Mala Mahendroo, Ph.D.
Titles and Appointments
Professor
- School
- Medical School
- Department
- Obstetrics and Gynecology | Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences
- Graduate Programs
- Biomedical Engineering, Cell and Molecular Biology
Mala Mahendroo, Ph.D. is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and member of the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences. She is trained in the areas of reproductive biology, molecular biology and biochemistry. Her research is focused on understanding how the cervix is remodeled through pregnancy to allow term birth and to identify misregulation that leads to premature birth.
This research requires the application of a broad range of techniques to uncover aspects of hormone signaling, immunology, gene regulation, extracellular matrix and tissue mechanics, computational genomics and epithelial barrier function that regulate this dynamic process.
In addition, Dr. Mahendroo collaborates with mechanical and biomedical engineers to develop translational imaging tools that may allow for assessment of premature cervical remodeling as well as to understand how changes in mechanical signals impact cellular function to achieve cervical remodeling.
Dr. Mahendroo did her graduate research on the gene regulation of estrogen synthesis in human adipose in the laboratory of Dr. Evan Simpson at UT Southwestern and completed her PhD in 1992. She carried out her postdoctoral project entitled, "Targeted disruption of steroid 5alpha-reductases in mice," in David. W. Russell's laboratory in the Department of Molecular Genetics. Her postdoctoral work was supported by fellowships from the National Institutes of Health, The Lalor Foundation, and a Career Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. She joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in 2000.
Dr. Mahendroo has been supported by a Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences/Reproductive Biology from the Burroughs Welcome Fund, as well as grants from the National Institutes of Health, March of Dimes, Burroughs Welcome Preterm Birth Initiatives, and The Hartwell Foundation.
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