Stephanie Gaw, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

Dr. Stephanie Gaw is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. After service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, she attended Albert Einstein College of Medicine and graduated with dual MD and PhD in Microbiology and Immunology. She completed her Residency training at UCSF and her fellowship training at UCLA. She is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine. She practices full-spectrum maternal-fetal medicine at UCSF and UCSF Fresno, with a specialty referral clinic for infectious complications of pregnancy. In addition to her clinical and research endeavors, she has served on advisory panels for the WHO, CDC, and NIH on Zika, COVID-19, and tuberculosis in pregnancy.

The Gaw Lab studies infectious diseases in pregnancy, with a focus on maternal-fetal immunology, placental biology, and global infectious diseases. Her translational research group leverages clinical samples from prospective pregnancy cohorts to understand the impact of perinatal infections on pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and long term developmental outcomes. Specific diseases of interest include malaria, COVID-19, and syphilis.

  • 2022 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
  • Fellowship, 2016 - Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
  • Residency, 2013 - Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco
  • MD, 2009 - Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • PhD, 2009 - Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • BA, 1998 - Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunology, University of California, Berkeley

  • December 4, 2024 - November 30, 2029 - Mentoring translational researchers in perinatal infectious diseases , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: K24AI188458
  • October 1, 2023 - June 30, 2028 - Determinants of Early Childhood Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HD112339
  • April 1, 2023 - January 31, 2028 - Investigating the role of maternal-fetal crosstalk on neonatal immunity in COVID-19 infection or vaccination in pregnancy , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HD111582
  • September 20, 2025 - August 31, 2026 - Optimal tuberculosis screening and tuberculosis preventive therapy delivery strategies to improve maternal and birth outcomes among pregnant women with HIV in Uganda: a randomized trial , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R61HL178398
  • August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2026 - Multi-omic approaches to identify novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of syphilis in pregnancy and assessment of treatment response , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21AI186006
  • May 1, 2023 - April 30, 2025 - Prenatal stress exposures and fetal inflammation during mid-gestation , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21HD10972301
  • January 22, 2024 - March 31, 2025 - Application of laser capture microdissection and mass spectrometry to identify placental biomarkers of wildfire smoke exposure , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF EaRTH Center P30, Sponsor Award ID: Environmental Health Research Pilot
  • April 15, 2020 - March 31, 2025 - Optimal chemopreventive regimens to prevent malaria and improve birth outcomes in Uganda , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01AI141308
  • January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2024 - The impact of maternal COVID-19 disease severity on the neonatal intestinal microbiome and its effect on intestinal epithelial barrier function , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Sponsor Award ID: Pilot Award
  • July 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023 - Spatially resolved transcriptomic profiles of placental cell populations in placental malaria , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF School of Medicine REAC, Sponsor Award ID: UCSF RAP Pilot Project Award
  • December 4, 2018 - November 30, 2023 - Placental malaria: The role of inflammation at the maternal-fetal interface , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: K08AI141728
  • June 18, 2020 - December 31, 2021 - PRIORITY (Pregnancy CoRonavIrus Outcomes RegIsTrY) and Biorepository , Principal Investigator (MPI) . Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Sponsor Award ID:
  • August 1, 2017 - July 31, 2018 - Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus: Histopathological Investigations at the Maternal-Fetal Interface , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, Sponsor Award ID: Career Development Award
  • January 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 - Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus: Placental Histopathology and Fetal Outcomes , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Queenan Fellowship for Global Health/Foundation for SMFM, Sponsor Award ID: Investigator-Initiated Research Award
  • September 1, 2015 - August 31, 2017 - Placental Malaria: The Role of Fetal Macrophages in Placental Inflammation , Scholar . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: K12HD000849

Stephanie Gaw, MD, PhD