Microbes play a critical role in women’s reproductive health, influencing everything from susceptibility to infections to pregnancy outcomes. Yet much remains unknown about how these tiny organisms communicate with reproductive tissues.

Darby Steinman, a fourth-year bioengineering doctoral student at the University of Maryland, is working to uncover those hidden connections. 

Working in the lab of Hannah Zierden, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, she studies bacterial extracellular vesicles. These tiny particles are released by microbes and may travel out of the vaginal environment to interact with surrounding tissues. Steinman’s research explores what allows these vesicles to move, how reproductive tissues take them up, and the effects they have in mouse models.

“I’ve always been interested in understanding the mechanisms behind biological functions,” she says. “There’s so much we don’t know about women’s health, and I want to start filling that gap.” 

To expand her perspective, Steinman applied to the UMD Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences’ student fellowship program and was one of eight graduate students selected for the six-month fellowship. The program brings together students from across campus to explore human, environmental, and agricultural microbiomes and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration through workshops, seminars and networking events.

“The fellowship has broadened my perspective on the many roles microbes play in human health and provided a great way to connect with other graduate students studying microbial communities,” she says.

As part of the fellowship, Steinman recently delivered a MicroSocial Seminar talk titled “Vaginal Microbes Alter Mucosal Barrier Properties and Modulate Reproductive Tissues.” The series facilitates scientific exchange and community building across the University of Maryland’s microbiome research community, featuring short talks by students and faculty. 

Her work in the lab and as part of the fellowship has drawn recognition from mentors and peers.

“It’s been great to see Darby develop a better sense of how her thesis work fits into the larger picture of the one health framework,” says Zierden, a core member in the Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences and Steinman’s adviser. “Her engagement in the fellowship program has broadened her perspectives and given her tools to explore new and exciting questions.”

After earning her Ph.D., Steinman hopes to continue advancing research in women’s health, focusing on understanding, preventing and treating conditions that affect women across their lifespan.

“I want to build a career that combines scientific discovery with meaningful impact on women’s wellbeing,” she says.

—Story by Melissa Brachfeld, UMIACS communications group