Physicians in the Division of Maternal–Fetal Medicine, part of NYU Langone Health’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, offer multifetal pregnancy care, genetic counseling, consultations for recurrent miscarriage, preterm delivery care, prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapy, and treatments for a range of other medical and obstetrical complications during pregnancy.

Under the leadership of Justin S. Brandt, MD, division director, our doctors align ongoing research and the mentoring of tomorrow’s perinatologists with clinical responsibilities. This approach ensures that both mother and fetus receive the most effective and compassionate obstetric care in high-risk cases.

Our Role in Education

Our maternal–fetal specialists have received numerous awards for their commitment to educating our medical students, residents, and fellows and are responsible for supervising all high-risk obstetric patients at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. In all locations, we train residents and fellows in advanced approaches to in utero diagnosis and treatment and the overall care of complex obstetric patients.

Training for Medical Students

We provide didactic lectures and serve as preceptors for medical students during their six-week clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal–fetal medicine elective rotations. Learn more about educational opportunities for medical students.

Training for Residents

Throughout the four-year residency program in obstetrics and gynecology, residents work closely with our division. As a resident, you participate in dedicated maternal–fetal medicine and ultrasound rotations, during which you help manage complicated pregnancies. We also provide didactic lectures throughout the residency. Learn more about the residency program in obstetrics and gynecology.

Training for Fellows

Laboratory and clinical research are combined with clinical training as we prepare fellows for their roles as perinatologists specializing in the care of high-risk pregnancies. Our fellows receive extensive training in obstetric and gynecologic ultrasonography as well as prenatal diagnosis and treatment under the supervision of maternal–fetal medicine attendings. The three-year program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which qualifies our fellows to sit for the board certification exam in maternal–fetal medicine. Learn more about the fellowship program in maternal–fetal medicine.

Our Role in Research

All of our faculty are involved in ultrasound and maternal–fetal medicine research and are dedicated to advancing the care of high-risk obstetrical and fetal patients, allowing us to introduce novel methods of diagnosis and develop new treatments.

Two of our physicians, Sara G. Brubaker, MD, and Shilpi S. Mehta-Lee, MD, are co-investigators with the NYU Pediatric Obesity, Metabolism, and Kidney Cohort Center on the study Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). This seven-year initiative, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating pre-, peri- and post-natal chemical exposures on pediatric health outcomes.

Ashley S. Roman, MD, is co-investigator on an industry-sponsored trial, SNP-based Microdeletion and Aneuploidy RegisTry (SMART), which is assessing the efficacy of non-invasive prenatal testing in detecting DiGeorge syndrome, and a multicenter prospective study evaluating the accuracy of first trimester ultrasound in predicting placental implantation disorders (MAP trial).

Dr. Mehta-Lee, Dr. Roman, and Dr. Brubaker are involved in the use of ultrasound to predict adverse obstetrical outcomes and gain a better understanding of the effect of maternal disease and medications on fetal development. Examples of such work include studies on various ultrasound techniques to evaluate the cervix for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth, ultrasound to predict fetal growth restriction, first trimester ultrasound findings and their association with miscarriage, and the association of rheumatologic disease on ultrasound evaluation of the fetal thymus in the mid-trimester.

Dr. Brubaker, Dr. Roman, and Christina A. Penfield, MD, are also at the forefront of research of obstetrical and medical disorders in pregnancy, investigating conditions such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection during pregnancy, postpartum preeclampsia, and the effect of fetal and maternal factors on cesarean delivery rates. Disparities in access to care in the time of a pandemic is also a recent focus of ongoing research.

Our researchers typically present their work during oral plenary talks and poster presentations at the annual meetings of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Faculty members also author chapters in numerous textbooks. Dr. Roman is an author and editor of the textbook, Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Obstetrics and Gynecology, which is the primary obstetric and gynecologic textbook in many countries and is translated into Spanish, Greek, Japanese, German, and Dutch.

Our Role in Patient Care

All of our physicians are board-certified or board-eligible maternal–fetal medicine
specialists involved in the full breadth of routine and high-risk obstetrical care and ultrasound services.

Ultrasound Services

Ultrasound is an important part of patient care for both low- and high-risk pregnancies. We use the latest state-of-the-art technology available to provide early and accurate diagnoses for our obstetric and gynecologic patients. This clinical mission enriches the education of our medical students, residents, and fellows and enhances research in obstetrics, gynecology, and oncology.

Our maternal–fetal medicine ultrasound units are responsible for all low- and high-risk obstetrical ultrasound services performed across NYU Langone. In addition, our doctors have expertise in gynecological ultrasound for women of all ages and provide ultrasound-related diagnostic procedures including fetal echocardiogram, saline-infusion ultrasounds, amniocentesis, percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, chorionic villus sampling, fetal reduction procedures, and fetal transfusions. We see patients from all over the world for second opinions regarding fetal abnormalities and for specialized procedures. Under the leadership of Young Mi Lee, MD, we also provide fetal echocardiograms to screen for congenital heart defects. Each of our units is accredited by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and several of our locations also offer on-site access to genetic counseling services.

Management of High-Risk Pregnancies

Our maternal–fetal medicine specialists supervise the care of high-risk obstetrical patients and perform complex procedures such as ex utero intrapartum treatment and placental laser therapy to treat twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Our doctors care for the highest-risk pregnancies including women who were born with congenital heart disease, women with a history of transplantation, cancer survivors or women with newly diagnosed cancer during pregnancy, and other serious medical conditions.

Our physicians are also experts in complicated procedures such as high-order cesarean deliveries, cesarean deliveries in patients with abnormalities of placental implantation, and cerclage placement. We approach the care of our patients from a multidisciplinary team perspective, working closely with all of the maternal and pediatric subspecialties at NYU Langone.

Patient care takes place at locations within NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, and Bellevue and their affiliated outpatient offices. We also serve as inpatient and outpatient consultants at locations within NYU Langone Medical Center. Both NYU Langone and Bellevue are designated by New York State as regional perinatal centers, which means we can provide the highest level of care for the sickest patients.

Our Faculty

Faculty members in our division are experts in the field of high-risk pregnancy, have all trained at top institutions nationwide, and are internationally and nationally recognized for their academic work. A strength of our faculty is the depth of experience and breadth of academic interests. Our physicians are invited to speak at national and international meetings on topics ranging from the evaluation of the fetal brain to prediction and prevention of preterm birth. They serve on editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals and are elected members of prestigious national committees of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Our faculty also serve in leadership roles for organizations such as the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society.

Justin S. Brandt, MD
Sara G. Brubaker, MD
Judith L. Chervenak, MD, JD
Rebecca H. Jessel, MD
Young Mi Lee, MD
Meghana Limaye, MD
Shilpi S. Mehta-Lee, MD
Christina A. Penfield, MD
Ashley S. Roman, MD
Geeta Sharma, MD

Contact Us

For more information about the Division of Maternal–Fetal Medicine, please contact Dr. Brandt, division director, at Justin.Brandt@NYULangone.org, or Fiona Wright, practice manager, at Fiona.Wright@NYULangone.org. For information about the maternal–fetal medicine fellowship, please contact James Hamilton, program coordinator, at James.Hamilton@NYULangone.org.