Researchers

Dr. Sunni Mumford is a reproductive epidemiologist with a dedicated career to creating and leading studies that help understand the big picture of how our environment and lifestyles affect our reproductive health, fertility, and children’s health.

Dr. Heather H. Burris is an attending neonatologist at CHOP and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Penn Perelman School of Medicine. She studies social and environmental factors contributing to perinatal health inequity.

Dr. Sara DeMauro is a neonatologist and researcher at CHOP and the Penn Perelman School of Medicine. Her research focuses on childhood outcomes after critical neonatal illness and understanding influences of illnesses and exposures on child development.

Dr. Samuel Parry is an obstetrician-gynecologist in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Penn Medicine, whose research areas of interest include viral infections of the human placenta and preterm delivery.

Dr. Harish Sehdev is an obstetrician-gynecologist in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Penn Medicine and Director of the Prenatal Diagnosis Unit at Pennsylvania Hospital.

Meaghan is the Director of Clinical Research Operations for the Pregnancy & Perinatal Research Center at Penn. After earning her MPH from UPenn, she has spent her career working on projects focused on enhancing the health of mothers and babies.

April joined ECHO as a research project manager in October 2023. April’s previous work focused on addressing reproductive and perinatal health issues and concerns in the Philadelphia area.

Kisha Gaskins joined ECHO as a research program manager in November 2023. She has previously managed research studies/programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD.

Rita Leite is the Biospecimen Manager for Penn’s Pregnancy & Perinatal Research Center and the Program Manager for the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at UPenn. She completed her post-doc at Penn after earning her medical degree in Brazil.

Julia grew up in West Philly and is passionate about maternal and fetal health outcomes. Her work supports the staff of the ObGyn dept at UPenn. She earned a BS from Trinity College in Hartford, CT (2014) and dual degrees, MRA/ML, from UPenn (2021).

Imani joined ECHO in June 2024 after graduating from New York University with a BA in Biochemistry and Biology. She has a passion for maternal and child health equity and is excited to become involved with ECHO.

Maggie Barnidge joined ECHO in August 2024. She received her BA from the University of Notre Dame, where she studied Pre-health and Spanish. She is interested in pediatric medicine and is very excited to be joining the ECHO team.

Lorelei joined ECHO in August 2024 after graduating from the University of Washington with a BS in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology. Passionate about patient care, she is excited to advance pediatric research.

Niesha Darden is a Clinical Research Coordinator and trained Postpartum Doula specializing in maternal-child health. Founder of Compassion Cures, LLC, she offers research consultancy, advocacy, and support to NICU families on their unique journeys.

Lindsey Lutz joined the ECHO team in June 2024. She earned her BA from Dartmouth College and studied Global Health and Biology. She is excited to be involved in studying maternal and child health and hopes to pursue a career in pediatrics.

Dana joined the ECHO team in April 2024. She completed her MS in Forensic Biology at Thomas Jefferson University in December 2023 and enjoys being part of all the wet lab portions of ECHO. Dana is passionate about research design and reproductive science.

Bhaavna joined ECHO in July 2024. She earned her BS in Environmental Science at Pitt and her MPH from UPenn. Bhaavna is excited to be working on a project that marries her interests in environmental exposures and maternal and child health.

Jhumna Sarkar joined ECHO in December 2023. She is an ObGyn Physician from India and earned her MPH from Drexel University in June 2023. She is passionate about health equity and bridging health disparities and is excited to work for ECHO.

Jessica joined the ECHO Team in July 2024. She received her BA at the University of Virginia, where she studied African American Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is interested in social equity both in and outside of research and is excited to be a part of ECHO!

Chitra Shukla is a clinical research coordinator with a Master of Public and Community Health. She has a passion for pediatric research studies with several years’ experience supporting clinical and public health research.

Rylee Usher joined ECHO in December 2023 after graduating from Temple with a BS in Neuroscience, and minors in Dance and Psychology, in May 2023. She is incredibly excited to be involved in studying child health and development through this project.

Ashley Watts joined the ECHO team in November 2023. She earned her BA from Harvard, where she studied biology and global health and health policy. Ashley is passionate about reproductive health and is excited to be working on ECHO!