinic to co-design and test the toolkit with both patients and providers. Activities include surveying prenatal patients to assess health literacy and expectations, conducting interviews with OB-GYN providers, and designing targeted educational materials. The team will also evaluate and fine-tune various LLMs to ensure the technology aligns with patient needs. This work reflects the Whole Health Consortium’s commitment to equity-driven, community-based research and builds on themes from the 2025 Rural Health Symposium. The project lays the groundwork for future interventions and external funding to expand access to postpartum care in underserved communities.