Dr. Tuuli is the Chace-Joukowsky Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital. His top priority is to improve the quality of maternal care and eliminate disparities in perinatal outcomes. A board certified Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician, his research is focused on the prediction and prevention of adverse obstetric outcomes, including preventing of surgical site infection after cesarean delivery, management of labor, and optimizing management of medical complications in pregnancy. He currently leads three R01s for ongoing multicenter trials on treating postpartum hemorrhage, managing anemia in pregnancy, and optimizing glycemic control in overweight and obese women with gestational diabetes. He also leads a Department of Health and Human Services grant to develop a participatory model for integrating community-based maternal support services into perinatal care to address care coordination and social determinants of health and test the impact on perinatal health equity. His has over 200 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals including the NEJM, JAMA and JAMA Pediatrics. Dr. Tuuli earned his Medical Degree from the University of Ghana Medical School in 2001. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, earning a Master of Public Health degree with concentration in maternal and child health in 2003. He completed residency training in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Emory University in 2008, and fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Washington University in 2011. Dr. Tuuli completed the Business of Medicine Physician MBA program at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 2020.
ACTIVE Support
1. DHHS/Office of the Secretary – 1CPIMP231374-01-00 (Tuuli)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
Rhode Island Community-based Maternal Support Services (RI COMSS) Bundle for Advancing Perinatal Health Equity
09/30/2023 – 09/29/2027 $6,245,702
The goal of this project is to develop a participatory model for integrating community-based maternal support services (COMSS) into perinatal care to address care coordination and social determinants of health and test the impact on perinatal health equity
2. NIH/NICHD – 1R01 HD109251-01 - Stout (University of Michigan)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
Fully Quantitative Cervical Elastography for Prediction of Preterm Birth in Nulliparous Patients
07/2022 – 06/2027 $1,328,197
The goal of this project is to test the hypothesis that Fully Quantitative Cervical Elastography System (Q-CES) values of cervical stiffness can more accurately predict spontaneous preterm birth than cervical length
3. NIH/NICHD – 1 R01 HD108614-01 - Raghuraman (Washington University)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
09/01/2022 – 08/31/2027 $1,029,584
The objective is to assess the effectiveness of maternal oxygen supplementation for intrauterine resuscitation of Category II electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) in labor.
4. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – INV-047883 – Tuuli
Role: Site Principal Investigator (Ghana)
Low Field MRI in Accra
08/012022 – 07/31/2024 $368,863
This prospective cohort study will use portable (mobile) Swoop MRI (HYPERFINE) to image the brains of newborns and follow them up at 3-, 6-, and 12-months to compare structural development of the brain and neurodevelopmental milestones of babies of women with and without iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnancy.
5. NIH/NICHD - 1R01 HD108210-01– Tuuli
Role: Principal Investigator
Novel Vacuum-Induced Postpartum Hemorrhage Control: a Multicenter Randomized Trial in Ghana.
08/01/2022 – 07/31/2027 $2,547,378
Multicenter randomized trial of 424 women with postpartum hemorrhage to test at 2 large obstetric hospitals in Ghana to test the effectiveness, safety and cost effectiveness of a novel vacuum induced hemorrhage control device.
6. NIH/NICHD - 1R01 HD105855-01A1– Tuuli
Role: Principal Investigator
A Multicenter Randomized Trial of IV vs Oral Iron for Treating Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy
05/01/2022 – 03/31/2027 $4,121,180
Multicenter randomized trial of 746 pregnant women with moderate to severe anemia at 24 – 28 weeks in 3 U.S. medical centers comparing the effectiveness, safety and cost effectiveness of IV versus oral
7. NIH/NICHD - 1R01HD101476-02 – Scifres/Tuuli (Multi-PI Plan)
Role: Principal Investigator
Intensive Glycemic Targets in Overweight and Obese Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Multicenter Randomized Trial
04/01/2020 – 04/30/2024 $3,804,213
Multicenter randomized trial of 850 pregnant women at 3 U.S. medical centers comparing intensive to standard glycemic targets in obese women with gestational diabetes.
PENDING Support
1. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – INV-047884- Gabard-Durnam (Northeastern University)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
Scalable EEG-based neuromodeling of early development: detecting sensitive windows for intervention
04/2023 – 03/2026 $475,000
The goal of this project is to apply mobile 8-channel EEG to offspring of mothers in a randomized trial of IV versus oral iron for iron-deficiency anemia in pregnancy to as part of a consortium seeking to detect sensitive windows of early brain development for intervention.
2. NIH - 1P50MD019490-01– Poitevien/Tuuli
Role: Principal Investigator
EMBRACE: Empowering Minoritized Biomedical Researchers viA Community Engagement
04/01/2024 – 03/31/2029 $ 4,027,673
The goal of Empowering Minority Biomedical Researchers viA Community Engagement (EMBRACE) is to recruit, train and retain the next generation of underrepresented investigators and provide them training, mentorship and funding to engage in impactful, community engaged research on health disparities in Rhode Island.
3. NIH/NICHD - 1R01 HD105855-01A1– Tuuli/Russo
Role: Principal Investigator
A Randomized Trial of Chatbot for Prenatal Genetic Counseling
05/01/2022 – 03/31/2027 $ 4,288,136
The goal of this project is to create and evaluate iPrenatal+ for prenatal genetic counseling in a randomized controlled trial of 1,470 pregnant people in clinics serving racially and socioeconomically diverse pregnant women.
PAST Support
1. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - OPP1192462 – Stringer – UNC (PI)
Role: Site Principal Investigator (Ghana)
Limiting Adverse Birth Outcomes in Resource-Limited Settings - The LABOR Study
09/18/2019 – 04/31/2023 $2,173,115
Multicountry study of 15,000 pregnant women and their fetuses/newborns to exhaustively document the course and outcomes of labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period in 2 African countries and India, where the occurrence of adverse birth outcomes is high.
2. NIH/NICHD - 7U01HD077384-06 – Cahill/Tuuli (Multi-PI Plan)
Role: Principal Investigator
Optimizing Management of the 2nd Stage of Labor: Multicenter Randomized Trial
07/18/2014 – 12/31/2022 $8,711,687
Multicenter randomized trial of 2400 pregnant women in 6 U.S. medical centers comparing immediate to delayed pushing in the second stage of labor.
3. Frankel Innovation Initiative – Stout (PI – University of Michigan)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
Fully quantitative cervical elastography to predict preterm birth
01/01/2021 – 12/31/2022 $300,000
The goal of this project is to apply quantitative cervical elastography to predict preterm delivery <37 weeks and time to delivery using time to event analyses.
4. NIH/NICHD – 3R01HD086007-02S1 – Tuuli (PI)
Role: Principal Investigator
Prophylactic Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Obese Women at Cesarean: Multicenter Randomized Trial
09/01/2017 – 08/31/2022 $114,375
This administrative supplement ensures adequate representation of Black women in a trial of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy at cesarean, and to test the complementary novel hypothesis that differences in the preoperative skin microbiome explain, at least in part, differential susceptibility to SSI after cesarean in general, and in Black women in particular.
5. NIH/NICHD – 7R01HD086007-06 – Tuuli (PI)
Role: Principal Investigator
Prophylactic Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Obese Women at Cesarean: Multicenter Randomized Trial
09/16/2016 – 08/31/2022 $2,913,390
Multicenter randomized controlled trial of 2850 pregnant women in 4 U.S. hospitals to test the hypothesis that prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy will reduce surgical site infection after cesarean in obese women.
6. KCI Supplemental Funding – Tuuli (PI)
Role: Principal Investigator
Prophylactic Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Obese Women at Cesarean: Multicenter Randomized Trial
02/07/2017 – 08/31/2022 $330,200 + 1425 Prevena devices
Unrestricted support in the form of 1425 Prevena negative pressure wound therapy devices and supplemental funds to support a multicenter randomized controlled trial of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy in obese women at cesarean.
7. March of Dimes – Macones (Center PI)
Role: Principal Investigator (Theme 1)
WU Transdisciplinary Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth (WU-TROP)
11/01/2014 – 10/30/2019 $857,525
The goal of theme 1 (Photoacoustic Endoscopy for Assessment of Cervical Remodelling) is to adapt a novel photoacoustic endoscopic system for cervical imaging (cPAE).
8. March of Dimes Prematurity Pilot Grant– Tuuli/Stout (PI)
Role: Principal Investigator
Novel Quantitative Cervical Elastography for Predicting Preterm Birth in Symptomatic Patients
06/15/2018 – 06/14/2019 $50,000
The goal of this pliot grant is to test the hypothesis that a novel sensor-based, ultrasound elastography for quantitative elqstography is predict of preterm birth in patients presenting with symptoms of preterm labor.
9. NIH/NHLBI – 5U01HL120338-03 – Tita – University of Alabama (PI)
Role: Site Principal Investigator
Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP)
08/01/2014 – 06/30/2018 $446,615
A large pragmatic multicenter randomized trial designed primarily to evaluate the benefits and harms of antihypertensive therapy for mild chronic hypertension in pregnancy to a goal <140/90 mmHg (as recommended for the general population in the US) compared with ACOG’s current policy to withhold treatment unless hypertension is severe.
10. NIH/NICHD – T32HD055172-08 – Macones (PI)
Role: Co-Director
Reproductive Epidemiology Training Program
09/01/2015 – 06/30/2018 $1,120,000
The major goal of this project is to train a cadre of physician scientists who will be part of the next wave of extramurally funded researchers in reproductive epidemiology.
11. NIH/NHLBI – 1UM1HL134590-01 – Clasen – Emory University (PI)
Role: Co-Investigator (Clinical and Imaging Core)
Household Air Pollution (HAP) and Health: a Multi-country LPG Intervention Trial
09/22/2016 – 12/31/2017 $24,000
Multinational randomized controlled trial of 3200 households to test the hypothesis that LPG cookstove and fuel intervention during pregnancy and early childhood would substantially reduce household air pollution, thereby reducing associated disease burden.
12. Lumara Health Research Grant – Stout (PI)
Role: Co-investigator
17-HydroxyProgesterone Caproate for Preterm Birth Prevention: Association between its Metabolites and Efficacy
11/01/2015 – 10/30/2016 $75,000
This project tested the hypothesis of the study is that specific metabolic products of 17 hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) are associated with its efficacy in preventing preterm birth.
13. BJHF/ICTS Clinical & Translational Research Funding Award – Stout (PI)
Role: Co-investigator
The Vaginal Microbiome and Preterm Birth after Progesterone Prophylaxis
07/01/14 - 06/30/16 $50,000
This pilot grant funding supported preliminary work to investigate the vaginal microbiome communities (using rRNA sequencing) as well as the inflammatory markers (TNF‐alpha, IL‐1) associated with the success and failure of progesterone prophylaxis for preterm birth.
14. NIH/NICHD – 1K12HD063086-01 - Macones (PI)
Role: Scholar
Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career Development Program at W. U. St. Louis
08/01/2011 – 07/31/2015 $400,000
The major goal of this grant was to promote the performance of research and transfer of findings that will benefit the health of women though the development of well-qualified, new physician scientists.
15. POM Wonderful Company, Los Angeles – Nelson/Macones (PIs)
Role: Co-investigator
A placebo controlled randomized clinical trial of pregnancy outcomes and placental function in pregnant women who ingest antenatal POM WonderfulR
07/01/2012 – 07/31/2015 $400,000
The major goal of this grant was to support a clinical trial to determine if ingestion of pomegranate extract, compared to placebo, reduces the incidence of pregnancy complications in women with fetal growth restriction.
16. Washington Univesity ICTS - UL1 RR024992, Just-in-Time Grant-Macones (PI)
Role: Co-investigator
Vaginal Microbiome, Short Cervix and Preterm Birth
05/8/12 - 05/7/13 $5,000
This pilot funding supported preliminary work to investigate the vaginal microbiome communities associated with mid-trimester cervical shortening and preterm birth.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | MPH | University of California at Berkeley |
| 2001 | MD | University of Ghana |
| 2000 | MBA | Indiana University |
| 1997 | BSc | University of Ghana |
