OB-GYN Research Highlights
from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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October 2026
OB-GYN Research Highlights is a quarterly publication showcasing the breadth and impact of research across the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Our research community brings together investigators from basic science, clinical research, and the Nebraska Center for Women’s Health to advance discovery and improve health outcomes for women.
Our researchers are pursuing innovative approaches to some of the most pressing challenges in women’s health: from understanding and improving outcomes related to postpartum hypertension and reducing the risks associated with taking medicines in pregnancy, to investigating how environmental exposures disrupt female reproductive health, to advancing fertility and reproductive health, to uncovering the biological mechanisms that drive cancer development.
In this edition of OB-GYN Research Highlights, we recognize the accomplishments and contributions of our research community, including presentations and posters at national and international conferences, newly funded research, and faculty and staff awards. Together, these achievements reflect the depth, collaboration, and translational impact of research across our department.
We invite you to explore this edition and learn more about the research, discoveries, and our people advancing women’s health through science and innovation.
| | John S. Davis, PhD
Professor and Director of Research and Development, Olson Center for Women's Health | | |
Save the Date
Nebraska Center for Women's Health Research Annual Symposium
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026 | 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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International Federation of Placenta Associations (IFPA) annual conference
September 1-4, 2026
Kamakura, Japan
The IFPA meeting brings together global clinicians, scientists, and early-career researchers to study the placenta in health and disease.
Mona Al-Mugotir, PhD, presented her work titled "Defining Basal DDR-Kinase Signaling Networks that Regulate Human Trophoblast Invasion".
Kajal Kamra, PhD, presented her poster "Differential Expression of Placenta and Fetal Brain Nutrient Transporters in Pregnant Rats Exposed to Oxycodone and Melatonin".
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Awards & Recognitions
Lynda Harris, PhD, and Mona Al-Mugotir, PhD, are being recognized by UNeMed for their New Invention Disclosure titled "Presentation-Dependent Targeting Platform for Therapeutic and Imaging Applications".
They received the award at the UNeMed 2026 Innovation Awards ceremony, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, at the Scott Conference Center.
Dr. Al-Mugotir, also received the Outsanding Poster Award at the 2026 Child Research Institue mini-summit. The theme of UNMC's mini-summit was "Bridging the Divide: Adult and Pediatric Brain Tumors". Dr. Mugotir's winning poster was titled "Targeting Tissue-Selective Biology for Precision Therapeutics".
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Isaac Adediji has received the Society for the Study of Reproduction's (SSR) Trainee Travel Award. The competitive trainee travel award recognizes and supports trainee researchers participating in its annual scientific meeting.
| | | Kendra Clark, PhD, was invited to speak at the VA ORD CyberSeminar Series in August. Dr. Clark presented "Career Development Awards in Military Exposures Research: Lessons from successful CDA-2 applicants". | | | Lynda Harris, PhD, has received a UNMC 2026 Distinguished Scientist Award. The award is given to research leaders with a history of significant national funding and scholarly activity. Dr. Harris will be recognized for her research contributions at the Distinguished Scientist Award ceremony on Oct. 29. | |  | Michele Plewes, PhD, has received a UNMC 2026 New Investigator Award. The award is given to investigators who have received their first independent national funding. Dr. Plewes will be recognized at the Distinguished Scientist Award ceremony on Oct. 29. | | | | |
UNMC Graduate Studies Research Fellowship
Congratulations to Bunmi Owolabi for receiving the UNMC Graduate Studies Research Fellowship!
Awardees must be enrolled full-time in a PhD-granting program at UNMC, must be selected by permanent supervisor, be in good academic standing (>3.0 GPA), and must have completed at least 12 months as a full-time degree-seeking PhD student at the time of application.
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Michele Plewes, PhD
Project Title: Mechanistic and Predictive Approaches to Support Ovarian Health in Aging Women
Project Dates: July 2026 - June 2030
Total Award Amount: $800,000
Project Title: Hormonal Regulation of Hippo Signaling in the Corpus Luteum
Project Dates: Sept. 30, 2026 - Sept. 29, 2026
Total Award Amount: $600,000
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Lynda Harris, PhD
Project Title: Making Healthy Babies: Holistic Evaluation and Optimization of Targeted Nanomedicines to Treat Placental Dysfunction in Common Pregnancy Complications
Project Dates: Sept. 1, 2026 - Aug. 31, 2031
Total Award Amount: $2,930,431
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Grant Submissions
Rasha Gorab, MS
Proposal Title: PFAS Disruption of Ovarian Vascular-Endocrine Signaling as a Female-Specific Pathway to Cardiometabolic Risk
Funding Opportunity: AHA Predoctoral Fellowship
Amount Requested: $71,828
Rasha Gorab, MS
Proposal Title: PFAS in Ovarian Follicular Fluid and Women’s Reproductive Outcomes
Funding Opportunity: AAUW International Fellowship
Amount Requested: $25,000
| | 2026 UNMC Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)
Poster Symposium | | Adamary Ramirez-Bueno
Poster Title: Environmental PFAS Mixtures Alter Cisplatin Sensitivity in Three-Dimensional Ovarian Cancer Spheroids
Co-Authors: Changyong Lee and Kendra Clark | | |
Frances Parker
Poster Title: Characterizing Steroid Hormone Production in the Human Placenta
Co-Authors: Pegah Nouri Mousa, Christianah Aloba, Isaac Adediji, Rachel Reith, John S. Davis and Lynda Harris
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Sree Muthu
Poster Title: SREBP as a Metabolic Regulator of Steroidogenesis, Luteinization, and Granulosa Cell Function
Co-Authors: Bunmi Owolabi, William Snyder, Elizabeth Vink, Robyn Moses, Michele Plewes
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Liz Vink
Poster Title: The Metabolic Shift Post-Luteinization in Bovine Antral Granulosa and Theca Cells
Co-Authors: Robyn Moses and John S. Davis
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Society for the Study of Reproduction Annual Meeting
July 19-22, 2026
Indianapolis
As the largest professional society for reproductive biology research globally, SSR holds a three to five-day Annual Meeting each year, welcoming an estimated more than 1,000 researchers and clinicians for educational sessions and networking opportunities.
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Kendra Clark, PhD, gave a poster presentation titled "Characterization of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Human Follicular Fluid from an Assisted Reproduction Cohort in Omaha, Nebraska".
Co-Authors: J Taiba, N Balu, AC Castillo, RG Barakat, C Lee, A Chen, S Gustin, E Constance, John S. Davis, JE Bell
Kendra Clark, PhD, presented "Adolescent PFAS exposure and the ovary: From lasting dysfunction to cell-type-specific responses".
| | Changyong Lee, PhD, presented his poster titled "Kaempferol Partially Mitigates PFDA-Induced Disruption of Estrous Cyclicity and Ovarian Steroidogenic Regulation in Female Mice".
Co-Authors: Rasha Attia Barakat Ghorab, Kendra Clark | | Navya Prabhu Basrur, PhD, presented her poster titled "Aging Alters FSH-Responsive Chromatin Accessibility and Transcriptional Control in Granulosa Cells".
Co-Authors: Dipanwita Das, Rachel Reith, John S. Davis | | |
Susmita Barman, PhD, gave a presentation titled "Mapping the Ovarian MASTL/AGC-Kinase Landscape to Advance Cell-Cycle–Based Contraceptive Strategies".
Co-Authors: Dipanwita Das, Andrea Cupp, John S. Davis
Robyn Moses, PhD, gave a presentation titled "TGFβ Drives Senescence in Luteinized Granulosa Cells and Reduces Progesterone Production".
Co-Authors: Eleanor Olive, Michele Plewes, Andrea Cupp, John S. Davis
Rachel Reith, PhD, gave a presentation titled "Role of Long Non-Coding RNA in Ovarian Aging".
Co-Authors: Dipanwita Das, Kendra Clark, Nagasundaram Nagarajan, Michele Plewes, Fang Qiu, Chittitbabu Guda, John S. Davis
Dipanwita Das, gave an oral presentation titled "Integration of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq Reveals Epigenetic Reprogramming Associated with Cholesterol–Lipid Metabolism in Granulosa Cells in Poor IVF Responders".
Co-Authors: Rachel Reith, Ailenn Castillo, Susmita Barman, Stephanie Gustin, Elizabeth Constance, Michele Plewes, John S. Davis
Isaac Adediji presented "Melatonin Co-administration Partially Rescues Fetal Growth Restriction but Not Fetoplacental Stress Signatures in a Rate Model of Prenatal Oxycodone Exposure".
Co-Authors: Pegah Nouri Mousa, Hager Kowash, Kajal Kamra, Christianah Aloba, Victoria Schaal, Gurudutt Pendyala, Lynda Harris
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23rd World Congress in Fetal Medicine
June 28 - July 2, 2026
Vienna, Austria
The 23rd World Congress in Fetal Medicine took place at the Austria Center Vienna in Vienna, Austria. The event focused on latest clinical developments, fetal surgery (gastroschisis, CDH, spina bifida), artificial intelligence in maternal-fetal medicine, fetal echocardiography, neurosonography, and preeclampsia research.
Sarosh Rana, MD, gave an oral presentation titled "Clinical and Systemic Predictors of Maternal and Perinatal Mortality in Eclampsia: The Role of Seizure‑to‑Admission Delay and Community‑Based Monitoring".
Co-Authors: Mridula Ghotane, Michelle Pieters, Santiago Ortiz Barragan, Tamkin Rabbani
Dr. Rana also presented "STAMPP‑HTN: Scaling a Postpartum Hypertension Program Through Implementation Science".
Co-Authors: Santiago Ortiz Barragan, Mridula Ghotane, Michelle Pieters, Elizabeth Reisher, Nisha Karki, Jerrod Anzalone, Kirsten Hepburn, Rebecca Rimsza, Neil Hamill, Melissa Buman, Brian Sims, Sajid Shahul, Sarosh Rana
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4th Annual Medical Student Showcase
August 21, 2026
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The showcase highlights the research and scholarly work of UNMC medical students, featuring poster presentations across a variety of biomedical, clinical and educational topics.
Holly Robinson presented "Performance of the sFlt-1/PlGF Ratio for Predicting Preeclampsia with Severe Features in Inpatient Versus Outpatient Settings at Nebraska Medicine".
Co-Authors: Michelle Pieters, Mridula Ghotane, Santiago Ortiz Barragan, Rebecca Rimsza, Sarosh Rana
Morgan Baker Korthals presented "Validating Published Trial of Labor After Cesarean Prediciton Models in a Midwest Cohort".
Quinlan Couch presented "Assessing the Degree and Implications of Period Poverty Among Omaha Adolescents".
Zoe Keese presented "Prenatal Education Needs and Preferences by Educational Attainment Among Pregnant Patients".
Sydni Springer presented "Association Between Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Objectively Measured Pulmonary Function".
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Congratulations to Lindsey McAlarnen, MD, for being featured in an article for Women's Health magazine.
Women's Health article
| | | Other Poster Presentations | | |
Santiago Ortiz Barragan, MD, presented at the Society Maternal Fetal Medicine Global Congress in Utrecht, Netherlands, in October. His presentation was titled "Diagnostic Performance of sFlt-1/PlGF Biomarker Following Implementation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center".
Co-Authors: Mridula Ghotane, Michelle Pieters, Holly Robinson, Abby Stevens, Rebecca Rimsza, Sarosh Rana
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Rasha Gorab, MS, presented her poster "Single-Nucleus RNA-seq Reveals Cell-Type-Specific Transcriptional Alterations in the Ovary After Adolescent Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Mixture Exposure" at the UNMC Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology Research Day in September.
Co-Authors: B. Nolan, Changyong Lee, JW George, MJ Rowley, Kendra Clark
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Devashri Ghandi, PhD, gave a presentation at the Rocky Mountain Reproductive Symposium at Colorado State University in May. Her presentation was titled "Time Resolved Integration of Multi-Omics layers of PGF2a Action in Bovine Corpus Luteum".
Co-Authors: Emilia Przygrodzka, Mamunur Rashid, Daryl Murry, Renee McFee, Andrea Cupp, Michele Plewes, John S. Davis
Dr. Ghandi also presented this work at the International Society of Computational Biology (ISCB) and the Student Research Symposium in Omaha.
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Isaac Adediji gave an oral presentation titled "Delineating the Effects of Melatonin on Prenatal Oxycodone-Induced Fetal Growth Restriction and Activation of the Integrated Stress Response" at the Rocky Mountain Reproductive Symposium.
Christianah Aloba gave a poster presentation titled "Can we utilize a placental homing peptide to target the ovarian vasculature?" at the Rocky Mountain Reproductive Symposium.
Kajal Kamra, PhD, gave a poster presentation titled "Differential Expression of Placenta Nutrient Transporters in Pregnant Rats Exposed to Oxycodone and Melatonin" at the Rocky Mountain Reproductive Symposium.
Robyn Moses, PhD, presented at the Gordon Research Conference and Seminar on Mammalian Reproduction in Newry, Maine, in August. Her oral presentation was titled "Luteinization Signals Increase Lactate Synthesis and Export in Bovine Granulosa Cells".
Co-Authors: Rachel Reith, Elizabeth Vink, Ailenn Castillo, Michele Plewes, Andrea Cupp, John S. Davis
| | | Nick Lowe, MD, gave an oral presentation at the CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., in February. Dr Lowe’s project, under the supervision of Dr. Neil Hamill, included OB-GYN Residents at UNMC that participated in the inaugural PULSE program in May. Pre and post-surveys were obtained from PULSE participants prior to and after completing the weeklong PULSE program including self-rated and attending-rated improvement in ultrasound abilities. Dr. Lowe found that the PULSE program significantly increased resident confidence in performing ultrasound and documenting ultrasound exams in the medical record. | | | |
A Non-Randomized Prospective Clinical Trial Comparing the Non-Inferiority of Salpingectomy to Salpingo-Oophorectomy to Reduce the Risk of Ovarian Cancer Among BRCA1 Carriers
A Randomized Phase III Trial of Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Pembrolizumab versus Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Bevacizumab versus Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, Pembrolizumab and Bevacizumab in the Treatment of pMMR, TP53 Mutated Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer
A Phase III Trial of One vs Two Years of Maintenance Olaparib, with or without Bevacizumab, in Patients with BRCA1/2 Mutated or Homologous Recombination Deficient (HRD+) Ovarian Cancer Following Response to First Line Platinum-Based Chemotherapy
A Phase III Study of Induction Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Followed by Chemoradiation and Pembrolizumab versus Chemoradiation and Pembrolizumab, Both Followed by Pembrolizumab, for High Risk Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
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A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label, Multicenter Study of Sacituzumab Tirumotecan (sac-TMT, MK-2870) Maintenance Treatment With or Without Bevacizumab Versus Standard of Care in Participants With Newly Diagnosed Advanced HRD-Negative Ovarian Cancer Following First-line Platinum-based Chemotherapy
A Phase 2/3, Multicenter, Randomized Study of Raludotatug Deruxtecan (R-DXd), a CDH6-directed Antibody-drug Conjugate, in Subjects with Platinum-resistant, High-grade Ovarian, Primary Peritoneal, or Fallopian Tube Cancer
A Phase III Trial of the Impact of Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping on Patient Reported Lower Extremity Limb Dysfunction in Endometrial Cancer
Validation of whole blood sFLT-1 Lateral-flow assay (LFA) in women with suspected preeclampsia (POC Gravidas)
Placenta for Preeclampsia Therapeutics (Placenta Therapeutics)
Biomarkers Registry for Investigating Data and Guiding Evaluation in Preeclampsia (BRIDGE Study)
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UNMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
983255 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-3255
Phone: 402-559-4405
Website
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