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Gynecology & Obstetrics

The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Research

Our Program

The Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine is engaged in clinical, basic bench and epidemiological research as one of its primary missions. Our strength lies in the expertise and diverse interests of our faculty, as well as in the collaborations with multiple other disciplines and departments throughout the School of Medicine, The Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the School of Biomedical Engineering. The strong research infrastructure of the Johns Hopkins University forms a solid foundation for the success of our integrated research program for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

We have established the JH Womb (Johns Hopkins Well-being of Mothers and Babies) Program and Physiology In Pregnancy Program.

Our research faculty participate in The Johns Hopkins Women’s Health Research Group, a collaborative network of researchers from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health.

Our research program now provides semi-monthly meetings (“Work in Progress/laboratory data” and “Research concepts”) to foster multi-disciplinary research through pilot programs and retreats.

Active Studies and Clinical TrialsHydrops Research Study

For many pregnancies with hydrops, the cause is unknown. Comprehensive genetic testing may help expecting parents find answers. The Johns Hopkins Prenatal Genetic Counseling team, along with our Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists, are partnering with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to study and better understand the genetic causes of non-immune hydrops fetalis in pregnancy.

Learn more about the study and if you are eligible to participate
pregnant belly

Our Research Director

Ahizechukwu Eke, MBCHB MPH PhD

Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

Research Interests: HIV in pregnancy, Maternal Health Policy, Medical and Surgical Complications in Pregnancy, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacoepidemiology, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacomicrobiomics, Preterm birth

Faculty Research

Select a faculty member to learn more about his/her research and to view recent publications.

  • Abby Aina, MD

    • Associate Professor of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: Cervical incompetence, Preterm labor, Thrombophilia in pregnancy

  • Cynthia Holcroft Argani, MD

    • Director, Labor and Delivery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
    • Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: perinatal disease, placental histopathology

  • Ahmet Alexander Baschat, MBBChBAO

    • Director, Center for Fetal Therapy
    • Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

  • Jessica L. Bienstock, MD

    • Director, Division of Education, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics
    • Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: fetal genetic disorders, fetal ultrasound abnormalities, medical education in obstetrics and gynecology

  • Karin Blakemore, MD

    • Director, Prenatal Genetics
    • Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Medical Genetics, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: Fetal genetic disorders, Hemoglobinopathies, In Utero Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Intrapartum physiology and outcomes, Placental development and abnormalities, Prenatal Diagnosis and Fetal Treatment, Red cell and platelet alloimmunization

  • Rita Wesley Driggers, MD

    • Medical Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Sibley Memorial Hospital
    • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: Pregnancy and diabetes, Preterm birth

  • Ernie M. Graham, MD

    • Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: intrapartum fetal monitoring, perinatal brain injury

  • Nancy A. Hueppchen, MD

    • Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, School of Medicine
    • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: abnormal maternal serum screening, fetal genetic disorders, fetal ultrasound abnormalities, resident and medical student education

  • Angie Jelin, MD

    • Program Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship
    • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Medical Genetics, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: fetal genetic disorders, whole exome sequencing

  • Lorraine Anne Milio, MD

    • Co-Director, HALO Program
    • Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

  • Jena Lyn Miller, MD

    • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

  • Andy Satin, MD

    • Director of Gynecology and Obstetrics
    • Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

  • Jeanne S. Sheffield, MD

    • Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
    • Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Infectious Diseases, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

    Research Interests: Infectious diseases in pregnancy, maternal immunizations, medical and surgical complications in pregnancy

  • Julia Timofeev, MD

    • Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics

  • Arthur Jason Vaught, MD

    • Director, Labor and Delivery
    • Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics

    Expertise: Critical Care Medicine, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics