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Dr. Feng’s goals as a research scientist are to improve pregnancy by understanding the mechanisms of placenta-originated pregnancy complications. Currently, she has three lines of investigation focused on the roles of inflammation and infection, cell aging, and environmental exposure in placental development and subsequent pregnancy complications. Much of her work has focused on studying Ureaplasma parvum, an infectious organism that often causes preterm birth. Through her research, she has learned that this organism stimulates a chemical in the body that weakens the fetal membrane and can cause preterm birth. Dr. Feng is also studying the role of the hormone progesterone in preterm birth and hopes to continue her research to improve maternal-fetal outcomes, as well as her global health research involving the impact of environmental contaminants and exposures