Graduate students from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy have launched MOMCare, an AI chatbot designed to assist mothers struggling with postpartum depression (PPD). The initiative, led by Zarak Khan, a graduate student and president of the Graduate Student Association, aims to provide continuous support for new mothers facing mental health challenges.
Khan explained that MOMCare serves as a reliable companion, available at any hour to provide assistance. The AI chatbot was created in response to a class assignment that tasked students with finding a public benefit for AI technology.
Rimshah Jawad, another team member, conceived the idea for MOMCare after experiencing postpartum depression herself. She emphasized that PPD affects many new mothers, bringing symptoms like sadness, irritability, and exhaustion. In severe cases, these symptoms can escalate to suicidal thoughts or harm toward the baby.
MOMCare is designed to be most beneficial during the early stages of PPD, helping mothers manage symptoms before they worsen. One key feature of the chatbot is crisis detection, which alerts authorities if it detects a potential danger to the mother or child.
The project also seeks to reduce the stigma surrounding PPD, particularly in areas like South Asia, where the condition is often misunderstood. Khan noted that MOMCare also aims to address the skepticism surrounding AI’s role in mental health care, acknowledging that the “black box” nature of AI can be unsettling for some users.
A significant challenge in developing MOMCare was the lack of sufficient research on PPD. Since the chatbot relies on a retrieval-augmented system, the team generated synthetic data to train it, ensuring the chatbot stays focused on mental health concerns.
Looking ahead, Khan plans to expand MOMCare into a broader AI system that will assist mothers in various aspects of parenting. This future version may include resources for baby care and family health. Additionally, Khan is working on another AI project aimed at helping Rutgers students with academic and mental health support.
