Pamela A. Moalli, MD, PhD

Dr. Pamela Moalli is a Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Division of Urogynecology & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. She holds secondary appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine; Clinical and Translational Institute; Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She is the Division Director, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery; and a Primary Member, Magee-Women Research Institute. Dr. Moalli graduated from Brown University, BA with distinction in Biology and then attended Northwestern University, MD, PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Institutes of Health-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program. She did her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC as well as a Fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. Her research interests include pathophysiology of pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence; stem cell therapies for vaginal birth injury or vaginal agenesis; biomaterials for rebuilding pelvic supportive tissues; and defining mechanisms of maternal birth injury. The Moalli lab is part of the Magee Women’s Research Institute and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.  Dr. Moalli is the director of the Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery.  The concepts of the ongoing work in the Moalli lab are in alignment with problems presented by women in Dr. Moalli’s clinical practice.  As such, her research has included defining mechanisms of injury to women at the time of vaginal birth so as to develop strategies for the prevention of pelvic organ dysfunction later in life.  To do this, the lab uses advanced imaging, computational modeling and experimental biology.  The group also develops biomaterials for use in reconstructive pelvic surgeries to improve patient outcomes.  The lab has taken a close look at current biomaterials – first defining their impact on the vagina and then transitioning to mechanisms of complications. Based on this knowledge, her group is developing novel elastomeric meshes whose properties more closely match those of native tissue.  Recently, she has explored regenerative techniques using bioscaffolds and stem cells to rebuild compromised pelvic organ support.  Finally, the lab examines current surgeries and seeks to understand factors that contribute to optimal patient outcomes.  The strength of her research group, in collaboration with Dr. Steven Abramowitch in the Department of Bioengineering, is that it is highly interdisciplinary with expertise in biochemistry, biomechanics, computational analyses, and biomaterials. The expertise gained from this work has benefitted both the Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network and the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.  Currently, she is leading a national multicenter trial defining mechanisms of anterior vaginal wall failure following a native tissue vs a mesh augmented repair of uterovaginal prolapse and is chair of the national registry of treatments for pelvic floor disorders. Dr. Moalli is extensively involved in teaching college and medical students, graduate students, residents, and clinical fellows.  Her greatest teaching commitment is to the fellows in the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Program at the University of Pittsburgh and graduate students in the department of Bioengineering. Dr. Moalli’s publications can be reviewed here.