Laura Sanapo, MD, MSHS, RDMS, is a research scientist at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative. She is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology in Italy and is an expert in fetal medicine. She is an assistant professor of medicine (research) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Dr. Sanapo earned her medical degree at the University of Parma, Italy. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Padua in Italy and a clinical and research fellowship at the Fetal Medicine Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, in Washington, DC. Dr. Sanopo received a master of science degree in health sciences (clinical and translational research) from George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, DC.
Research
Dr. Sanapo’s research aims to understand fetal physiology and pathophysiology and their correlation with different maternal conditions, with a focus on identifying prenatal biomarkers that predict adverse fetal and neonatal outcome. Her goal is to delineate perinatal management strategies tailored to specific high-risk pregnancies.
Dr. Sanapo has extensively investigated the fetal cardiovascular system by using advanced ultrasound techniques in pregnancies complicated by in-utero hypoxia and exposure to maternal administration of oxygen. She has also investigated the diagnostic accuracy of different imaging techniques in predicting fetal growth. Her long-term research goal is to investigate the effects on fetal growth and development of different maternal conditions, such as sleep-disordered breathing, hypertension, and stress.