ReproDiscovery Lab

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The ReproDiscovery Lab, located in the Department of Nutrition and Public Health at Merrimack College, conducts epidemiologic research to advance our understanding of reproductive health conditions.

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Our Mission

The ReproDiscovery Lab aims to deepen our understanding of gynecologic conditions, particularly endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – two reproductive health conditions that have been traditionally under-studied and under-funded. The main goal of the ReproDiscovery Lab is to utilize questionnaire data and biological samples to advance our understanding of how to shorten the time to a diagnosis for these two conditions and how to improve patient outcomes, particularly in relation to life impacting pelvic pain among women with endometriosis. Additionally, the ReproDiscovery Lab aspires to reduce health disparities in relation to reproductive health by highlighting the barriers that patients of certain populations face related to diagnosis and treatment.

About Us

Established in 2024, the ReproDiscovery Lab is led by Amy Shafrir, Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Public Health at Merrimack College. The lab utilizes Dr. Shafrir’s expertise and past research experience in chronic disease epidemiology, biological markers of health and disease, and reproductive health and pelvic pain disorders. Multiple longitudinal cohort studies are utilized in the ReproDiscovery Lab research including the Women’s Health Study: from Adolescence to Adulthood and the Nurses’ Health Studies.

The ReproDiscovery Lab focuses on understanding:

Patient characteristics and biological markers that may help in diagnosing endometriosis without the need for a diagnostic surgery
Health disparities in relation to an endometriosis diagnosis and treatment options
Biological markers as well as patient characteristics that are associated with persistent pelvic pain among people with endometriosis
Optimal treatment options and treatment outcomes among people with polycystic ovary syndrome
Pelvic pain symptoms among college students and the impact of these symptoms on healthcare utilization and interference with academic and social life

The ReproDiscovery Lab currently has a National Institutes of Health R21 grant to investigate how nerve growth factors in the fluid of the pelvic cavity are related to persistent pelvic pain among participants with endometriosis. Through this research, we hope to identify biological markers, in addition to participant characteristics, that can be used to determine which endometriosis patients will continue to experience severe pelvic pain even after they have received endometriosis-related treatment.

Recently, the ReproDiscovery Lab has begun investigating health disparities in relation to endometriosis. Specifically, we have been conducting interviews with women with endometriosis across three different racial and ethnic groups to determine if there are differences in barriers to an endometriosis diagnosis across racial and ethnic groups. The aim of this research is to develop population-specific interventions for shortening the time to an endometriosis diagnosis.

ReproDiscovery Lab: At a Glance

Publications

Research within the ReproDiscovery Lab aims to better understand gynecologic conditions, particularly endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including health disparities associated with these conditions, and to improve patient health outcomes.

MitoCure Lab Receives NIH Grant

MitoCure was the recipient of a three-year NIH grant that will support the training of undergraduates in hands-on laboratory science.

“The R15 grant is very special because it is specifically for training undergraduate students. The overarching goal of the grant is to encourage smaller colleges like ours to get access to more NIH funding and have greater opportunities to train students at the undergraduate level.”

- Leena Bharath, Principal Investigator, MitoCure Lab

Our Team

Amy Shafrir, Principal Investigator & Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Public Health
Tara Daly, Research Program Manager, CHIRP
Ashley Kesack, Research Project Manager, CHIRP

Stacey Missmer, Sc.D.
- Dr. Missmer is a reproductive epidemiologist who is a Professor and Associate Chair for Research, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University. The current President of the World Endometriosis Society and Scientific Director of the Boston Center for Endometriosis, for more than 20 years Dr. Missmer has led and established population- and hospital-based longitudinal cohort studies of women across their life course. Her aims have primarily investigated causes for and consequences of gynecologic conditions and of infertility.
Noako Sasamoto, MD, MPH, Ph.D.
- Dr. Sasamoto is a gynecologist and epidemiologist with a research focus on improving clinical outcomes of endometriosis and ovarian cancer by integrating biomarker data and clinical data. Dr. Sasamoto’s current research lies in a unique niche in the intersection of adolescent endometriosis and pain, utilizing -omics data to further understand the underlying biology and discover clinically applicable biomarkers ultimately tailoring personalized treatment. Her contribution to the scientific literature has improved understanding of the risk factors and pain phenotypes of endometriosis diagnosed in adolescence.
Christine Sieberg, Ph.D.
- Dr. Sieberg is a clinical psychologist and researcher at the Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR) at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Within CHOIR, Dr. Sieberg co-directs the Psychophysiological Research Core and is a member of the Pain Working Group and Health Equity Task Force. Prior to joining CHOIR in February 2024, Dr. Sieberg was an attending psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital for nearly 13 years where she also directed the Biobehavioral Pain Innovations Lab (formerly the Biobehavioral Pediatric Pain Lab), was Associate Director of the Center for Pain and the Brain, and co-founder and co-director of the Pain and Affective Neuroscience Center. Dr. Sieberg has built a research foundation in the biobehavioral aspects and the treatment and assessment of chronic pain. Her grant-funded research has largely focused on chronic post-surgical pain and endometriosis-associated pain.

Stephanie Kenney

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Contact Us

ReproDiscovery Lab
Merrimack College
Dept. of Nutrition & Public Health
O’Reilly Hall 415
315 Turnpike St.
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-837-3526 Email

Contact Us

MitoCure Lab
Merrimack College
Dept. of Nutrition & Public Health
O’Reilly Hall 406
315 Turnpike St.
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-837-3526 Email