Liping Feng

Dr. Liping Feng serves as Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (primary appointment), Assistant Professor in Pathology, and Associate Research Professor of Global Health at Duke University School of Medicine. Her research spans environmental health, maternal/child health, and reproductive health across the United States and China.

Dr. Feng's research focuses on:

• Environmental health impacts on pregnancy, particularly PFAS and e-waste exposure
• Placental biology and fetal programming mechanisms
• Reproductive health outcomes and neurobehavioral development

Her lab utilizes human trophoblast cells, stem cells, placental tissue, and animal models (mice, rats, rabbits) to investigate pregnancy complications and identify early biomarkers.

Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate interdisciplinary work in reproductive biology and environmental toxicology:

• PIEZO1's role in placental development and trophoblast fusion
• Gastrointestinal and immune impacts of PFAS exposure
• Advanced acoustic tomography techniques (collaborative)

These studies connect molecular mechanisms with clinical outcomes in maternal-fetal health.

No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided text.

Dr. Feng mentors students including Christine Crute in field research. Her grant-funded projects examine perinatal PFAS exposure in North Carolina, e-waste impacts in Guiyu (China), and placental barrier modeling, addressing critical environmental health threats to pregnancy outcomes.

The Feng Lab collaborates with Duke Global Health Institute to prevent pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and stillbirth. Current work focuses on placental signaling pathways, environmental contaminant effects, and developing biomarkers through translational approaches spanning molecular studies to population-level field research.