The Society for Reproductive Investigation has recognized a Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty member for an outstanding record in scientific research.

Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, Ph.D., associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the society’s President’s Achievement Award during the organization’s 70th annual meeting, held March 21-25 in Brisbane, Australia.

The award is presented annually to a member of the society whose record in scientific investigation is outstanding, and assures a continued productive career in research. Recipients are selected by the president with the advice of society officers and other members.

“I am extremely honored to receive such a prestigious international award,” said Dr. Gomez-Lopez, who also is associate professor of the Maternal-Fetal Immunology Laboratory of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and of the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology. “It is really encouraging and motivating to receive recognition from my peers and senior investigators in my field. Importantly, I hope that this recognition serves as an inspiration to other junior investigators, especially those from underrepresented minorities such as the Latino/Hispanic community, showing that you can be successful in science if you work as a team and are surrounded by a supportive and diverse environment.”

She thanked her mentors, Professor Felipe Vadillo Ortega and Professor Luis Jimenez-Zamudio; her postdoctoral mentors, Professor Sarah Robertson and Professor David Olson; her “close collaborators;” and Roberto Romero, M.D., chief of the National Institutes of Health’s Perinatology Research Branch, for their continuous support.

“I would also like to thank the members of my team, Yi Xu, Ph.D.; Marcia Arenas-Hernandez, Ph.D.; Valeria Garcia-Flores, Ph.D.; Jose Galaz, M.D.; and Derek Miller, MSc.; as well as the graduate and postdoctoral trainees who have been a part of my lab at the Wayne State University School of Medicine for the last 10 years,” Dr. Gomez-Lopez added. “In addition, I would like to thank Sonia Hassan, M.D., and Stanley Berry, M.D., of the School of Medicine for their ongoing support, and last but not least, my husband, Bogdan Panaitescu, M.D.”

The Gomez-Lopez laboratory focuses on the study of immunological pathways that lead to obstetrical disorders, with the goal of improving the understanding of the mechanisms of disease and developing methods for the early diagnosis, monitoring, treatment and prevention of pregnancy complications, with an emphasis on preterm birth.

The Society for Reproductive Investigation advances reproductive and women’s health care through translational and clinical science, training and mentoring future investigators, targeting funding agencies and policy makers, and promoting women’s health.