BIPOC POSTDOC HIGHLIGHT Feburary 2024_Jasmine S Edwards

This month we highlight postdoctoral researcher Jasmine S Edwards, PhD for the exciting work she had the pleasure of doing in Zambia!! Dr. Edwards is deeply committed to the ZAPPS study, which focuses on preventing preterm birth and other adverse birth outcomes for African women. The laboratory of Kristina De Paris, PhD (Microbiology and Immunology department) collaborates with the UNC Global Women’s Health program which established a pregnancy cohort in Lusaka, Zambia. Her research aims to investigate the impact of HIV and vaginal microbiota on the immunological environment at the maternal-fetal interface and subsequent birth outcomes, including term and preterm births. Through this work, the lab in Zambia strives to capture dynamic “snapshots” of the maternal immunological environment during pregnancy using freshly collected clinical samples. Dr. Edwards spent a month at The University Teaching Hospital’s clinical laboratory optimizing protocols and training personnel to aid in data collection for her project and future projects for master students in Lusaka. Way to go Dr. Edwards!!