Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | January 12, 2026 | wbjournal.com UMass Chan has been tapped by the Department of Defense to test a better way of treating postpartum depression BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer U Mass Chan Medical School is working to combat an alarming trend: Mental health is one of the most lethal threats to the lives of postpartum women. e Worcester university has been se- lected by the U.S. Department of Defense to participate in a nationwide clinical trial, testing the efficacy of Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation erapy (SAINT) on postpartum de- pression. UMass Chan was awarded $2.4 million from DoD and has already begun recruiting patients. "e data to date suggests that this treatment is as effective as ECT (electro- convulsive therapy), which, by the way, is one of the most effective treatments we have," said Dr. Kimberly Yonkers, Katz Family chair in psychiatry for both UMa- ss Chan and UMass Memorial Health, who serves as the trial's lead investigator. With the therapy already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive dis- order, UMass Chan's trial aims to obtain FDA approval specifically for postpartum depression, increasing the likelihood of insurance coverage for patients. Mental health conditions account for 23% of pregancy-related deaths between seven days and one year aer pregnan- cy, including suicides and overdoses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. e study by UMass Chan is part of a greater effort across the region and the state to help postpartum mothers, particularly those from at-risk communities. UMass Chan's trial SAINT serves as a potential alternative for mothers who are reluctant to take medication out of fear of harming their baby when pregnant or breastfeeding, a concern Yonkers said she commonly hears. While certain antidepressants, anti- anxiety, and antipsychotic medications have been shown to be safe to use while breastfeeding by organizations including the CDC and the Academy of Breast- feeding Medicine, fears persist in part due to stigma, medical misinformation, and cultural differences. "Just for people's peace of mind, if they don't need to take something, then we don't want them to. Because God forbid there be a complication, then they may be blaming themselves for years," Yonkers said. SAINT delivers results far more quickly than ECT, a crucial factor when dealing with acute PPD. Typically, pa- tients undergoing ECT will receive three treatments a week for between four and five weeks. On the other hand, SAINT is a very intensive, five-day program, in which patients receive 10 SAINT treatments over a 10-hour time period each day. To make the trial accessible to those with limited means, UMass Chan is providing a $450 reimbursement and assisting mothers with child care. "What we're trying to do is just make this as easy as possible for people, whether or not they have means," said Yonkers. "We all know that people who have greater means have access to more treatments than people that have less." Access disparities In Massachusetts, people of color and those with lower levels of traditional education are more likely to report PPD symptoms, yet they're less likely to be screened for them, according to data col- lected by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, through its Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System surveys. At 7.2%, white birthing parents are less likely to report PPD symptoms than their Black and Asian counterparts, who report symptoms 16.3% and 20.0% of the time, respec- tively, according to PRAMS data. However, 87.9% of white birthing parents are likely to be screened for PPD symptoms compared to 77.9% of Black parents and 77.1% of Hispanic parents. "e data show that Black and brown moms, folks who are economically disadvantaged, tend to have higher rates of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and are less likely to access care," said Jessie Colbert, coordinator of advocacy group Massachusetts Mind the Gap Coalition. ese mothers can oen hesitate to disclose their PPD in the first place, sometimes due to fear of the Mass. De- partment of Children and Families. "People don't want to be labeled by the system as incompetent or unable to care for their kids. ere's lots of horror stories about the state getting involved and taking children away,' said Dr. Missy Gleckel, perinatal lead at Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Jessie Colbert, coordinator of advocacy group Massachusetts Mind the Gap Coalition PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT Helping mothers Dr. Kimberly Yonkers is serving as the lead investigator at UMass Chan Medical School to test the efficacy of SAINT on postpartum depression.

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