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Roberto Romero, M.D., D.Med.Sci. is Chief of the Perinatology Research Branch and Head of the Program for Perinatal Research Obstetrics, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health(NIH). He serves as Editor of the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, and the Journal of Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Romero is the recipient of countless awards, as well as several Doctorate Honoris Causa from universities around the world.

Biography
Dr. Romero was born on September 18, 1951 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Romero attended University of Zulia where he finished as the valedictorian, magna cum laude and earned his Physician and Surgeon degree in Venezuela in 1974; equivalent to M.D. degree in the United States. Romero has been Chief of the PPRO/Perinatology Research Branch of the NICHD/NIH for over 20 years and has worked in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of complications of pregnancy with a particular interest in preterm birth. He trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Yale University, where he was Director of Perinatal Research, before joining NIH.

Research
Over the last 25 years, Dr. Romero’s work has focused on the early diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, the prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies and the study of the mechanisms of disease responsible for pregnancy complications and fetal injury with a special emphasis in preterm labor and infection. Preterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide and affects 12% of all pregnancies in the United States. This year (2014), the PPRO reported a ground-breaking, international, multi-center randomized clinical trial in which 30,000 women were screened to identify a short cervix with ultrasound. Patients with a short cervix were randomly allocated to either vaginal progesterone or placebo. Vaginal progesterone administration reduced the rate of preterm birth at less than 33 weeks by 45% and the rate of respiratory distress syndrome by 61%. Moreover, the rate of preterm delivery at less than 28 weeks of gestation was reduced by 50%. Implementation of this strategy to reduce preterm birth is expected to save the United States $500 million per year. Dr. Romero’s team has made pioneering contributions to understanding the mechanisms responsible for preterm parturition and the role of subclinical infection in preterm birth, and discovered the role of cytokines in parturition. He has a particular interest in the role of the human fetus in the initiation of labor and other pregnancy complications.

Publications
Dr. Romero has authored over 900 peer-reviewed publications, including a medical best seller: Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Anomalies. He edited 9 books and is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of the United States. He has done original research in defining fetal anatomy with ultrasound (2-dimensional and 3-dimensional), longitudinal studies of fetal growth (with 2D and 3D ultrasound), and has made pioneering contributions to fetal treatment (endoscopic treatment of TRAP sequence). Dr. Romero is the recipient of countless awards and recognitions by his peers, including the President’s Achievement Award from the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Research Excellence Awards from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Erich Saling Award from the World Association of Perinatal Medicine, and the Ian Donald Gold Medal for contributions to Ultrasound awarded by the International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of the United States.

Honors/Awards

 * 1974 Valedictorian, magna cum laude; Physician and Surgeon degree, Zulia University, Venezuela. (equivalent to M.D. degree in the United States)


 * 1979 Meehan-Miller Award (Chief Resident), Yale-New Haven Medical Center


 * 1988 Society Award, Society of Perinatal Obstetricians


 * 1991 Physician Scientist Award (K11), National Institutes of Health


 * 1992 President's Achievement Award, Society for Gynecologic Investigation


 * 1992 Annual Central Prize Award, Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CAOG). Romero R, Baumann P, Gómez R, Salafia C, Rittenhouse L, Barberio D, Behnke E, Cotton DB, Mitchell MD. The relationship between spontaneous rupture of membranes, labor, and microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity and amniotic fluid concentrations of prostaglandins and thromboxane B2 in term pregnancy


 * 1993 First Prize, Best Paper Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Yoon BH, Romero R, Roh CR, Ager JW, Syn HC, Cotton D, Kim SW. Relationship between the fetal biophysical profile score, umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry and fetal blood acid-base status determined by cordocentesis


 * 1993 Best Article in Obstetrics in 1993, Contemporary OB/GYN


 * 1995 Research Excellence Award, Society of Perinatal Obstetricians


 * 1997 Research Excellence Award, Oral Plenary Session, Society of Perinatal Obstetricians (SPO). Romero R, Gómez R, Ghezzi F, Yoon BH, Mazor M, Edwin SS, Berry SM. The onset of spontaneous preterm parturition is preceded by an intense pro-inflammatory cytokine response in the human fetus


 * 1999 Research Excellence Award, Oral Session E, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM). Romero R, Gómez R, Ghezzi F, Maymon E, Yoon BH, Mazor M, Berry SM, Silva M, Treadwell M, DeVore GR. A novel form of fetal cardiac dysfunction in preterm premature rupture of membranes


 * 1999 Research Excellence Award, Oral Session I, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM). Yoon BH, Park JS, Romero R, Kim JC, Kim GJ, Lim JY, Han TR, Choi JH, Syn HC. Intra-amniotic inflammation and the development of cerebral palsy at three years of age


 * 1999 Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CAOG) Young Investigators’ Award. Hassan SS, Blackwell SC, Berry SM, Dang K, Treadwell M, Romero R, Wolfe H. Patients with a sonographical cervical length ≤ 15 mm have nearly a 50% risk of early spontaneous preterm delivery


 * 2000 Honorary Fellowship, The Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists


 * 2000 Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CAOG) Certificate of Merit Award. Hassan SS, Maymon E, Tomlinson M, Berry SM, Blackwell SC, Treadwell MC, Romero R. Does cervical cerclage prevent preterm delivery in patients with a short cervix?


 * 2000 ISUOG Service Award, International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology


 * 2001 Wyeth Award, Society for Gynecologic Investigation. Molnár M, Rígo J Jr.,, Romero R, Hertelendy F. Thrombin (T) upregulates Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E¬2 PGE¬2 production in human myometrial cells (HMC)


 * 2002 Research Excellence Award, Oral Plenary Session II, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Neale D, Demasio K, Illuzi J, Romero R, Mor G. Trophoblast viability: can it be used as a predictor of preeclampsia?


 * 2002 SGI Presidents Presenter Award, Society for Gynecologic Investigation. Ferrand PE, Fujimoto T, Chennathukuzzhi V, Parry S, Macones G, Kuivaniemi H, Romero R, Strauss JF 3rd. Mutations in Nod2 and TLR4 in African Americans and risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM)


 * 2003 Research Excellence Award, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Neale D, Demasio K, Chaiworapongsa T, Romero R, Mor G. Trophoblast viability predicts preeclampsia as early as the first trimester


 * 2003 Research Excellence Award, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Kim YM, Kim MR, Gómez R, Bujold E, Blackwell S, Romero R. Failure of physiologic transformation of the spiral arteries in patients with preterm labor and intact membranes


 * 2003 Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (CAOG), Young Investigator’s Award. Chaiworapongsa T, Espinoza J, Bujold E, Kim YM, Gonçalves LF, Gómez R, Edwin S, Romero R. Evidence supporting a role for blockade of the vascular endothelial growth factor system in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia


 * 2003 Erich Saling Prize. World Association of Perinatal Medicine. Osaka, Japan


 * 2004 Ian Donald Gold Medal. International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Stockholm, Sweden


 * 2005 March of Dimes Award for Best Research in Prematurity, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Romero R, Gómez R, Nien JK, Yoon BH, Luo R, Beecher C, Mazor M. Metabolomics in premature labor: A novel approach to identify patients at risk for preterm delivery


 * 2005 Research Excellence Award, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Kim G, Kuivaniemi H, Tromp G, Kim Y, Kim M, Hong JS, Yoon B, Kim CJ, Mazor M, Romero R. Evidence for the participation of bone morphogenetic protein-2 in normal spontaneous labor at term


 * 2005 Best Free Communication Award, 15th World Congress of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Gonçalves LF, Espinoza J, Kusanovic JP, Lee W, Nien JK, Santolaya-Forgas J, Mari G, Treadwell MC, Romero R. “Flip the coin”: 360 degree visualization of fetal anatomical structures with xMatrix 4D real-time ultrasonography


 * 2005 Best Free Communication Award, 15th World Congress of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Gonçalves LF, Espinoza J, Kusanovic JP, Mari G, Lee W, Soto E, Santolaya-Forgas J, Treadwell MC, Romero R. Early visualization of the fetal coronary arteries by four-dimensional ultrasonography with B-flow imaging and spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC)


 * 2005 Pathfinders in Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI


 * 2006 The Preterm Labour Congress Award for Excellence. Presented at the 3rd International Preterm Labour Congress, Montreux, Switzerland


 * 2007 Research Excellence Award, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Pineles B, Romero R, Montenegro D, Tarca A, Han YM, Kim YM, Kusanovic JP, Mittal P, Hassan S, Espinoza J, Kim CJ. Evidence for a stereotypic difference in post-transcriptional regulation of placental gene expression in preeclampsia and SGA: an explanation for the two different phenotypes?


 * 2007 First Candle, Windflower Research Honoree for contributions in research to infant health and survival. New York, NY


 * 2008 Elected to the Academy of Scholars of Wayne State University, Detroit, MI


 * 2008 Best Oral Presentation (Opening Plenary Session), 18th World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Hamill N, Romero R, Myers SA, Kusanovic JP, Mittal P, Carletti A, Chaiworapongsa T, Vaisbuch E, Espinoza J, Gotsch F, Lee W, Gonçalves L, Hassan S. Fetal Cardiac Output Determination by Four-Dimensional Fetal Echocardiography using Spatiotemporal Image Correlation (STIC) and VOCALTM.


 * 2008 Jacqueline and Marshall Lindheimer Award, International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Gotsch F, Kim YM, Kim CJ, Edwin S, Hotra J, Tarca A, Chaiworapongsa T, Kusanovic JP, Mor G, Redman CWG, Romero R. A link between inflammation/infection and anti-angiogenic state in preeclampsia: inflammatory mediators mimic effect of hypoxia on trophoblast by increasing sFlt-1 and decreasing placental growth factor production


 * 2008 Frederick P. Zuspan Award, International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Kusanovic JP, Erez O, Gotsch F, Chaiworapongsa T, Mazaki-Tovi S, Vaisbuch E, Gómez R, Hassan S, Romero R. Maternal plasma concentrations of placental growth factor, soluble Flt1 and soluble endoglin in early pregnancy and the second trimester in the identification of patients destined to develop preterm preeclampsia


 * 2008 Donald F. Richardson Memorial Prize Paper Award, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) District V meeting. Imudia AN, Kilburn B, Yelian FD, Diamond MP, Romero R, Armant DR. Retrieval of trophoblast cells from the cervical canal as a platform for prediction of abnormal pregnancy


 * 2009 Award “Jose Maria Carrera” Sociedad Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Tratamiento Prenatal (SIADTP) for lifetime contributions to prenatal diagnosis and therapy. Miami, FL


 * 2010 March of Dimes Award for Best Research in Prematurity, Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Romero R, Velez D, Mazaki-Tovi M, Gómez R, Behnke E, Chaiworapongsa T, Anant MK, Salisbury BA, Carr J, Lee MS, Vovis GF, Kim CJ, Tromp G, Menon R, Williams S. Identification of fetal and maternal single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes that predispose to spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes


 * 2010 William Lily Medal for Contributions to Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy. The Fetus as a Patient International Society (to be presented at the Fetus as a Patient International Congress, San Diego, CA, April 2010)


 * 2010 March of Dimes Award for Contributions to Prematurity (presented at the Annual Meeting, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, San Francisco, CA, May, 2010)


 * 2010 Life achievement award for contributions to Reproductive Immunology, American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI), (presented at the Annual Meeting of ASRI, Pittsburgh, PA, April, 2010; Blackwell Munksgaard Award in Reproductive Immunology)


 * 2010 Distinguished Service Award – Wayne State University School of Medicine. Conferred by Valerie M. Parisi, Dean of the School of Medicine for service to the community and contributions to obstetrics. Presented in May 2010


 * 2010 Heath Care Hero Award, Crain’s Detroit Business (in the category of Advancement in Health Care)


 * 2010 Global Congress of Maternal and Infant Health – Honorary President of Congress, Barcelona, Spain.


 * 2010 Elected as a Fellow to the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society Association (October, 2010)


 * 2011 John Dingell Hero for Babies Award, March of Dimes


 * 2011 Presidential Achievement Award – from the World Association of Perinatal Medicine in recognition of scientific, medical and educational contributions to Obstetrics and Perinatology. Presented at the World Congress of Perinatal Medicine, Punta del Este, Uruguay, November 2011


 * 2012 Order San Sebastian – presented by the Mayor of the City of Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela “for extraordinary contributions to medicine and as an example of integrity, tenacity, ethical conduct, deserving the respect and admiration of the citizens of the State”. Resolution issued by the Mayor and presented in February 2012


 * 2012 Order Relampago del Catatumbo (Order of the Lightning of the Catatumbo River) – bestowed by the Governor of the State of Zulia to honor a lifetime commitment to generating new knowledge to improve the health of mothers and children. Presented in February 2012


 * 2012 Award by the Faculty of Medicine of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – for academic and scientific achievements and as an example of excellence for future generations of physicians. Presented in February 2012


 * 2012 Maternité Prize in Obstetrics, European Congress of Perinatal Medicine XXIII Annual Meeting


 * 2012 Orden Ciudad de Maracaibo, Municipal Council


 * 2012 IMPROVER Diagnostic Signature Challenge Award – for achieving the overall highest ranking in the IMPROVER diagnostic signature challenge 2012
 * 2013 Distinguished Alumni, Yale University, Yale Obstetrical and Gynecological Society – for recognition of lifetime contributions in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology


 * 2013 Prematurity Prevention Pioneer Award, March of Dimes


 * 2014 Distinguished Scientist, El Hospital Universitari i Politecnic La Fe – for outstanding contributions in obstetrics and gynecology