Pregnancy stands at the interface of mechanics and biology. The Pregnancy Research & Engineering Group focuses on understanding how soft tissues grow, remodel, and adapt during pregnancy. Specifically, we are interested in how hormonal and mechanical signaling interact to drive this critical process to support a healthy pregnancy. We use a combination of experimental and computational approaches from biomechanics and computational systems biology to understand these interactions.
We currently focus on the growth and remodeling of the pregnant patient's heart and uterus. We aim to help reduce the rates of heart problems during pregnancy and preterm birth by first understanding pregnancy, then applying our knowledge to develop and guide new therapies to diagnose and treat pregnancy-related complications.