Practicum Highlight: Jillian Berch, MPH’26
DoulaConnect: Supporting Mothers in Rural New England Through a Pilot Text-Messaging Intervention Addressing Postpartum Depression.
As a clinical research coordinator in the University of Virginia’s neurosurgery department and an MPH candidate in Dartmouth’s Online Master of Public Health program, Jillian Berch approached her Applied Practice Experience (APE) project with a goal: to merge her professional skillset with her lived experience to support mothers.
Jillian connected with Dr. Karen Fortuna early in the program, a researcher whose work in peer support and community-based participatory research resonated deeply. “As a person with a history of substance use disorder, it was important for me to be able to integrate my lived experience in recovery with my education at Dartmouth to help create change,” Jillian shared. “Dr. Fortuna viewed my past as an asset and not a hindrance.”
For her APE, Jillian collaborated with Dr. Fortuna to design a text-messaging intervention for rural New England mothers experiencing postpartum depression who also have a history of substance use. While doula care has been shown to improve outcomes for both mothers and children, access in rural communities is often limited by geography, cost, lack of awareness, and a shortage of trained doulas.
To help address these challenges, Jillian helped develop a 12-week texting program that connects participants with trained doulas. Participants are randomized to either receive daily messages from their doula or continue with their usual postpartum care. The texts offer practical tips, self-care strategies, encouragement, and focus on weekly themes related to motherhood and postpartum mental health. Surveys administered at the beginning and end of the study will help measure changes in well-being and engagement.
A key part of the project involved partnering with doulas from the North Country Health Consortium—a collaboration Jillian describes as transformative. “Those women are so smart and so selfless, truly remarkable,” she said. Though based in Charlottesville, Virginia, Jillian met weekly via Zoom with the team as they worked together to build the project from the ground up, supported by qualitative stakeholder interviews and multiple Dartmouth-funded grants.
Jillian will present preliminary findings at the 46th Annual New England Co-op Practice and Community-Based Research Network Meeting in Vermont. After data collection concludes, the team plans to publish manuscripts and pursue NIH funding to scale the trial to a larger cohort. They are also collaborating with experts in technology and AI to explore ways to expand the intervention into scalable digital support.
Reflecting on her time at Dartmouth, Jillian shared that balancing graduate school as a working single mother of two teenagers felt daunting at first. But she credits the mentorship of Dr. Fortuna and the guidance of the program’s faculty for helping her thrive. “My experience as a Dartmouth student has been nothing short of remarkable,” she said. “My ability to thrive here has been a testament not just to my hard work but to the mentorship and encouragement I’ve received throughout the program.”
Written by: Mia Soucy
POSTED 1/8/2026 AT 11:00 AM IN #practicum #ape #2026
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