Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH

Division of Reproductive Sciences

We are often asked, “Why conduct and invest in basic research in a clinical department?” An investment in basic research at the cellular and molecular level provides us with the tools needed to understand diseases that do not yet have a clinical treatment. Where therapies are known and have complications, basic science research is essential to understanding their side effects and how to avoid them.

A significant focus of our basic research program is in seeking to understand the cellular and molecular interactions and functions that are needed to establish a healthy pregnancy to full gestation in both animal and human models. A healthy pregnancy has the greatest benefit to mother, child and society; however, understanding the causes of pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and potential pre-term labor and delivery that result from this condition is essential to developing safe, effective treatments for mother and child.

Our Mission

As an academic institution, our mission is to educate future scientists and physicians in the new world of interdisciplinary and collaborative biomedical research. In particular, for NIH’s (National Institutes of Health) initiative to build interdisciplinary teams to be achieved we must have basic researchers working in clinical departments in order to understand what the clinical problem is at a mechanistic level. Likewise for doctors who are practicing clinical medicine to know what is possible they need to see and understand cutting edge research being done in their own department. We must not overlook the pre- and post-doctoral scholars within our department who are essential to advancing the research mission not only to support work conducted by the faculty Principal Investigator, but also to develop their own career paths through guided mentorship and training. For these reasons, conducting basic research in a clinical department is essential to a healthy and bright future for all women, infants and children.

 UW Ob-Gyn named Preeclampsia Center of Excellence by Preeclampsia Foundation

UW Ob-Gyn named Preeclampsia Center of Excellence by Preeclampsia Foundation

After a highly successful visit from Preeclampsia Foundation CEO Eleni Tsigas in the summer of 2022, the Department of Ob-Gyn was named a Preeclampsia Center of Excellence!In June 2022, Kara Hoppe, DO, MS, associate professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Ian Bird, PhD, professor of Reproductive Sciences, and Derek Boeldt, PhD,... more
 Boeldt earns UPH-Meriter Foundation grant for preeclampsia research

Boeldt earns UPH-Meriter Foundation grant for preeclampsia research

Exciting news from Derek Boeldt, PhD, assistant professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences: he received a UnityPoint Health-Meriter Foundation grant for the project “Developing a Novel Diagnostic Test for the Early Detection of Preeclampsia”!The grant will support a research project that will investigate a n... more
 Abbott published in Fertility and Sterility

Abbott published in Fertility and Sterility

David Abbott, PhD, professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences, co-authored a new publication in Fertility and Sterility!“Randomized clinical trial: effect of low-dose flutamide on abdominal adipogenic function in normal-weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome” shares results from a human clinical trial t... more
 Bird published in Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

Bird published in Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

Congratulations to Ian Bird, PhD, professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Reproductive Sciences, who published a new study in the Journal of Molecular Endocrinology!Bird and postdoctoral scholar Luca Clemente, PhD, published “The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Healthy Pregnancy and Preeclampsia”, which consider evidence f... more
 Congratulations 2022 Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture & Symposium award winners!

Congratulations 2022 Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture & Symposium award winners!

The 2022 UW Women’s Health and Health Equity Research Lecture and Symposium took place on October 20. This annual event brought together healthcare professionals, population health experts and community advocates dedicated to advancing health equity for a busy morning of presentations and poster sessions highlighting research... more