Applying Pressure to Diagnose Preeclampsia Better and Earlier

Ukachi N. Emeruwa, MD, MPH, is a clinically active Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and a Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Scholar at the University of California, San Diego. A board-certified OB/GYN and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist, she provides care for people with high-risk pregnancies with a particular focus on hypertensive disorders, including preeclampsia and postpartum hypertension.

Dr. Emeruwa’s NIH-funded research centers on improving diagnosis and management of postpartum hypertension through the use of innovative technologies and diagnostics, with an emphasis on advancing equity and reducing disparities. She has led multiple clinical trials, received research grants, and published extensively on maternal health, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and social determinants of health.

She completed her maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at Columbia University, her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s/Massachusetts General Hospital program and earned her medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She also holds a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Global Health and Health Policy from Princeton University.

Professor Weiner is a physician scientist and past Chair of OB-GYN at the Universities of Maryland (1996) and Kansas (2006). He founded one of the first fetal treatment centers in 1984 and has focused on the ‘other’ patient since. In Maryland, he oversaw their designation as National Centers of Excellence for Women’s Health. After his rebuild of Kansas, the Department rose into the top 30 nationally. In 2007, Dr. Weiner became Director of PROMPT (PRactical Obstetric Multi Professional Training) North America, the only course shown to consistently improve L&D outcomes. His laboratory’s discoveries include the demonstration NO synthase was regulated by estrogen and pregnancy, identification of the mechanism chronic fetal hypoxia causes brain damage and how to prevent with maternal therapy, and the development of a plasma cel free (PCF) RNA extraction that increased the total RNA yield by >100x which enabled the discovery / validation of PCF RNAs predictive for several disorders. Dr. Weiner has received multiple patents, including a maternal PCF RNA test at 12-16wks identifying women who will suffer PTB 32wks or less due either to labor, PPROM or early onset preeclampsia. A recipient of >50 extramural grants, he has written >260 peer-reviewed papers and authored 16 textbooks including HIGH RISK PREGNANCY: Management Options (6thEd) and DRUGS FOR PREGNANT AND LACTATING WOMEN (3rdEd).