Kjersti M. Aagaard, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Molecular and Cellular Biology

Dr. Aagaard received the award for her work on the effects of in utero exposures on the health of generations of offspring, particularly in the field of obesity. Her widely cited paper on the placental microbiome appeared in the journal Science Translational Medicine and showed that the placenta harbors a rich community of microorganisms, a finding that has implications for normal and abnormal pregnancy outcomes, including premature labor. The work of Dr. Aagaard, a recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in 2007, brings us knowledge that can be clinically applied to improve the health of generations to come.

Dr. Aagaard's nomination was based on the following publications:

Aagaard K, Ma J, Antony KM, Ganu R, Petrosino J, Versalovic J. The placenta harbors a unique microbiome. Sci Transl Med. 2014 May 21;6(237):237ra65. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3008599. PubMed PMID: 24848255.

Harris RA, Tardif SD, Vinar T, Wildman DE, Rutherford JN, Rogers J, Worley KC, Aagaard KM. Evolutionary genetics and implications of small size and twinning in callitrichine primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jan 28;111(4):1467-72. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1316037111. Epub 2013 Dec 30. PubMed PMID: 24379383; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3910650.

Ma J, Prince AL, Bader D, Hu M, Ganu R, Baquero K, Blundell P, Alan Harris R, Frias AE, Grove KL, Aagaard KM. High-fat maternal diet during pregnancy persistently alters the offspring microbiome in a primate model. Nat Commun. 2014 May 20;5:3889. doi: 10.1038/ncomms4889. PubMed PMID: 24846660; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4078997.