{"690600":{"#nid":"690600","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Vanessa Oguamanam","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EUnmasking the Superwoman: A Sociocultural Investigation of Engagement with Digital Mental Health Platforms Among Perinatal Black Women\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDate:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EWednesday, June 10, 2026\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETime:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E10:30 AM \u2013 12:30 PM EST\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELocation\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgatech.zoom.us%2Fmy%2Fgtwellnesslab.voo%3Fpwd%3DYStaVTBpVk5xR3FQRGcveStjcTVlZz09\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Ctm186%40gtvault.onmicrosoft.com%7C90e1e1c87ddb4612835808debfc1d71a%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639159036447214759%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=iDmQ5VfNI2L4Fp1zTqOOJ%2B9OnTmhthHO0ulc8%2FednXQ%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/my\/gtwellnesslab.voo?pwd=YStaVTBpVk5xR3FQRGcveStjcTVlZz09\u0022\u003EVirtual Zoom Link\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeeting ID:\u0026nbsp; 808 135 9475\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVanessa Oguamanam\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. Candidate in Computer Science\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvoguamanam.github.io%2F\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Ctm186%40gtvault.onmicrosoft.com%7C90e1e1c87ddb4612835808debfc1d71a%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639159036447243279%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=Pnwt%2B%2BGZIjDuANFLxrik4Gfg58sBcr3zOMIbWzQLf9I%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/voguamanam.github.io\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/voguamanam.github.io\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Andrea G. Parker (Advisor)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Neha Kumar\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Jennifer Kim\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Heather Cole-Lewis\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoogle\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Kevin Doherty\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Information \u0026amp; Communication Studies\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUniversity College Dublin\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerinatal mental health is a growing concern in the United States, particularly among racially minoritized populations such as Black women, who face heightened risks for developing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) due to structural and social barriers. Despite experiencing higher rates of PMADs and chronic stress compared to their White counterparts, research indicates that Black women are less likely to utilize traditional mental health support due to barriers such as limited access, cost, and the lack of culturally competent care.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecent advances in digital mental health platforms and AI-driven tools offer new possibilities for expanding access and reducing costs for new mothers. However, many of these tools overlook the sociocultural factors rooted in gendered racism that shape Black women\u0027s mental health outcomes, coping strategies, and lived experiences. Without addressing this misalignment, even the most sophisticated digital platforms and AI-enabled tools risk reproducing the same engagement challenges observed in prior mental health intervention research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAcross four studies, this dissertation demonstrates that engagement with digital mental health platforms among perinatal Black women is nuanced, dynamic, and shaped by sociocultural context. The first study identifies general patterns in perinatal Black women\u0027s use of digital platforms for mental health support and examines how engagement varies across sociocultural and demographic factors. The second study reveals the sociocultural influences and structural barriers that shape preferences for specific mobile apps for mental health support. The third study explores how sociocultural factors shape experiences of stress and coping in relation to social media engagement\u2014uncovering a disconnect between lived experiences and online expression. The fourth study explores how perinatal Black women perceive and appraise their everyday maternal demands and sociocultural coping responses, and how these experiences shape their help-seeking behaviors. In doing so, this research highlights tensions between preferences for human-centered and AI-powered support, yielding design implications for next-generation perinatal mental health technologies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis dissertation calls on the HCI field to rethink how engagement with digital mental health interventions is conceptualized and assessed in perinatal contexts, moving beyond simple utilization metrics. Collectively, this work advances scholarship in HCI, CSCW, digital health equity, and perinatal mental health by demonstrating how the intersecting identities of race and gender shape perinatal Black women\u0027s perspectives of, experiences, and engagement with digital mental health platforms. Ultimately, this dissertation aims to improve the uptake and effectiveness of such platforms for those most vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes. Furthermore, it illustrates the utility of a culturally informed conceptual framework\u2014specifically, the Superwoman Schema\u2014as a guide for digital health innovation and research.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUnmasking the Superwoman: A Sociocultural Investigation of Engagement with Digital Mental Health Platforms Among Perinatal Black Women\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Unmasking the Superwoman: A Sociocultural Investigation of Engagement with Digital Mental Health Platforms Among Perinatal Black Women"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-06-02 16:11:24","changed_gmt":"2026-06-02 16:12:13","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-06-10T10:30:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-06-10T12:30:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-06-10T12:30:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-06-10 14:30:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-06-10 16:30:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-06-10 16:30:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Virtual","extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgatech.zoom.us%2Fmy%2Fgtwellnesslab.voo%3Fpwd%3DYStaVTBpVk5xR3FQRGcveStjcTVlZz09\u0026data=05%7C02%7Ctm186%40gtvault.onmicrosoft.com%7C90e1e1c87ddb4612835808debfc1d71a%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639159036447214759%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026sdata=iDmQ5VfNI2L4Fp1zTqOOJ%2B9OnTmhthHO0ulc8%2FednXQ%3D\u0026reserved=0","title":""}],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}