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Robert W. Powers, PhD

Associate Professor, Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology and Cell Biology; Faculty, Clinical & Translational Science Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Investigator, Magee-Womens Research Institute

I chose to work in this area of research because I believe that every woman should have the best opportunity to have a healthy pregnancy. While we haven’t exactly figured out what causes preeclampsia or how to prevent it, real progress has been made over the past several years, and this motivates us to keep moving forward.
Robert W. Powers, PhD

Research in Brief

Dr. Powers studies preeclampsia—a serious pregnancy condition affecting 1 in 20 moms. His lab works to identify early warning signs in the blood, like ADMA and PlGF, to improve prevention and support healthier pregnancies. He also examines how preeclampsia impacts long-term maternal health. 

  • Investigating how obesity-related cardiovascular factors such as ADMA contribute to preeclampsia risk  
  • Studying long-term cardiovascular effects post-preeclampsia, including persistent inflammatory markers  
  • The effect(s) of stress on the physiologic adaptation to pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes
  • Professional Affiliations and Recognitions:
  • Associate Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology and Cell Biology
  • Member, Clinical & Translational Science Institute 
  • Powers RW, Roberts JM, Cooper KM, et al. Maternal serum sFlt‑1 concentrations are not increased in early pregnancy… Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 (mageewomens.org)
  • Roberts JM, Bodnar LM, Lain KY, Hubel CA, Ness RB, Powers RW. Uric acid as important as proteinuria in fetal risk… Hypertension. 2005 (mageewomens.org)
  • Powers RW, Jeyabalan A., Clifton RG, et al. Soluble fms‑like tyrosine kinase‑1, endoglin, and PlGF in preeclampsia… PLoS ONE. 2010 (mageewomens.org)
  • Gemmel M, Sutton EF, Brands J, Gallaher MJ, Powers RW. L-Citrulline supplementation during pregnancy improves perinatal and postpartum maternal vascular function in a mouse model of preeclampsia. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2021; 14 JUL 2021
  • Powell JS., Gandley RE, Lackner E, Dolinish A, Ouyang Y, Powers RW, Morelli AE, Hubel CA, and Sadovsky Y. Small extracellular vesicles from plasma of women with preeclampsia increase myogenic tone and decrease endothelium-dependent relaxation responsiveness of mouse mesenteric arteries. Pregnancy Hypertension. 2022; DOI: 10.1016/j.preghy.2022.02.005 ISSN: 2210-7789 Volume: 28 Pages: 66-73 PMID: 35240546
  • Gemmel-O’Donnell M, Burnette L, Gallaher MJ, Powers RW. Pre-pregnancy stress induces maternal vascular dysfunction during pregnancy and postpartum. Reproductive Sciences. 2023; doi: 10.1007/s43032-023-01248-2. May 23;1-15. PMID: 37219786
  • Felipe Troncoso, Hermes Sandoval, Belén Ibanez, Daniela López-Espíndola, Francisca Bustos, Juan Carlos Tapia, Pedro Sandaña, Esthefanny Escudero-Guevara, Francisco Nualart, Eder Ramírez, Robert Powers, Manu Vatish, Hiten D. Mistry, Lesia O. Kurlak, Jesenia Acurio, Carlos Escudero. Reduced Brain Cortex Angiogenesis in the Offspring of the Preeclampsia-Like Syndrome. Hypertension. 2023; 80:00–00. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21756
  • Devin Raine Everaldo Cortes, Margaret C. Stapleton, Kristina E. Schwab, Dalton West, Noah W. Coulson, Mary Gemmel O'Donnell, Anthony G. Christodoulou, Robert W. Powers, Yijen L. Wu. Modeling Normal Mouse Uterine Contraction and Placental Perfusion with Non-invasive Longitudinal Dynamic Contrast Enhancement MRI. PLOS One. 2024. 19(7): e0303957. 

For additional publications, visit Pubmed.

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