Our Partners

Led by Dr. Kristen Myers, The Myers Soft Tissue Lab is a part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University, where they study the material behavior of biological soft tissues with a specific focus on the female reproductive system. The lab has made great strides in the development of a 3-D digital twin of a woman’s uterus and cervix, helping to better understand how a woman’s body changes in pregnancy so doctors can better predict why and when labor may start early. Their driving clinical motivation is to uncover the structural antecedents of preterm birth.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Dr. Ivan Rosado-Mendez studies the structure of cervical tissue through physics, examining how light and sound waves visible through an ultrasound machine can help us understand the makeup of the cervix. Applying physics to existing ultrasound technology allows us to determine the characteristics of the cervix without additional testing during pregnancy. In partnership with GE Healthcare, we are now working to turn hypotheses from the lab into patient care solutions in a clinical setting.

We work with Dr. Tal Korem and the Korem Lab at Columbia University to support the next phase of research examining the link between changes in the microbiome during pregnancy – the most stressful test a woman’s body can undergo – and preterm birth. Infection is a known cause of preterm birth and stillbirth, but the interaction between the cervix and natural or introduced bacteria is still largely unknown. Better understanding of how the microbiome works during pregnancy will help us improve the next generation of interventions and inform the use of a digital twin to identify high risk factors.

The University of Utah’s Stillbirth Center of Excellence is a leader in research and clinical care. In partnership with U of U, we work to reduce stillbirth rates and drive patient-centered care for loss families and NICU families. The University of Utah supports patients experiencing high-risk pregnancies and trains health care teams to integrate a patient-first approach across all touchpoint

The U.S. Pregnancy After Loss Network is a national partnership dedicated to improving care, research, and outcomes for families with a history of loss. Inspired by the work of Professor Alex Heazell in the UK, the USPAL Network was founded by three leading U.S-based maternal-fetal medicine clinicians, Dr. Joanne Stone, Dr. Uma Reddy and Dr. Bob Silver, and two non-profit leaders, Fernanda Sheridan and Brittney Crystal. The USPAL Network partners collaboratively to align and advance best practices for patient-centered care while also sharing clinical data that will drive critical research.