Andreea A. Creanga, MD, PhD, the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor and Chair for the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), was elected today as a new member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Dr. Creanga, who also holds a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UMSOM, was recognized for her research aimed at understanding and preventing maternal deaths and life-threatening pregnancy complications, as well as her leadership in developing innovative approaches to improve maternal health in the United States and around the world. Her research has helped advance the understanding of maternal deaths and pregnancy-related complications and has spurred innovations to improve health outcomes for women, mothers, and newborns.

NAM elected 100 new regular members, including ten international members, during its annual meeting. She joins an esteemed group of more than 2,600 members. Membership in NAM is considered one of the highest achievements for professionals in medicine, health care, and public health and honors individuals that have made significant contributions to the field.

Dr. Creanga is an internationally recognized physician-scientist who has spent more than two decades investigating maternal deaths and severe pregnancy complications and translating research findings into policies and programs that improve maternal health.

Among her most significant achievements is the development of the Maryland Maternal Health Innovation Program (MDMOM), a federally funded initiative involving all 31 birthing hospitals in Maryland. Under her leadership, Maryland became the first state in the nation to establish a statewide, hospital-based system to identify, track, and respond to life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth. The system’s findings help guide hospital quality improvement efforts and strengthen maternal care statewide.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized by the National Academy of Medicine,” Dr. Creanga said. “While we have made important strides in maternal health globally, there is still so much work ahead. This recognition inspires me and my team to ask bigger questions, pursue new solutions, and continue working toward a future where women everywhere experience pregnancy and childbirth with confidence, dignity, and the highest standard of care.”

Dr. Creanga also serves as principal investigator of the NIH-funded Maternal Health Data Innovation and Coordination Hub, which supports 12 Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence nationwide. The initiative is strengthening the data infrastructure and research coordination needed to improve maternal health in the United States. Her influence extends internationally through her service on the World Health Organization's Technical Advisory Group on Maternal Mortality and Maternal Cause of Death Estimation. She has also contributed to United Nations efforts to improve stillbirth estimates and conducted extensive maternal health research in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

“Dr. Creanga is incredibly deserving of this honor given her exceptional breadth of experience spanning clinical medicine, academic research, and public health leadership,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. “For more than two decades, Dr. Creanga has pursued ways to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every woman with extraordinary rigor. Her research has helped shape clinical practice, public health programs, and policy at the state, national, and international levels.”

Since joining UMSOM in January 2026, Dr. Creanga has worked to strengthen the school's research and education programs, including establishing a new Division of Maternal and Child Health and expanding the Master of Public Health program. She previously served as a professor and associate director of the International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Over her career, Dr. Creanga has received more than $40 million in research funding from organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the World Health Organization, and the Gates Foundation. She has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles in leading medical journals, including the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, JAMA, NEJM, and Obstetrics & Gynecology. In 2012, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for her scientific contributions while working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Creanga joins several other UMSOM faculty members that have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, including E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Esa Matius Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Margaret M. McCarthy, PhD, Kirsten Lyke, MD, Claire M. Fraser, PhD, Robert Gallo, MD, Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, Joseph Richardson Jr., PhD, William Carpenter, MD, Howard Goldman, MD, PhD, and Myron Levine, MD, DTPH.