The UNC Center for AIDS Research International Core’s Director Jeff Stringer shifted his focus to women’s health after a transformative experience during his medical training in the 1990s. Dr. Stringer is a leader in global women’s health, heading a team that addresses issues like birth outcomes and HIV prevention worldwide. He is currently working on developing a portable ultrasound device that plugs into smartphones and uses AI to interpret pregnancy scans, which could improve healthcare in areas with limited resources, such as rural parts of the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa. This innovation aims to address the lack of expensive ultrasound machines and trained professionals.
Dr. Stinger’s career led him to Zambia, where he worked on HIV research and established the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ). In Zambia, he identified the lack of accessible ultrasounds as a major barrier to care for pregnant women, which inspired his current project. Since returning to the U.S. in 2012, Dr. Stringer has led efforts to combine affordable ultrasound technology with AI to make prenatal care more accessible globally. His team has already conducted clinical trials and developed AI algorithms for determining gestational age and detecting potential complications. The technology is now being tested in Zambia and could significantly improve women’s health worldwide. Dr. Stringer aims to get FDA approval for the device by the end of 2025. To read the full article from UNC Research Stories and listen to Dr. Stringer discuss this impactful work click here.