Mala Mahendroo

Mala Mahendroo is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is affiliated with the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences and leads the Mahendroo Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding cervical remodeling during pregnancy, particularly the mechanisms underlying preterm birth. She holds a PhD from UT Southwestern (1992) and completed postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern’s Department of Molecular Genetics, supported by NIH and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Dr. Mahendroo’s work integrates molecular biology, immunology, and biomedical engineering to study hormone signaling, extracellular matrix dynamics, and epithelial barrier function. She collaborates with engineers to develop imaging tools, such as fiber-optic SHG endomicroscopy, for clinical applications in preterm birth prediction. Her research has been funded by the NIH, March of Dimes, Burroughs Welcome Preterm Birth Initiatives, and The Hartwell Foundation.

Key research interests include: cervical extracellular matrix composition, hyaluronan biology, steroid hormone regulation of tissue mechanics, and translational imaging technologies. Her lab employs mouse models, single-cell genomics, and biomechanical analysis to address maternal-fetal health challenges.

Notable honors include the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award and multiple NIH grants. She is actively involved in training graduate students (via CMB and BME programs) and postdoctoral fellows in reproductive biology and biomedical engineering.