Victoria Roberts, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Division of Developmental and Reproductive Sciences at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. Her overall research objective is to understand the developing placenta. Within this area of research, Dr. Roberts utilizes both in vivo and in vitro methods to investigate placental function.

Through the use of advanced imaging modalities such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dr. Roberts and colleagues have made in vivo assessments of placental hemodynamics in several nonhuman primate models of pregnancy complications, and in studies conducted in pregnant women. Gaining a better understanding of the placenta in utero may assist in the clinical management of pregnancies that are found to be at-risk for placental insufficiency.

Furthermore, Dr. Roberts performs in vitro functional experiments in placental tissue post-delivery. When combined with structural assessments of the tissue, these in vitro studies provide insight as to the mechanisms of action that regulate function, and reveal the developmental changes that occur in adverse in utero conditions that underlie pregnancy complications.