Research within the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital is informed by our commitment to excellence and innovation for all women’s health care issues and our highly collaborative culture.
Because of our extensive regional partnerships and clinical prominence in providing general and subspecialty care to a growing and diverse patient population, we are well-positioned to expand innovative research focusing on health and wellness promotion for women from diverse social and economic backgrounds.
We are home to a Research Seed Grant program and work with regional partners to launch initiatives to improve perinatal outcomes.
Research Division Director
Jennifer Bickhaus, M.D., is our research division director.
Her vision for the department is to build on the broad range of faculty research interests and activities in collaboration with our University, community and hospital partners to promote translational research at the interface between community contexts, clinical care and quality improvement with a focus on improving health outcomes.
Research Interests and Activities
Research interests and current activities are listed by faculty members below. Collaborative projects appear under the name of the principal investigator.
Professor
Research interests:
- Prematurity; hypertensive disorder; ultrasound; labor and delivery; risk management.
Current research activity:
- Clinical Evaluation of the Actim Partus Test SQNM-T21-305 Noninvasive In Vitro Diagnostic
- Test for Fetal Aneuploidy: Assay Development & Optimization in Affected Pregnancies
- SQNM-T21-107: Collection Blood Specimens Pregnant Women at Increased Risk for Fetal Chromosomal Aneuploidy for Use in Development of the SEQureDx(TM) Trisomy 21 Test
- Obstetric, Maternal, and Fetal Variables Influencing the Survival of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants (as defined by a birth weight of 1000 grams or less)
- Using the weight of sponges and laparotomy pads as well as analysis of the collection canister to better quantify estimated blood loss in Obstetrics
- Factors influencing compliance with a stepwise sequential screening process
- Urinary incontinence
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Pelvic reconstruction surgery
- Pelvic pain
Assistant professor and biostatistician
Research interests:
- Impact of gestational weight gain on maternal and neonatal outcomes in obese women; developing predictive models, risk scores, and screening tools for maternal and neonatal outcomes; concurrent studies of the risk patterns of diabetes and depression; intrafamilial risk of Type I diabetes mellitus; etiologies of Type I diabetes mellitus.
Instructor
Research interests:
- Maternal glucose response to steroids administered for fetal lung maturity; barometric pressure and rupture of membranes in St. Louis, Mo.; gestational diabetes
- Effects of steroid administration of maternal glucose levels.
Professor and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Research interests:
- Medical complications of pregnancy: Means to reduce risk of deep venous thrombosis, peripartum infection, back pain; Evidence-based medicine comprehension; and Mechanism of pre-term labor, IUGR.
- Correlation between fetal lung maturity and the presence of the proximal humeral epiphysis
- Maternal and fetal copper levels in cholestasis of pregnancy
- Treatment utility of postpartum antibiotics in chorioamnionitis study
- The effect of a barrier self-retaining retractor in obese patients undergoing Cesarean Section
Adjunct associate professor
Current research activity:
- Vulvodynia
- Recurrent yeast infections
Associate professor
Current research activity:
- Recurrent candidiasis and vulvodynia, vulvar disease.
- Vulvodynia
- Effect of vestibulectomy in the treatment of intractable vulvodynia
Professor
Research interests:
- Minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, including laparoscopic hysterectomy, myomectomy, robotic surgery and operative hysteroscopy; Abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, postmenopausal bleeding, dysmenorrhea and alternatives to hysterectomy, menopause, Resident and medical student education.
- Does the use of a disposable, ultrasonic energy source save time and therefore costs when performing laparoscopic hysterectomies?
- Factors that predict difficulty of laparoscopic hysterectomy
Professor
Research interests:
- Pelvic floor dysfunction, conservative treatment of incontinence and prolapse and constipation. Peripheral sacral neuromodulation for urge incontinence, voiding dysfunction and pelvic pain. Lumbosacral dysfunction associated with pelvic pain. Treatment of interstitial cystitis, myofascial pain. Treatment of overactive bladder.
Associate professor and director of the Division of Research
Research interests:
- Current PI on two Missouri Foundation for Health-funded research projects: Salud de Nuestra Población, a mixed methods needs and strengths assessment of the region’s Latino population and understanding the financial components of obtaining care from a system and health literacy perspective. Also extensive interest/experience in community/university research partnerships. health services and policy research; medically underserved populations; community-based participatory research
- Qualitative Interviews of LIFE Pilot Participants
- Impact of clinical pharmacy services on asthma in pregnancy in a maternal-fetal care outpatient clinic Through Casa De Salud
- Salud de Nuestra Poblacion mixed methods needs assessment Understanding the Financial Components of Obtaining Care from a System and Health Literacy Perspective
Assistant professor
Research interests:
- Management of abnormal pap smears, colposcopy and cervical dysplasi. Database to collect information form colposcopy clinic
- Outcomes of maternal hypertension and diabetes.
Professor and interim chair of the Division of Gynecologic Sub-Specialties, director of the urogynecology section and director of the residency program.
Research interests:
- Voiding dysfunction after midurethral sling, cystoscopic findings in patients with prolapse, and incontinence compared to those with pain, resident education, different techniques for tension free slings, role of hydro distension and interstitial cystitis, role of estrogen in interstitial cystitis.
Associate professor
Research interests:
- Innovations and improvements in the management of diabetes in pregnancy: glucose response after steroids for lung maturation, insulin dosing in pregnancy, and Text4diabetes study; Inter-pregnancy weight change and risks of complications; Randomized trial of metoclopramide and diphenhydramine for the treatment of headache in pregnancy; Outcomes research using population databases.
- Adherence to a Diabetes Care Regimen Following Text Message Intervention in Pregnant Women with Diabetes
- MAD Headache Review: a Retrospective Analysis of the use of Metoclopramide and Diphenhydramine for the Treatment of Headaches in the Obstetric Patient.
- The effect of steroids for fetal lung maturity on maternal glucose levels Metoclopramide and Diphenhydramine: A cost-effective treatment for headache in pregnancy when acetaminophen alone is ineffective (MAD headache study)
Assistant professor
Research interests:
- Gynecologic ultrasound and family planning. Endometrial strip in women with and without abnormal uterine bleeding. Postmenopausal women. Abnormal pap smears.
Associate professor
Research interests:
- Gynecological issues in females affected by an ectodermal dysplasia syndrome. Consultant member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasis. Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Gynecologic Care for Special Needs population. Musculoskeletal causes of abdominal and pelvic pain.
Assistant professor
Research interests:
- Developing Tdap guidelines for pregnancy and then evaluating uptake among clinicians. Venofer use in antepartum and postpartum period. Vaccines in pregnancy; intravenous iron; antepartum; postpartum
Assistant professor
Current research activity:
- Vulvovaginitis: Candida species distribution and prevalence at Saint Louis University Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate professor
Research Interests:
- A prospective evaluation of the relationship of cervical length with latency to labor and risk of infection in women with PROM is underway. This study is ongoing with almost half of the recruitment complete. In development is a project evaluating neonatal and maternal outcomes for women with narcotic addiction based on narcotic agent used for maintenance, buprenorphine versus methadone. Narcotic addiction
- Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Curves in Early Pregnancy and Reproductive Outcome
- Cervical length and the prediction of latency in preterm premature rupture of membranes
Professor
Research interests:
- Simulation and education; maternal medical disease in pregnancy, genetics, applications of technology in medicine, patient quality.
- A retrospective review of patients presenting with vaginal mesh complications requiring surgical excision, evaluating for surgical outcomes and complications
Professor and director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology/Fertility
Research interests:
- Infertility treatments, polycystic ovarian syndrome, abnormal uterine bleeding and hirsutism. Medical student education. Am on both IRB committees and serve on the SSM cooperate IRB.
Associate professor and director of the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research interests:
- Correlation of resident vs. formal ultrasounds; self-retaining retractor and impact on infection rates. Infectious disease; medical student education
- Concordance rates of Resident performed Ultrasound Measurements and Formal Ultrasound Reports in an Obstetric Triage Area
- Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Curves in early pregnancy and Reproductive Outcome
Assistant professor
Research interests:
- Outcomes after laser excision surgery for endometriosis including pain, quality of life and fertility; Creating a prospective database and tissue bank, used to further our understanding of the prediction and progression of endometriosis; Development of a non-invasive screening tool and diagnostic test for early-stage endometriosis; Vice Chair of the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS) Research Consortium - a multi-center network for performing high-quality research, and member of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF).
- Using a novel, systematic approach and proteomics to develop a non-invasive diagnostic test for early-stage endometriosis
- Does “aggressivity” of endometriosis correlate to clinical history or outcomes?
- Characteristics of patient population with endometriosis – a prospective database
Professor and director of the Division of Gynecologic Sub-Specialties
Research interests:
- Gynecologic breast cancers and complex gynecologic surgery. Breast cancers; complex gynecologic surgery
Assistant professor
Research interests:
- Establish a laparoscopic training module for residents and students to improve their surgical skills. Complex gynecological surgery.