Update Your ProfileAcademic Title:
Professor
Primary Appointment:
Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Secondary Appointment(s):
Microbiology and Immunology
Administrative Title:
Chair, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Email:
Location:
22 S. Greene Street Building, UMMC
Phone (Primary):
410-328-5966
Education and Training
- Rutgers University, BA, Biology, 1995
- Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, MD, PhD, 2003
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Residency, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2007
- University of Pennsylvania, Fellowship, Maternal Fetal Medicine, 2010
Certifications
- American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), Obstetrics and Gynecology Board Certified, 2010-Present
- ABOG, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Sub-Specialty Board Certified, 2013-Present
Biosketch
Irina Burd, MD, PhD is the Sylvan Frieman, MD Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland. Her areas of clinical expertise include high-risk pregnancy conditions and fetal brain development. Dr. Burd earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University followed by a combined M.D./Ph.D. program at the Rutgers University–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (where she served as an Administrative Chief Resident) and performed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Burd was recruited to the University of Maryland from Johns Hopkins University, where she rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Full Professor.
She has published over 170 peer-reviewed research articles and is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Ikaria Research Award from the Perinatal Research Society, a research award from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology/American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation, the Thomas R. Boggs Jr. Research Award from the Philadelphia Perinatal Society, the Passano Foundation Clinician Scientist Award, the Society for Reproductive Investigation President’s Achievement Award, and the American Society for Reproductive Immunology Distinguished Service Award. In 2023, Dr. Burd was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (Honor Society). She has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2009 and served as Chair of the NICHD Study Section “Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Biology” from 2016 to 2021.
Dr. Burd is the Past President of the Perinatal Research Society, Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology, and President of the Society for Reproductive Investigation. She also served as a Co-Chair of the Women First Research Coalition (WFRC) under the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society (AGOS), where she played a leading role in national policy and advocacy efforts to advance women’s health research and influence federal research priorities in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences. During her tenure with WFRC, the Coalition secured report language in the FY2021 appropriations bill directing the NIH to convene a consensus conference on research gaps, and, in FY2023, contributed language that allocated $2 million toward a National Academies study of women's health research funding.
As Chair at the University of Maryland, Dr. Burd leads several Maryland-wide and national initiatives aimed at reducing severe maternal morbidity and enhancing maternal-fetal health. She collaborates closely with state agencies, public health stakeholders, and academic institutions to implement data-driven strategies, improve access to high-quality perinatal care, and address racial and geographic disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Research/Clinical Keywords
Maternal Fetal Medicine. fetal neurosonology, fetal echocardiography, fetal programming, immune fetal programming, neuroimmune fetal programming, exposure to intrauterine inflammation and infection
Highlighted Publications
Leitner K, Al Shammary M, McLane M, Johnston M, Elovitz M, Burd I. IL-1 receptor blockade prevents fetal cortical brain injury but not preterm birth in a mouse model of inflammation-induced preterm birth and perinatal brain injury. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2014 May;71(5):418-26.
Vermillion M, Lei J, Shabi Y, Baxter V, Crilly N, McLane M, Griffin D, Pekosz A, Klein SL, Burd I. Intrauterine Zika virus infection of pregnant immunocompetent mice models transplacental transmission and adverse perinatal outcomes. Nat Commun 2017 Feb 21;8:14575.
Tsimis ME, Lei J, Rosenzweig JM, Arif H, Shabi Y, Alshehri W, Talbot CC, Baig-Ward KM, Segars J, Graham EM, Burd I. P2X7 receptor blockade prevents preterm birth and perinatal brain injury in a mouse model of intrauterine inflammation. Biol Reprod. 2017 Aug 1;97(2):230-239.
Lei J, Xie L, Zhao H, Gard C, Clemens JL, McLane MW, Feller MC, Ozen M, Novak C, Alshehri W, Alhejaily N, Shabi Y, Rosenzweig JM, Facciabene A, Burd I. Maternal CD8+ T-cell depletion alleviates intrauterine inflammation-induced perinatal brain injury. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2017 Dec 4.
Novak CM, Ozen M, McLane M, Alqutub S, Lee JY, Lei J, Burd I. Progesterone improves perinatal neuromotor outcomes in a mouse model of intrauterine inflammation via immunomodulation of the placenta. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2018 May 79(5):e12842
Wu D, Xu J, Lei J, McLane M, van Zijl PC, Burd I. Dynamic glucose enhanced MRI of the placenta in a mouse model of intrauterine inflammation. 2018 Sep;69:86-91. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2018.07.012. Epub 2018 Jul 20.
Novak CM, Lee JY, Ozen M, Tsimis ME, Kucirka LM, McLane MW, Xie L, Kelleher M, Xie H Jia B, Lei J, Burd I. Increased placental T-cell trafficking results in adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in offspring exposed to sub-chronic maternal inflammation. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
Lei J, Vermillion MS, Jia B, Xie H, Xie L, McLane MW, Sheffield JS, Pekosz A, Brown A, Klein SL, Burd I. IL-1 receptor antagonist therapy mitigates placental dysfunction and perinatal injury following Zika virus infection. JCI Insight. 2019 Feb 28;4(7). pii: 122678. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.122678. eCollection 2019 Apr 4.
Ozen M, Xie H, Shin N, Al Yousif G, Clemens J, McLane MW, Lei J, Burd I. Magnesium sulfate inhibits inflammation through P2X7 receptors in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Pediatr Res. 2019 Sep 7. doi: 10.1038/s41390-019-0557-7.
Zhao H, Xie L, Clemens JL, Zong L, McLane MW, Arif H, Feller MC, Jia B, Zhu Y, Facciabene A, Ozen M, Lei J, Burd I. Mouse Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate Perinatal Brain Injury Via a CD8+ T Cell Mechanism in a Model of Intrauterine Inflammation. Reprod Sci. 2020 Jan 29. doi: 10.1007/s43032-020-00157-y.
Chudnovets A, Lei J, Na Q, Dong J, Narasimhan H, Klein SL, Burd I. Dose-dependent structural and immunological changes in the placenta and fetal brain in response to systemic inflammation during pregnancy. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2020 Apr 19:e13248. doi: 10.1111/aji.13248. [Epub ahead of print]
Kelleher MA, Lee JY, Roberts V, Novak CM, Baschat AA, Morgan TK, Novy MJ, Rasanen JP, Frias AE, Burd I. Maternal Azithromycin therapy for Ureaplasma parvum intra-amniotic infection improves fetal hemodynamics in a non-human primate model. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Apr 25. pii: S0002-9378(20)30463-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.04.015. [Epub ahead of print]
Zierden HC, Ortiz JI, DeLong K, Yu J, Li G, Dimitrion P, Bensouda S, Laney V, Bailey A, Anders NM, Scardina M, Mahendroo M, Mesiano S, Burd I, Wagner G, Hanes J, Ensign LM. Enhanced drug delivery to the reproductive tract using nanomedicine reveals therapeutic options for prevention of preterm birth. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Jan 13;13(576):eabc6245. PMID: 33441428
Sherer ML, Lei J, Creisher PS, Jang M, Reddy R, Voegtline K, Olson S, Littlefield K, Park HS, Ursin RL, Ganesan A, Boyer T, Elsayed N, Brown DM, Walch SN, Antar AAR, Manabe YC, Jones-Beatty K, Golden WC, Satin AJ, Sheffield JS, Pekosz A, Klein SL, Burd I. Pregnancy alters interleukin-1 beta expression and antiviral antibody responses during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Mar 30:S0002-9378(21)00208-8. PMID: 33798476
Liu J, Liu Y, Panda S, Liu A, Lei J,Burd I. Type 1 Cytotoxic T Cells Increase in Placenta after Intrauterine Inflammation. Front Immunol. 2021 Sep 8;12:718563. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.718563. eCollection 2021.PMID: 34566975
Na Q, Chudnovets A, Liu J, Lee JY, Dong J, Shin N, Elsayed N, Lei J, Burd I. Placental Macrophages Demonstrate Sex-Specific Response to Intrauterine Inflammation and May Serve as a Marker of Perinatal Neuroinflammation. J Reprod Immunol. 2021 Sep;147:103360. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2021.103360. Epub 2021 Jul 29.PMID: 34390
Lu J, Ahmad R, Nguyen T, Cifello J, Hemani H, Li J, Chen J, Li S, Wang J, Achour A, Chen J, Colie M, Lustig A, Dunn C, Zukley L, Chia CW, Burd I, Zhu J, Ferrucci L, Weng NP.Heterogeneity and transcriptome changes of human CD8+ T cells across nine decades of life. Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 1;13(1):5128. PMID: 36050300
Additional Publication Citations
Clinical Specialty Details
Board certified Maternal Fetal Medicine physician with full scope of practice, dedicating 20% to clinical care with clinical expertise in fetal neurosonology and fetal echocardiography. Development of Fetal Neurosonology program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital generated referral nationally and internationally. Research focus is in fetal programing (immune and neuroimmune) with exposure to intrauterine inflammation and infection.
Awards and Affiliations
- 1995 - Athenaum Honor Society Award (Rutgers University)
- 1995 - Gerard S. Weissman Memorial Prize in Biology (Rutgers University)
- 1998 - Merck/AFAR Scholarship in Pharmacology of Aging
- 2002 - Honorable Mention Manuscript, Residency Competition, Primary Care Update for Ob/Gyns
- 2002 - Research Achievement Award (Rutgers-RWJMS)
- 2002 - President, Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Honor Society (Rutgers-RWJMS)
- 2003 - Academic Excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology Award (Rutgers-RWJMS)
- 2003-2005 - Ob-Gyn Excellence in Teaching Awards (Thomas Jefferson University)
- 2005 - American College of Surgeons Certificate of Appreciation for Exemplary Teaching
- 2005 - Arnold P. Gold Foundation Resident Award for Humanism in Medicine and Excellence in Teaching
- 2005 - Berlex Best Teaching Resident Award
- 2006 - Administrative Chief, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thomas Jefferson Univ Hosp
- 2006 - S. Leon Israel Award for Excellence in Research (Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia)
- 2007 - Research Award, Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Ob/Gyn
- 2007 - Howard Lees Kent Memorial Prize for Outstanding Scholarship, Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Ob/Gyn
- 2009-2012 - American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology/American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation (ABOG/AAOGF) Scholar
- 2009-2011 - NIH Loan Repayment Award
- 2010 - Ikaria Early Career Investigator Award (The Perinatal Research Society)
- 2010 - Thomas Boggs Award (Philadelphia Perinatal Society)
- 2011 - Pfizer SRI President’s Presenter Award, Mentor, Society for Reproductive Investigation
- 2012 - Johns Hopkins University Clinician Scientist Award (K12)
- 2012 - Passano Foundation Clinician Scientist Award
- 2013 - Super Doctors Rising Star, Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC area, rated by Washington Post
- 2014 - Dr. John Gusdon Memorial New Investigator Award, Mentor (American Society for Reproductive Immunology)
- 2015 - Dr. John Gusdon Memorial New Investigator Award, Mentor (American Society for Reproductive Immunology)
- 2017 - Dr. John Gusdon Memorial New Investigator Award, Mentor (American Society for Reproductive Immunology)
- 2016 - Pfizer SRI President’s Presenter Award, Mentor, Society for Reproductive Investigations
- 2016 - Johns Hopkins Discovery Award
- 2017 - James W. Kennedy Award (AAOGF)
- 2018 - American Journal for Reproductive Immunology Award, American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI)
- 2019 - Mead Johnson Award Speaker, Perinatal Research Society
- 2021 - President’s Achievement Award, Society for Reproductive Investigation
- 2022 - ASRI Distinguished Service Award
Grants and Contracts
Active Grants
10/1/2018 - 9/30/2023
IL-1β regulation of Zika-mediated adverse perinatal outcomes
1R01HD097608-01
NICHD
$609,548 (total per year)
PI: Burd/Klein
PD/PI, 20%
The goal of this study is to test the hypothesis that the extent of perinatal neurologic injury following intrauterine ZIKV infection is determined by the state of placental inflammation, which can then be reversed by targeting maternal IL-1β signaling. These studies are the direct extension of my work on NICHD K08 “IL-1β regulation of perinatal brain injury.” Unlike the K08 and 1R01HD1031240-01A1 (nanomedicine approaches) studies, employing an endotoxin, a component of gram negative bacteria, these R01 studies aim to demonstrate the generalizability of the key findings (how placental inflammatory determinants impact fetal programming) of my prior work and aim to extrapolate to a viral infections (i.e., Zika virus and SARS-Cov2, as NICHD-approved expanded aims) in utero.
4/1/18-03/31/24
IL-36 responses in Staphylococcus aureus driven skin inflammation
R01AR073665
NIH/NIAMS
PI: Archer
$360,113/year
Co-I, 5%
4/01/2019 – 3/31/2024
Intergenerational link of cardiometabolic risk: Integrate multi-omics with birth cohort
R01HD098232-01
NICHD
$465,803/year
PI: Wang X/Liang L
Co, I, 3%
04/13/21 – 03/31/26
Nanomedicine approaches for prevention of inflammation-induced preterm birth
1R01HD1031240-01A1
NICHD
$629,685 (total per year)
PI: Burd/Ensign
PI, 20%
The major goal of this study is to explore nanomedicine approaches to address fundamental questions regarding route of administration, pharmacokinetics, as well as validating existing drug classes that may be reformulated and repurposed for improved targeting to the female reproductive tract. If these preclinical studies progress as expected, we will have identified novel, effective methods for prevention of inflammation-induced preterm birth that also support fetal and neonatal immunological and neuro-immunological programming and development.
6/1/2021-5/31/2023
Defining SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced immunity in pregnant and lactating people
FDA-CERSI
CERSI Collaborators: Burd, Klein, Cox, Pekosz, Mostafa
FDA collaborators: Sewell, Wesley
Co-PI, 2.5%
10/1/2021-9/30/2026
7/24 Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium
U01DA055350-01
NIDA
$969,101 (total per year)
PI: Burd/Volk/Kaufman
PI, 5%
The Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium (HBCD-NC) will follow 7,500 mothers and their children from 24 locations across the U.S. from before birth to 10 years of age to better understand which harmful and protective environments exert the greatest impact on child development. This study will help to improve the health and development of children across the nation.
Completed grants
7/1/09 – 6/30/12
Excitotoxicity as a Mechanism of Neuronal Damage in Inflammation-Induced Preterm Birth
NO NUMBER
Foundation of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology/American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation
$300,000
PI: Burd
75% effort
7/1/12-4/30/17
IL1β Regulation of Perinatal Brain Injury
K08 HD073315-05
NICHD
$135,540/year
PI: Burd
75% effort
6/1/13 – 5/30/16
Towards of molecular point-of-care diagnosis: Using umbilical cord blood
[NO NUMBER]
Gerber Foundation
$270,000
PI: Yang
Co-Investigator, 5% effort
The major goal of this project is perform an exploratory validation study to evaluate performance and operational characteristics of novel PCR-HRMA assay using umbilical cord blood.
10/1/14-9/30/16
CHAP Study (multi-sites)
U01 HL120338-01A1
NHLBI
$45,644
PI: Tita
Johns Hopkins University Site PI, 5% effort
7/1/16-6/30/17
ASRI Conference
March of Dimes
NO NUMBER
$5,000
PI: Burd
9/1/2011 – 6/30/2018
Post-doctorate research training of Saudi Arabian physicians
[NO NUMBER]
Ministry of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia/Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission
$6,776,428/over 7 years (72 fellows rotated through this program)
PI: Burd
3%
The major goals of this project is to train Saudi Arabian physicians to conduct research through 1-2 year full time positions, to conduct collaborative projects through other departments within institution and other institutions in order to increase the scientific output and funding.
7/1/17-6/30/18
Novel immunomodulatory therapy to prevent fetal neurologic sequelae associated with Zika infection
AAOGF Bridge Fund
$75,000
PI: Burd
8/1/14-5/30/18
Effect of pharmacologic interventions on inflammation-induced brain injury in a preterm labor murine model: Long term neurologic implications of intrauterine magnesium sulfate and betamethasone exposure
SG5P Grant
Department of Defense
$48,000/year (to JHU)
PI: Thagard
Site PI, 5% effort
7/1/17-10/30/18
Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Medical Education Endowment Fund Grant Program to develop a series of short videos with companion teaching scripts covering basic sciences topics to vertically integrate into the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkshi
[NO NUMBER]
$50,000
PI: Hueppchen
Co-I, 2%
2/15/18-1/31/21
SRI Meeting: Training and Development in the Reproductive Sciences
1R13HD095655-01
NICHD
$6,000
PI: England
Co-I, 2%
7/1/16- 1/31/19
In-utero characterization of embryonic mouse brain development and injury using MRI
R21 NS098018
NINDS
PI: Wu
$157,392
The major goal of this project is to establish an integrated imaging platform for in utero monitoring of the embryonic mouse brain development and injury (in utero LPS model). Co-I, 10%
7/1/14 – 6/30/19
Effect of Supplementation of Fluoride on Maternal Periodontal Health, Preterm Delivery, and Perinatal Well-Being
[NO NUMBER]
Hartwell-Groves Foundation
$400,000/year=
PI, 10% effort
7/1/2018-6/30/2019
Maternal stress and preterm birth: role of genome and epigenome
R03HD096136-01
NICHD
$81,850/year
PI: Hong
Co-I, 2% effort
7/1/17-06/30/19
Impact of immune changes of pregnancy on tuberculosis
R01HD081929
NICHD
PI: Gupta
$411,265
Co-I, 2.5%
10/11/16-3/31/19
Collection of samples from pregnant women for the evaluation of preeclampsia biomarkers
[NO NUMBER]
Progenity
PI: Burd$58,000
PI, 2%
4/01/2016 – 3/31/2021
Preterm birth, maternal and cord blood metabolome, and child metabolic risk
2R01HD041702-12
NICHD
$565,740
PI: Wang, X/Hu, F
Co-I, 3%
7/1/16- 6/30/21
Prenatal stress and antidepressant effects on offspring brain development
RO1 MH106806A1
NIMH
$432,017
PI: Bonnin
Site PI, 10%
4/1/2019 - 3/31/2022
Placental determinants of neonatal immune function in maternal HIV infection
1R21HD099000-01
NICHD
$212,510 (total per year)
PI: Burd/Mathad
PI, 10%
6/1/2020-5/31/2022
Assessing real world use of pharmaceuticals among pregnant and lactating people
FDA-CERSI
CERSI Collaborators: Burd, Ladd-Acosta, Volk, Wang, Fallin
FDA collaborators: Johnson, Leishear, Liu, Nugent
Co-PI, 3%
04/01/2018-03/31/22
Maternal-fetal AHR signaling in the pathogenesis and treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis
1R01DK117186-01
NICHD
PI: Hackam
Co-I, 1%
9/1/17-8/31/22
Early life origins of ASD: Role of maternal and cord blood metabolome, placental histology and fetal growth trajectory
HRSA126480
PI: Wang
Co-I, 3%
INTRAMURAL FUNDING - previous
7/1/16-06/30/17
ORigins of Health and Resilience in Development (ORCHARD) cohort
NO NUMBER
JHU Discovery Award
$125,000
PI: Burd/Wills-Karp/Fallin/X.Wang
1/1/12 – 12/31/12
IL1β Regulation of Perinatal Brain Injury
NO NUMBER
Passano Foundation/JHU Clinician Scientist Award
$80,000
PI: Burd
75% effort