Maternal Mental Health App ‘TrueBlue’ Research Poster Wins Top Prize at RCOG Perinatal Mental Health Conference
NOTTINGHAM, UK – 16th March 2026
The TrueBlue Clinical Study, which utilises BLUESKEYE AI’s proprietary face and voice analysis technology, has been awarded first prize for its research poster at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Perinatal Mental Health Conference in London.
The team - comprising researchers Deepa Bagepalli Krishnan, Raquel Mesquita Ribeiro, Debbie Butler, and Dr Neil Nixon - secured the 1st Place Poster Presentation Award for their protocol: 'TrueBlue Clinical Study: Investigating the use of a mobile phone app for monitoring Depression and Anxiety in the Perinatal population.' The award recognises the potential of BLUESKEYE AI’s technology to transform maternal mental health monitoring within the NHS. The research presented at the conference highlights key lessons learned during the pilot phase of the project; notably, no interim app data analysis has been conducted for the trial.
Bridging the Gap in Perinatal Care
The TrueBlue study is a collaborative initiative delivered by the University of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, built upon BLUESKEYE AI's clinical-grade machine learning technology.
The study aims to prove that the TrueBlue app is a safe and effective tool for the early detection and severity monitoring of perinatal depression. The app allows mothers and/or mothers-to-be to interact with a ‘virtual human’ avatar named Kira, which uses BLUESKEYE’s technology to capture objective, real-time measurements of mood through subtle facial and vocal analysis. Unlike traditional mental health assessments that rely on subjective self-reporting, this data-driven approach offers a more objective, data-driven approach that is a scalable way to monitor patient wellbeing.
Dr Neil Nixon, Clinical Associate Professor in Adult Mood Disorder, from the School of Medicine and Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham, stated:
“The technologies developed by BLUESKEYE AI may finally move us beyond traditional clinical assessment, to a more objective measurement of mood that can be deployed at scale and at the convenience of patients. In collaboration with key stakeholders, we are now assessing the real-world potential of this technology – with the hope of earlier detection of emergent mood disorders, improved targeting of clinical resource and better patient outcomes.”
A Future for Scalable Healthcare
By enabling patients to monitor their mental health via smartphone, this technology ensures that clinical intervention can happen sooner. This partnership demonstrates how BLUESKEYE AI’s software can provide the NHS with essential tools for better patient outcomes and more targeted resource allocation.
The impact of this technology and the TrueBlue Clinical Trial Study will be a central theme during the keynote session at the Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference (DMHW 2026) in Glasgow, Scotland, 17-19 June 2026.
Call for Participants
The University of Nottingham team is currently recruiting participants for the TrueBlue trial. Participation can be done in person at the Institute of Mental Health or entirely online.
For trial inquiries: Email TrueBlue@nottingham.ac.uk or call 0115 748 6749.