Dr. Roberto Romero is a preeminent leader in obstetrics and perinatal research, currently serving as Chief of the Pregnancy Research Branch and Head of the Program for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics within the Division of Intramural Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He completed his residency and Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Yale University before establishing his distinguished career at the National Institutes of Health. Since founding the Perinatology Research Branch in 1992, Dr. Romero has built a world-class research program dedicated to unraveling the mechanisms of pregnancy complications and improving maternal-fetal outcomes. His leadership has transformed the branch into a multidisciplinary powerhouse integrating clinical research with cutting-edge scientific methodologies to address critical challenges in perinatal medicine.
Dr. Romero's seminal contributions have fundamentally advanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for pregnancy complications worldwide, with his pioneering work establishing new clinical standards for early detection of ectopic pregnancy and prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies. His groundbreaking research demonstrating that progesterone could reduce preterm birth rates by 45 percent in women with a short cervix represented a paradigm shift in preventive obstetrics, directly translating to improved neonatal outcomes for countless mothers and infants. With over 1300 peer-reviewed publications and an impressive h-index of 195 with more than 170,000 citations, his discoveries regarding the role of intra-amniotic infection and inflammation in preterm labor have reshaped scientific understanding of the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. These contributions have not only informed clinical practice guidelines globally but have also catalyzed new research directions in reproductive immunology and placental biology.
As Editor-in-Chief for Obstetrics of the prestigious American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dr. Romero has profoundly influenced the dissemination of knowledge in his field, guiding the publication of research that has transformed maternal and child health outcomes for over a century. His exceptional contributions have been recognized through election to the National Academy of Medicine and receipt of 18 honorary doctorates from universities worldwide, alongside prestigious awards including the Ian Donald Gold Medal and Erich Saling Award. Dr. Romero continues to pioneer innovative approaches through his multidisciplinary team that integrates high-dimensional biology, nanomedicine, and computational analysis to unravel complex mechanisms underlying pregnancy complications. His ongoing work promises to further transform our understanding of fetal development and maternal health through precise biological interventions that could significantly reduce the global burden of preterm birth and other pregnancy-related disorders.
