Dr. Mary Wallingford's overarching research goal is to advance biomedical knowledge of the placenta and promote the development of early diagnostics and novel therapeutics for disorders of placental dysfunction. Her doctoral training was in the field of mammalian embryonic development in the Mager Lab at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her postdoctoral studies were done in the Giachelli Lab at the University of Washington, where she investigated the role of phosphate transporters in vascular development and disease with support from the NHLBI (T32HL007828) and the NICHD (K99HD090198). A full list of Dr. Wallingford’s publications can be found at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/45347639/.
Dr. Wallingford joined the Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI) in March of 2018 and holds a joint appointment in the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute (MCRI). The research focus of the Wallingford Lab is vascular development and pathophysiology of the least understood human organ: the placenta. The placenta contains highly specialized vasculature that mediates interaction between maternal and fetal circulatory systems during pregnancy. Normal growth and function of the placenta are essential for maternal and fetal health, both during pregnancy and later in life. Specific projects in the Wallingford lab include: Placental Phosphate Transport Mechanisms, Morphogenetic Analysis of Placentation, and New Approaches to Assessment of Vascular Structure and Function at the Maternal-fetal Interface.
Since joining MIRI, Dr. Wallingford received the Junior Faculty Travel Award for the Society of Developmental Biology Meeting, to be held this summer in Oregon. She recently presented her work and chaired a session in the regional meeting of Society of Developmental Biology in Woods Hole, including this image of an implanting embryo from Dr. Wallingford’s lab. Learn more about her work with implanting embryos >
