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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Research

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists at Indiana University School of Medicine are national leaders in researching new ways to care for women with high-risk pregnancies. Many of these studies have led to the development of new clinical recommendations and researchers receive grants and funding from a variety of agencies, including the National Institutes of Health.

The maternal-fetal medicine division has a strong record of basic science, clinical/translational and epidemiologic research. This includes membership in the Consortium on Safe Labor, Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Units Network and Nulliparous Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (nuMoM2b). The team also has long-standing partnerships with Regenstrief Institute for informatics and health care research in Indianapolis.

Clinical Trials

People with high-risk pregnancies can participate in clinical trials with IU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Laboratories

The division supports a perinatal epigenetics research laboratory, which conducts translational research in gene-environment interactions that affect fetal development, maternal health and postnatal health trajectories. It also provides an obstetric clinical pharmacology lab with space and resources for basic and translational study techniques for therapeutics in pregnant people.

PREGMED Program

An important component of the division’s obstetrical research is the Pharmacogenetics and Therapeutics Research in Maternal and Child Health (PREGMED) program. As one of the initial IU Indianapolis Signature Centers and later supported by NIH funding, PREGMED focuses on developing personalized therapeutic approaches for pregnant women and children using analytic, genomic and computational techniques. The program also includes a one-year research fellowship.

Active Research

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Shelley Dowden, CCRP

This research aims to use reasonable efforts to perform the experiments and studies described in the protocol entitled "A cross-sectional, interventional, exploratory, single-arm clinical study to support the development of a wireless device for antepartum fetal monitoring."

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Ligia Vasquez-Huot

We propose the addition of non-invasive arterial stiffness and wave reflection measurements for a subset of participants in nuMoM2b-HHS2. The objective is to compare arterial stiffness and wave reflection between women who did and did not have an adverse pregnancy outcome (APO). We hypothesize that women who had an APO will have higher (worse) arterial stiffness, wave reflection magnitude, and systolic pressure augmentation versus those with no history of APO. An additional goal is to determine if participants with higher arterial stiffness have a more inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteomic profile.

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Kathleen Flannery

This study will measure biological and epigenetic biomarkers from mother-baby pairs to assess the extent of prenatal GBH pesticide exposures in pregnant Midwestern Women and associations with adverse reproductive outcomes and the developing child. Epigenetic biomarkers may also be measured to assess paternal exposure effects further.

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Ligia Vasquez-Huot

The overarching scientific goal of the nuMoM2b-HHS is to define the relationship between adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) and CVD to optimize CVD prediction, prevention, and treatment strategies for women. Continued follow-up of this cohort, building on a foundation of existing high-quality data, biospecimens, and administrative structures with a robust framework for ancillary study development and implementation, provides a unique opportunity to address knowledge gaps regarding the early mechanisms and trajectory of CVD in women.

Principal Investigator: Hiba Mustafa, MD

Coordinator: Rachel Tullar

This study aims to investigate the hypothesis that delivery at 35 0/7- 35 6/7 weeks in stable patients with gastroschisis is superior to observation and expectant management with a goal of delivery at 38 0/7 - 38 6/7 weeks. We will complete a randomized, prospective, multi-institutional trial across NAFTNet-affiliated institutions to test this hypothesis. Patients may be enrolled in the study any time before 33 weeks but will be randomized at 33 weeks to delivery at 35 weeks or observation with a goal of 38 weeks. The primary composite outcome will include stillbirth, neonatal death before discharge, respiratory morbidity and the need for parenteral nutrition at 30 days.

Principal Investigator: Christina Scifres, MD

Coordinator: Sarah Oswalt

The expected outcome of this study is high-quality evidence of the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of intensive glycemic targets in reducing adverse perinatal outcomes among overweight and obese women with GDM. If proven effective, the use of intensive glycemic targets in overweight and obese women with GDM will have a significant positive impact on the health of these high-risk women and their infants.  

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Ligia Vasquez-Huot

The overall goal of this study is to capitalize on an ongoing, multi-ethnic cohort study, the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be Heart Health Study, to determine whether adverse pregnancy outcomes and angiogenic imbalance are associated with brain MRI markers of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias, 10-15 years after pregnancy.

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Haley Schmidt

The primary objectives of this project include understanding the interplay between molecular, genetic and clinical factors related to adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), developing a method for accurately assessing APOs well before they occur, and developing a method for collecting additional clinical data in routine treatment of at-risk subjects.

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Hannah Shockley

This unique study of the well-characterized CHAP cohort will inform and complement the primary study concerning the long-term effects of antihypertensive therapy and preeclampsia in the children of pregnant women with mild CHTN. The findings will promote the prevention and mitigation of neurodevelopmental and growth risks to offspring, as well as other cardio-metabolic risks.

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Brittany Yeley

In this collaborative CTSA project, we propose to overcome the translational barriers by developing an innovative perioperative precision analgesia platform (PPAP) to reduce serious adverse outcomes of opioids and improve the safety of opioids in 1) children undergoing painful surgery and 2) nursing mothers and their infants.

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Hannah Shockley

This follow-up study of the well-characterized CHAP cohort will define the impact of preeclampsia and antihypertensive treatment during pregnancy on long-term risk for maternal cardiovascular outcomes and assess the predictive role of factors included in the ASCVD risk score for women aged <40 years. These results will help identify optimal blood pressure preventive strategies to enhance the long-term health of reproductive-aged women with CHTN.

Principal Investigator: Christina Scifres, MD

Coordinator: Sarah Oswalt

The goal of PRAM-T1D is to collect real-world data on strategies currently employed by pregnant individuals with T1D in the United States to manage their disease and assess glycemic and pregnancy outcomes associated with these strategies, with a particular focus on the use of diabetes technology. 

Principal Investigator: David Haas, MD

Coordinator: Ligia Vasquez-Huot

The study aims to define the relationship and biological pathways between adverse pregnancy outcomes and subclinical cardiovascular disease.

Principal Investigator: Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds, MD, MPH

Coordinator: Shelley Hoffman

Pregnant people in Indiana experience mortality and morbidity at rates that significantly outpace the national average. Of the reviewed pregnancy-related deaths in Indiana in 2020, the Indiana State Department of Health determined 87% of these to be preventable. Indiana data suggests using additional pregnancy healthcare specialists, such as doulas, could reduce these rates. Birth doulas are trained to provide physical, emotional, and educational support to birthing people during the prenatal period, labor, birth and immediately postpartum.