The Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Chicago, led by Dr. Sarosh Rana, provides comprehensive care to patients with a wide range of complex maternal and fetal issues from conception to birth and postpartum. Our specialists are fellowship-trained and board-certified in maternal-fetal medicine and have extensive experience managing high-risk pregnancy. We provide preconception counseling, prenatal care, consultations during pregnancy, comprehensive ultrasound evaluations, and fetal echocardiography. We are experts in the management of complex medical issues, including hypertension in pregnancy, diabetes in pregnancy, pregnant patients with congenital heart disease, abnormal placentation, transplant patients who are or are planning to become pregnant, and pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies. We pride ourselves in utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and have a long history of providing high-quality care to women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. Our dedicated team includes maternal-fetal medicine specialists, physician assistants, high risk nurses, nutritionists and diabetes educators, expert perinatal sonographers, and genetic counselors.
The University of Chicago Maternal-Fetal Medicine team has extensive experience in treating patients with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, including preeclampsia and eclampsia. Patients with high risk for the development of preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders receive comprehensive care with maternal-fetal medicine specialists and cardiologists. We have established several programs for timely and coordinated care for these patients, including the new UChicago Medicine Postpartum Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Program. The telehealth program enables patients to use an app for monitoring blood pressures at home, with continuous surveillance by doctors and nurses during the postpartum period to prevent any possible problems.
Our Section also collaborates with colleagues from Endocrinology and Cardiology to offer services for patients with diabetes and adult congenital heart disease in pregnancy. Dr. Maritza Gonzalez, along with Dr. Laura Dickens, is co-director of UChicago Medicine’s Diabetes in Pregnancy Program, offering patients with diabetes and gestational diabetes high-quality care management to reduce the risk of diabetes-associated pregnancy complications. Dr. Joana Lopes Perdigao works alongside Dr. Michael Earing to direct the Adult Congenital Heart Disease in Pregnancy program to provide patients the support they need before, during, and after pregnancy.
Covid-19 and pregnancy is a widely discussed topic as more information comes to light about how this new virus affects pregnant patients and their babies. Our Section stays up to date on the latest research and creates evidence-based care protocols so that mother and baby receive the best care possible through all stages of pregnancy, birth and postpartum. We also offer telemedicine visits, so patients can continue to safely meet with their doctor for prenatal care or to discuss questions they may have regarding all aspects of pregnancy.
Our established Placenta Center provides expert collaborative care for patients with abnormal placentation, including placenta accreta, increta, percreta, and previa. We offer a thorough evaluation of patients utilizing advanced ultrasonography and MRI and provide comprehensive care at the time of delivery with the involvement of expert specialists from maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, obstetric anesthesia, blood banking, urology, intensive care, neonatology, nursing, and social work.
We offer a full spectrum of prenatal diagnostic services at our advanced Fetal and Neonatal Care Center for mothers and babies with complex anomalies. This multidisciplinary center, directed by Dr. Ryan Longman, allows collaboration with neonatal and pediatric subspecialists, such as cardiologists, urologists, neurosurgeons, pediatric surgeons, and members of the intensive care team.
At the Family Birth Center, our state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with sophisticated imaging technology to support definitive diagnosis of congenital disorders. Our team of highly skilled specialists brings together more than 150 years of collective experience. We work in tandem with the neonatology team to offer pre- and postnatal diagnostic tests and treatments. In fact, our new labor and delivery suite in Comer Children’s Hospital is just one floor above the neonatal intensive care unit to provide prompt access to specialized neonatal care for our patients.
The University of Chicago Perinatal Center includes 14 Illinois hospitals which range from level III status (current highest designation in Illinois) to hospitals which do not provide obstetric services. We provide education, participate in quality improvement, and attend all state-required reviews of maternal and perinatal deaths and selected cases of maternal morbidity and mortality, identifying health care needs and improving maternal and neonatal care in our center and throughout the state.
We provide specialty care at several locations throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, so patients and referring providers have access to world-class maternal-fetal medicine care close to home. Dr. Rana has been appointed as the Chief Obstetrical Transformation Officer for the University of Chicago Medicine health system. In this role, Dr. Rana will work closely with the South Side Healthy Community Organization (SSHCO), a not-for-profit consortium comprising 13 partner organizations dedicated to improving healthcare for residents of the South Side.
Our Section hosts an active research program, primarily focused on the characterization and treatment of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. We have an international reputation for our research, which has produced major findings relating to angiogenic factors and preeclampsia. Currently, our work focuses on the use of biomarkers for the prediction of preeclampsia-related adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, which can aid in the risk stratification of women with preeclampsia.
The Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine is dedicated to excellence in teaching and is responsible for educating medical students, residents and fellows in the diagnosis and treatment of maternal and fetal complications during pregnancy. With our colleagues at NorthShore University HealthSystem, we offer a highly competitive ABOG-approved fellowship. In addition, Dr. Rana directs a one year non-ACGME Obstetrics and Gynecology Translational Research Fellowship.
Sarosh Rana, MD, MPH
Chief, Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
