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James M. Roberts, MD

Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh; Clinical and Translational Research, Magee-Womens Research Institute

Pregnancy is the most complex physiological human adaptation. One human (the mother) with a unique genetic makeup and environment is in intimate contact with another human (the baby) with different genes in a different environment. Understanding pregnancy and its problems demands worldwide collaborations, sharing data, biological samples and ideas.
James M. Roberts, MD

Research in Brief

Dr. Roberts is a leading researcher in understanding preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication. His work focuses on the complex interactions between the mother and baby during pregnancy, aiming to improve health outcomes for both. Through global collaborations, he seeks to develop better prevention and treatment strategies for preeclampsia in both high and low resource centers. He believes that the major impediment to understanding preeclampsia is that preeclampsia is not one disease but a syndrome which can be activated by several different pathways. He has championed this idea for several decades. His special passion is training new investigators, and he has trained more than 60, many of whom remain in academic settings. 

  • Innate Allorecognition at the Maternal-Fetal Interface. Faid Lakkis PI
  • Prenatal Blood Pressure Patterns to Predict Pregnancy-Related Hypertension and Later Life Cardiovascular Risk. Erica Gunderson PI
  • Global Pregnancy Collaboration Executive Committee 
  • Roberts JM, Taylor RN, Musci TJ, Rodgers GM, Hubel CA, McLaughlin MK: Preeclampsia: An endothelial cell disorder? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1989;161(5):1200-1204.
  • Roberts JM, Myatt L, Spong C, Thom E, Hauth J, Leveno K, Pearson G, Wapner R, Varner M, Thorp J, Mercer B, Peaceman A, Ramin S, Carpenter M, Samuels P, Sciscione A, Harper M, Smith W, Saade G, Sorokin Y, Anderson G, for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. Vitamins C and E to prevent adverse outcomes with pregnancy-associated hypertension. N Engl J Med. 2010;362(14):1282-91.
  • Roberts JM, August PA, Bakris G, Barton JR, Bernstein IM, Druzin M, Gaiser RR, Granger JP, Jeyabalan A. Hypertension in Pregnancy: Report of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Nov;122(5):1122-31.  
  • Myatt L, Redman CW, Staff AC, Hansson S, Wilson ML, Laivuori H, Poston L, Roberts JM, Global Pregnancy Collaboration. Strategy for standardization of preeclampsia research study design. Hypertension. 2014;63(6):1293-301.
  • Myatt L, Roberts JM. Preeclampsia: Syndrome or Disease? Curr Hypertens Rep. 2015;17(11):83.
  • Roberts JM, Mascalzoni D, Ness RB, Poston L, Global Pregnancy Collaboration. Collaboration to Understand Complex Diseases: Preeclampsia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. Hypertension. 2016;67:681-7.
  • Roberts JM, Redman CWG; Global Pregnancy Collaboration. Global Pregnancy Collaboration symposium: Prepregnancy and very early pregnancy antecedents of adverse pregnan
  • Roberts JM, Hansson SR, Vaiman D, Redman CWG; Global Pregnancy Collaboration. Global Pregnancy Collaboration symposium on placental health: Summary and recommendations. Placenta. 2017;52:116-21.  
  • Gammill HS, Chettier R, Brewer A, Roberts JM, Shree R, Tsigas E, Ward K. Cardiomyopathy and Preeclampsia: Shared Genetics? Circulation. 2018 Jul 18. Roberts JM, Rich-Edwards JW, McElrath TF, Garmire L, Myatt L and Global Pregnancy C. Subtypes of Preeclampsia: Recognition and Determining Clinical Usefulness. Hypertension. 2021;77:1430-1441.
  • Roberts JM, Heider D, Bergman L and Thornburg KL. Vision for Improving Pregnancy Health: Innovation and the Future of Pregnancy Research. Reproductive Sciences. 2022;29:2908-2920.
  • Redman CWG, Staff AC and Roberts JM. Syncytiotrophoblast stress in preeclampsia: the convergence point for multiple pathways. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022; 226:S907-S927. Roberts JM, King TL, Barton JR, et al. Care plan for individuals at risk for preeclampsia: shared approach to education, strategies for prevention, surveillance, and follow-up. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2023;27:27.
  • De Oliveira L, Roberts JM, Jeyabalan A, Blount K, Redman CW, Poston L, Seed PT, Chappell LC, and Dias MAB. PREPARE: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Trial to Evaluate Whether Risk Stratification Can Reduce Preterm Deliveries Among Patients With Suspected or Confirmed Preterm   Preeclampsia. Hypertension. 2023;11:11.
  • Kupka E, Roberts JM, Mahdy ZA, Escudero C, Bergman L, De Oliveira L. Aspirin for preeclampsia prevention in low- and middle-income countries: mind the gaps. AJOG Global Reports 2024.
  • Roberts JM, Abimbola S., Bale TLL, et al. Global inequities in adverse pregnancy outcomes: what can  we do? AJOG Global Reports 2024;4.
  • An overview of periconceptional pathology and pathophysiology: Where do we go next? Roberts JM, Burton GJ, Conrad KP, Luke B, Mann MR, Moffett A, Jancsura MK.Placenta. 2025 Aug;168:98-110.  
  • Roberts JM, Alexeeff SE, Sun B, Greenberg M, King A, Nguyen-Huynh MN, Go AS, and Gunderson EP. Early Pregnancy Blood Pressure Trajectories and Hypertension Years After Pregnancy. Hypertension. 2025;82(5):e75-e87 

For additional publications, click here.

Janet Catov, PhD
Robin E. Gandley, PhD
Carl A. Hubel, PhD
Arun Jeyabalan, MD, MSCR
Robert W. Powers, PhD

Apr 25, 2025
Early Pregnancy BP Trajectories Linked to New-Onset HTN Years Later

Apr 2, 2025
Blood pressure patterns during early pregnancy tied to hypertension diagnosis up to 14 years after delivery

Jan 31, 2025
Kaiser Permanente study evaluates joint impacts of chronic hypertension and hypertensive disorders developing during pregnancy on severe maternal adverse outcomes

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