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Kjersti Aagaard, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Houston, TX, Harris Health System

KjerstiMarieAagaardMDPhD, MSCI

Obstetrics & Gynecology • Houston, TX

Maternal & Fetal Medicine/High Risk

Henry & Emma Meyer Endowed Chair and Professor

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Summary

  • Kjersti Aagaard, M.D., PhD, MScCI., is the Henry and Emma Meyer Professor & Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. She serves as Vice Chair of Research for Obstetrics & Gynecology, and a professor of in the Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. She is a co-Director in the Baylor College of Medicine MSTP MD PhD program. Dr. Aagaard joined the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Childrens immediately after completing her fellowship in 2007. Her career as a physician-scientist has included active and supported efforts in research, clinical care, education, mentorship and public health advocacy. Her clinical interests include emerging obstetrical infectious diseases, preterm birth, diabetes and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, maternal smoking and environmental exposures, and the detection and diagnosis of congenital and genetic anomalies. Her clinical and translational research interests parallel her clinical interests, and focus on the role of the microbiome in pregnancy and early developmental programming, and the impact of key exposures in pregnancy (such as nutrition, diabetes, maternal high fat diet, smoking, and environmental chemical exposures) on fetal development and later in life disease. Dr. Aagaard has been continually funded by NIH since her fellowship, and additionally supported by March of Dimes, the Gates Foundation/USAID, the Thrasher Foundation, and the Burroughs-Welcome Preterm Birth Initiative. In 2007 she received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, in 2015 the Michael E. Debakey Medal for Excellence in Research, and in 2018 the Nature mid-career Mentor of the Year Award. She was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigators in 2019, and was just selected to receive the Society for Reproductive Investigators (SRI) President’s Award in 2020.

Education & Training

  • University of Utah Health
    University of Utah HealthFellowship, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 2004 - 2007
  • University of Minnesota
    University of MinnesotaResidency, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2000 - 2004
  • University of Minnesota Medical School
    University of Minnesota Medical SchoolClass of 2000
  • Mayo Graduate School of Medicine
    Mayo Graduate School of MedicinePhD, Immunology, 1991 - 1996

Certifications & Licensure

  • TX State Medical License
    TX State Medical License 2007 - 2025
  • UT State Medical License
    UT State Medical License 2004 - 2012
  • American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Obstetrics & Gynecology
  • American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Fellow (FACOG) American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Clinical Trials

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Lectures

  • Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Program: Day 2 
    National Conference & Exhibition 2019 - American Academy of Pediatrics - New Orleans, LA - 10/26/2019
  • Fetal-Maternal Microbiome and Adult Disease 
    ENDO 2018: 100th Endocrine Society Annual Meeting - Chicago, Illinios - 03/18/2018

Press Mentions

  • Baylor Receives NICHD Grant for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinical Research
    Baylor Receives NICHD Grant for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinical ResearchApril 24th, 2023
  • Study Shows Treating Preexisting High BP in Pregnancy Improves Outcomes
    Study Shows Treating Preexisting High BP in Pregnancy Improves OutcomesApril 4th, 2022
  • Study: Using Sugar-Free Chewing Gum During Pregnancy Lowers Risk for Preterm Births
    Study: Using Sugar-Free Chewing Gum During Pregnancy Lowers Risk for Preterm BirthsFebruary 3rd, 2022
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Grant Support

  • Characterization Of The Fetal Primate Epigenome And Metabolome Under In UteroOffice Of The Director, National Institutes Of Health2007–2011

Hospital Affiliations

Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, MD, Dr. K Aagaard, Dr. Kjersti Marie Aagaard