Student

Katherine obtained her bachelor's degree from Xavier University in 2011. Currently a graduate student in the lab, Katherine is working to further the understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating parturition. Her project focuses on the function of inverted Formin-2 (INF2) in pregnancy and how its dysregulation may contribute to preterm birth.

Research Fellow

Heather conducted her graduate studies at The University of Iowa in the Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, working on the molecular mechanisms of aneuploidy and completed her PhD in 2014. Her current projects focus on examining the regulatory pathways of parturition/preterm birth and trophoblast differentiation. Other research interests include: placental evolution and development, molecular diagnostics, and environmental impacts on the human genome and disease.

Student

Caitlin received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington in 2011. She is a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at the University of Cincinnati. Her project focuses on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a placental hormone associated with birth timing. She is interested in the evolution and regulation of CRH expression by endogenous retroviral elements.

Clinical Fellow

Melissa obtained her bachelor's degree in molecular genetics at The Ohio State University in 2007. She completed medical school also at Ohio State in 2011, followed by her pediatrics residency at Children’s National Medical Center/George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is currently a clinical fellow in Neonatology at Cincinnati Children's, and will be completing her training in 2017. Her primary project involves investigation of the genetic influences on preterm birth through genome wide association studies and whole exome sequencing. Melissa is also investigating subclinical pathogens/infection and their role in preterm birth. She is involved in recruitment, interviewing, and sample collection for the FETAL (Family and Environment in Timing for Abnormal Labor) study.

Visiting Researcher

Johanna obtained her PhD degree from the University of Oulu, Finland in 2014. She recently joined the lab for a one-year postdoctoral research period. Her research interests are focused on studying the genetic background of preterm birth with a special emphasis on families affected with recurrent preterm births in multiple generations.

Research Associate

Research Assistant III

Amrita obtained her MS in chemistry from the Calcutta University, India and joined the Muglia Lab group in January 2012. Amrita has been involved in pluripotent stem cell research in the cardiac system has also investigated role of degeneration and regeneration of peripheral nervous system post injury. She will use her expertise to explore the role of signaling pathways related to preterm birth and stress responses.

Student

Xuzhe is a graduate student in the Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program. A native of China, she is studying the role of novel placental genes unique to mammals for their role in control of the timing for birth.

Student

Sandra received her bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at the University of Cincinnati. Her project focuses on studying how progesterone and glucocorticoid receptors in the amygdala regulate maternal responses to stress during the postpartum period.