Blog
AI & the Future of Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring (March 2026)
Writing in KevinMD, Drs. Martin G. Frasch, Mark I. Evans, and Philip J. Steer argue that conventional electronic fetal monitoring has driven unnecessary cesarean sections without reducing cerebral palsy. They make the case for AI-powered analysis of fetal heart rate variability and a Fetal Reserve Index to enable earlier, data-driven intervention. Read the full piece →
ECG Monitor in Pregnancy (August 2022)
Most women are OK wearing an ECG monitor in pregnancy, according to UW research. Detecting chronic stress during pregnancy using ECG monitoring technology opens new doors for prenatal care.
Chronic Stress & Fetal Iron (June 2022)
Research indicates that chronic stress in the third trimester reduces baby's iron as measured at birth, with findings published in Scientific Reports. This work received coverage on KUOW (Seattle NPR), discussing pregnancy health and stress impacts on fetal development.
HRV Estimation Pipeline Released (July 2022)
We publicly released a Python-based HRV estimation pipeline generating 124 heart rate variability features, published in MethodsX as peer-reviewed research. The tool processes univariate and multivariate time series data and was tested on 31 Apple Watch users monitoring sleep architecture.
Prenatal Stress & Iron Homeostasis (June 2022)
A comprehensive study used causal inference and machine learning to establish that prenatal stress alters fetal iron homeostasis in sex-specific patterns. Read the full text via SharedIt.
Biosensors & Inflammation Review (June 2022)
A review synthesizing evidence on wearable and ambient biosensor capabilities for tracking acute and chronic inflammation, addressing how everyday devices can monitor health markers.
Pregnancy Outcomes Animal Model (October 2018)
Work on an animal model of adverse pregnancy outcomes examining physiological mechanisms underlying fetal stress and development.
Fetal Infection & Brain (December 2016)
Fetal infection is underdiagnosed and consequential for neurodevelopment. This work addresses fetal infection's underdiagnosis and its impact on the developing brain.
Fetal Monitoring During Labor (September 2017)
Commentary on labor monitoring technologies and heart rate variability's predictive potential for brain injury detection during the intrapartum period.
HRV in Perinatal Care (April 2018)
A perspective on heart rate variability in perinatal care and its clinical potential for early detection of adverse outcomes in neonates and fetuses.
Why Open Code Matters (November 2025)
Published on the PLoS Digital Health platform discussing the importance and challenges of transparent computational practices in biomedical research.