PhD student harnesses AI to make research on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy more accessible for Black women
Source: https://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/media/phd-student-harnesses-ai-to-make-research-on-hypertensive-disorders-in-pregnancy-more-accessible-for-black-women/ Parent: https://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/news/
25 February 2026
Deborah Baiden created an audiovisual resource titled The Intersecting Risks to share her ongoing PhD research
Deborah Baiden knew she wanted to make her research more accessible to the women who would benefit from it most. Turning to AI, she has created a beta knowledge translation tool that can help Black Canadian women better understand their risks of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
“In our culture, knowledge is passed orally, through conversation, and knowledge is power. Many of the women I have spoken to as I conduct my research, remain unaware but want to know more and be informed about their risks. I decided that I wanted to bring the findings from my research to their doorstep and this was a unique way of doing so,” says Baiden a PhD student at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.
The Intersecting Risks
Using Google’s Notebook LM, Baiden developed an audiovisual infographic with support from her supervisor, Professor Monica Parry, to explain her research and raise awareness of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and their risk. She asked the AI tool to use an onion to explain the intersectional components that contribute to the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy – including gender and racial discrimination.
“Many of the women in my study say that they find connection through cooking and cultural foods, and I felt that choosing the image of an onion to convey this complex research was one way to make it relevant and understandable.” says Baiden.
Through her research, Baiden has found that Black women in the United States are five times more likely to die of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy while in the UK, that number stands at around four times more likely, compared to non-Black pregnant women.
Her research is focused on examining the risk profile of Black Canadian women, a gap in the research literature that she says must be addressed.
“It is imperative that we understand who is at risk of developing hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, and how awareness and changes to the structure of care provided to women, especially Black women, can drive change in the area of cardiovascular disease,” says Baiden.
The final audio-visual product Baiden created using Notebook LM did need some revisions to ensure accuracy and to make sure that it was summarizing her work effectively. Even with the revisions, Baiden feels that AI has opened up the possibility of conveying research to communities, like those included in her study, and can help them reap the most benefit. Additionally, she found it useful that AI was able generate images that could encourage culturally specific representation in knowledge translation.
As she continues her research, Baiden is already looking forward to sharing this resource with the community organizations through which she is partnering for her study, including the Canadian Women of Color Leadership Network.
“Making sure that knowledge is readily available and accessible in a way that populations understand and that is safe for them is paramount,” says Baiden. “I’m excited to see how AI can continue supporting knowledge translation within my own research so that we reach communities who need to have this knowledge.”
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