Vikki M Abrahams, PhD

Dr Vikki Abrahams is a Professor and Director of the Division of Reproductive Sciences in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.

Dr Abrahams received her B.Sc. (hons) in Immunology in 1996, and was awarded a Ph.D. in Immunology in 2000, both from University College London. She continued her studies as a postdoctoral associate at Dartmouth Medical School and then at Yale University in the field of Reproductive Immunology. In 2004 she joined the faculty in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine. Since 2006 she has also been an Honorary Lecturer in the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Center at The University of Manchester, UK.

Dr Abrahams' research focuses on understanding the role of innate immune Toll-like receptor and Nod-like receptor family members in placental and maternal-fetal immune responses, and their role in regulating pregnancy outcome, including those complicated by infections and by autoimmune diseases. Studies from the Abrahams laboratory has characterized the mechanisms by which Toll-like receptors, Nod-like receptors, and the inflammasome function in the placental trophoblast and fetal membranes in response to both infectious and non-infectious stimuli.

Dr Abrahams is a member of the American Association of Immunologists, International Society for Immunology of Reproduction, Society for Reproductive Investigation, and the American Society of Reproductive Immunology. Dr Abrahams is the Associate Editor for Reviews of the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology and also serves on the editorial boards for a number of other journals within the Reproductive Sciences field.