Pregnancy, Placenta, and Preeclampsia
Exploring the human placenta to improve maternal and child health
Virginia D. Winn, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University, the Director of Reproductive, Stem Cell and Perinatal Biology at Stanford School of Medicine's Ob/Gyn department, and the Program Director for the Stanford Women’s Reproductive Health Research (K12) Program. Dr. Winn received both her PhD training and medical education from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (in 1994 and 1996 respectively.) She completed her residency (Obstetrics and Gynecology) and fellowship (Maternal-Fetal Medicine) at UCSF. She received research training through the NIH-funded Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP) and Women's Reproductive Health Research Program. Dr. Winn was on faculty at University of Colorado and from 2006 to 2014 leading a basic and translational NIH-funded research program. Dr. Winn has been at Stanford since 2014 building the perinatal research and serves in leadership roles both within the Maternal Child and Health Research Institute (MCHRI) and the Dunlevie MFM Center for Discovery, Innovation and Clinical Impact. She is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal and Fetal Medicine from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Her lab seeks to understand the unique biological mechanisms of human placentation. While the placenta itself is one of the key characteristics for defining mammals, the human placenta differs in significant ways from most available animal models: it is one of the most invasive placentas, and results in the formation of an organ comprised of cells from both the fetus and the mother. In addition to this fascinating chimerism, fetal cells are deeply involved in the remodeling of the maternal vasculature in order to redirect large volumes of maternal blood to the placenta to support the developing fetus. As such, the investigation of this human organ covers a large array of biological processes, and deals not only with understanding its endocrine function, but the physiologic process of immune tolerance, vascular remodeling, and cellular invasion.
As a physician scientist, Dr. Winn’s ultimate goal is to see this knowledge translate to improved clinical care resulting in healthier mothers and babies. Her lab uses a combination of molecular, cellular, tissue, and translational studies to uncover human placental biology and how it impacts pregnancy health.
Dr. Winn is a member of the Dunlevie Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center for Discovery, Innovation and Clinical Impact, the Maternal and Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI), the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (CVI), and BioX. She is a recipient of the MCHRI Arline & Pete Harman Faculty Scholar award, and is currently a H&H Evergreen Scholar.
Honoring Arnold Pedersen, PhD (1944-2025)
Stanford mourns pioneering stem cell researcher Dr. Roger Arnold Pedersen, whose four-decade career advanced regenerative medicine through discoveries like epiblast stem cells and transformative contributions to infertility and birth defect research.
Accomplishments
- Xixi Plummer, MD, PhD, Yanming Wu, MD, PhD, Purnima Iyer, PhD, and Virginia D. Winn, MD, PhD received the President’s Presenter Award for their oral presentation “Preeclamptic and Normotensive iPSC-Derived Endothelial Cells Have Distinct Responses to Maternal Circulating Factors” at the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI) 2025 Meeting.
- Shilpi Sehgal, MD, and Virginia D. Winn, MD, PhD, presented the poster “Sex-Specific Placental Transcriptome Differ by Placental Region in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy" at the SRI 2025 Meeting.
- Virginia D. Winn, MD, PhD, Wendy Zhang, PhD, Elizabeth Sherwin, MPH, Purnima Iyer, PhD, Shilpi Sehgal, PhD, Xixi Plummer, MD, PhD, and Ruth Lathi, MD, presented the poster “What accounts for the increased risk of HDP seen with donor and autologous egg IVF pregnancies?" at the SRI 2025 Meeting
Events
Uplifting Innovation at Stanford OB/GYN’s Basic and Translational Science Retreat
The 2025 Basic and Translational Science Retreat brought together over 50 researchers to share cutting-edge work, honor legacy, and spark new collaborations in reproductive science.
Funding and Support
We would like to thank the numerous participants of our studies over the years. he research conducted by Winn Lab is supported through grants, awards, and funders.
- Waxman Preeclampsia Fund
- Arline and Pete Harman
- H&H Evergreen
