Affectionately called “DocStars,” The Cary Council’s Early-Stage Research Grant recipients are leading medical progress forward. Since its founding in 2015, The Cary Council has awarded 24 Early-Stage Research Grants worth $1.2 million. To date, that initial investment has garnered more than $30 million in follow-on funding. Emily H. Adhikari, M.D., received the Early-Stage Research Grant from The Cary Council in 2021 for her project targeting the reduction of infectious morbidity, Cesarean deliveries, and optimizing treatment for opioid use disorder in pregnancy.
2025 Update from Emily Adhikari, M.D.
Emily Adhikari, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. In addition to her role as a Clinical Scholar at UT Southwestern, Dr. Adhikari is the Medical Director of Perinatal Infectious Diseases for the Parkland Health System. Dr. Adhikari’s clinical and research efforts focus on improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes related to infectious diseases in disadvantaged communities. In 2021, Dr. Adhikari earned an Early-Stage Research Grant from The Cary Council to study both the effects of the COVID-19 virus on pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccine protection for fetuses. That same year, she received a UT Southwestern – Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists award, which was created to support physician-scientists with significant caregiving duties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Adhikari credits the Early-Stage Research Grant with “[helping her] develop a reputation at the state and national levels in the field of infectious diseases in pregnancy.” Since receiving the award, Dr. Adhikari has secured follow-on funding totaling $1.4 million. Her post-pandemic efforts have focused on understanding the effects of syphilis in pregnancy on the placenta and preterm birth related to congenital syphilis.
Congenital syphilis occurs when the bacteria causing syphilis passes from a pregnant person to the baby during pregnancy or childbirth, and is a major infectious cause of stillbirth, preterm birth, and neonatal death. In recent years, she started a translational research program to improve diagnostic testing and examine how the pregnant mother and placenta respond to infections like syphilis. Outside the university, Dr. Adhikari has worked to broaden patient access to syphilis testing and community education about syphilis and congenital syphilis.
One recent milestone for Dr. Adhikari and her collaborators, like Dr. Ashley Solmonson in the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, was the establishment of a biorepository to house the clinical specimens of pregnant patients diagnosed with syphilis. Though opening the repository required over a year of navigating regulations and developing necessary laboratory infrastructure and clinical support, Dr. Adhikari is motivated by the biobank’s projected long-term impact. As she states, the goal is for the bank to “support a larger research program for what I hope will eventually become the Center for Reproductive Infectious Disease and Immunology Research at UT Southwestern.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Adhikari is invested in continuing research that positively impacts both her patients and public health at large. Using the bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach, Dr. Adhikari intends to continue developing clinical research that guides clinical practice and improves patient outcomes while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of science in placental disease and metabolic regulation of the immune system as they relate to infectious disease. Dr. Adhikari emphasizes how “philanthropy is the on-ramp” for early-career researchers because it provides critical support for gaining a foothold within the fast-moving world of scientific investigation. “Philanthropic support through [The] Cary Council and other organizations,” she states, “makes the process feel more within reach. I have incredible gratitude for this group of invested individuals.”
Meet All of the DocStars
Learn more about all of the researchers who have been awarded The Cary Council’s Early-Stage Research Grant.
