Christopher R. Harman, MD Endowed Professorship in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

April 24, 2024

About Peixin Yang, PhD

Dr. Peixin Yang is the founding director of the Center for Birth Defect Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has built up an extensive research program in diabetic embryopathy, including pregestational diabetes-induced neural tube defects (NTDs), congenital heart defects (CHDs), and kidney defects.

Dr. Yang has a sincere passion for determining the cause of the extremely high incidence of maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S. by studying the effect of maternal obesity on placental function. He is leading a group of translational and clinical scientists to establish the Maryland Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence by focusing on the adverse effects elicited by obesity, placental accreta spectrum, and opioid use disorder.

His research focuses on the molecular mechanism(s) and potential therapeutic approaches of maternal diabetes-induced neural tube defects and cardiovascular defects in the offspring. Currently, he is directing a multi-million NIH-funded research group. Dr. Yang's laboratory has made original and significant contributions to the area of maternal diabetes-induced structural birth defects, particularly delineating the molecular mechanism(s) underlying neural tube defects and heart defects and revealing the therapeutic potential of several naturally occurring compounds. 

To learn more about Dr. Yang, please see his faculty profile.

Investiture Ceremony

Investiture Ceremony Program

Photo Gallery

Christopher R. Harman, MD; Mark T. Gladwin, MD

Irina Burd, MD, PhD; Peixin Yang, PhD; Mark T. Gladwin, MD

Christopher R. Harman, MD; Irina Burd, MD, PhD; Peixin Yang, PhD; Mark T. Gladwin, MD; E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA

Front Row: Dina E. El-Metwally, MD, PhD; Christopher R. Harman, MD; Irina Burd, MD, PhD; Peixin Yang, PhD; Mark T. Gladwin, MD; E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA; Matthew B. Frieman, PhD; Zhongjun Jon Wu, PhD. Back Row: Ozhan M. Turan, MD, PhD; David T. Efron, MD; Margaret M. McCarthy, PhD; James B. Kaper, PhD; J. Marc Simard, MD, PhD; Wilbur H. Chen, MD, MS; Jian-Ying Wang, MD, PhD.

Mark T. Gladwin, MD; Peixin Yang, PhD; Haili Jiao, Wendy Yang

 Jian-Ying Wang, MD; E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD; Peixin Yang, PhD; Zhongjun Jon Wu, PhD