Lorie M. Harper, M.D.

Lorie M. Harper, M.D., MSCI, is an associate professor and chief of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Women’s Health. Harper is also a clinical provider for the UT Health Austin Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic and a nationally recognized scientific researcher.

Harper simultaneously completed two Bachelor of Science degrees, summa cum laude, in biology and chemistry at The University of Texas at Dallas. She then went on to complete her medical degree, residency training in obstetrics and gynecology and fellowship training in maternal-fetal medicine at Washington University in St Louis. During that time, she also completed her Master of Science in Clinical Investigation.

Harper joins Dell Medical School from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she served as faculty and as the fellowship director of maternal-fetal medicine. She is currently involved in a number of clinical research projects investigating adverse outcomes in pregnancy. Her main research focuses on the clinical management of obesity in pregnancy, including reducing the risk of surgical-site infections after cesarean sections in women who are obese. She also has a significant interest in gestational diabetes and pregestational diabetes in pregnancy, complications frequently seen in obesity. More recently, given the ongoing opioid epidemic in the country, Harper has expanded her research to include the management of substance use disorders in pregnancy.