CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Katelyn Rittenhouse, MD, and Elizabeth Stringer, MD, MSc, have been awarded funding through the UNC Center for Health Innovation’s 14th Annual Innovation Pilot Awards for a project aimed at expanding access to obstetric ultrasound. Rittenhouse will serve as principal investigator and Stringer as co-principal investigator on the project, which explores AI-assisted ultrasound self-scanning by pregnant patients in a supervised clinical setting.
Access to obstetric ultrasound remains limited in many rural and under-resourced communities, contributing to delays in pregnancy assessment and persistent maternal health disparities. The pilot project will evaluate the feasibility, safety and patient experience of guided self-scanning using standardized imaging and deep learning tools.
The team aims to establish readiness criteria for broader implementation, with the goal of increasing ultrasound capacity while maintaining clinical oversight and improving equitable access to prenatal care. The project is one of five selected for the 2026 Innovation Pilot Awards, which support new approaches to improving care delivery and health outcomes across UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine.
More information about the awards is available, here.