Sherin U Devaskar

Dr. Sherin U. Devaskar, MD, holds the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and serves as Department Chair and Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. She is a Principal Investigator for multiple NIH-funded grants focusing on placental health, environmental impacts on pregnancy, and developmental programming of diseases.

• NIH R01HD100015 (2019-2024): Electrochemical Liquid Biopsy for Placental Health
• NIH R01HD089714 (2016-2021): Environmental Pollution and Placental Genes
• NIH U01HD087221 (2015-2019): Placental Imaging Innovations
• NIH R01HD046979 (2004-2010): Placental Transport and Fetal Growth
• NIH R01HD081206 (2015-2025): Prenatal Neurometabolic Origins

Her research explores the developmental origins of health and disease, focusing on maternal-fetal nutrient transport (GLUT1, GLUT3), placental response to environmental pollutants, and epigenetic mechanisms in gestational diabetes. She investigates how early-life nutritional mismatches affect long-term metabolic and neurodevelopmental outcomes, including Alzheimer's disease predisposition.

Recent publications analyze air pollution's impact on oxidative stress in pregnancy, maternal dietary patterns and placental outcomes, and pediatric subspecialty workforce sustainability. Her team has pioneered novel MRI techniques for placental assessment and identified circulating miRNA signatures predicting pre-eclampsia.

Scientific Leadership:

• Co-founder of UCLA Child Health Research Career Development Awards
• Key contributor to understanding GLUT3 gene's role in embryonic development
• Advocate for pediatric workforce financial support and policy reform