T H E   T E A M

Tracy A. Manuck, MD MSCI

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Tracy Manuck, MD is a tenured Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, where she serves as Medical Director of the Prematurity Prevention Program. Dr. Manuck is also the Perinatal Section Head of the Institute for Environmental Health Solutions. 

Dr. Manuck completed her Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Utah in 2010. She is a 2-time award winner of the National March of Dimes award for the Best Research in Prematurity.  She is nationally renowned for her work and served on multiple Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine committees and special task forces. Her clinical interests and expertise include preterm labor, cervical insufficiency, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and preeclampsia. She specializes in providing care for women at highest risk for preterm birth, including those with multiple previous preterm deliveries and preterm deliveries before fetal viability. Dr. Manuck also has expertise and passion for investigations of health disparities as they relate to preterm birth and perinatal outcomes, including the impact of environmental exposures. She is a passionate mentor and actively involved with the research education and mentorship of medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty.

Her current NIH R01, K24-funded, and State of NC grant research collaborations focus on improving the prediction of which women will deliver preterm, and evaluating maternal and fetal genetics, epigenetics, and environmental exposures to help predict which women will have favorable pregnancy outcomes despite high risks for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Further, Dr. Manuck seeks to provide personalized solutions to reduce preterm birth risk factors and health disparities, and lower the risk of these adverse pregnancy outcomes. 

Our Current Research Team
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​Lauren Shumpert 
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Lauren Shumpert is originally from Pensacola, Florida. She attended UNC-Chapel Hill and received a degree in Sociology with minors in women’s studies and social and economic justice. After serving with AmeriCorps in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Lauren joined the MFM team as a research assistant. Her research interests include HIV prevention and treatment, women’s reproductive health, and community-level health promotion programs. She joined the Manuck Research Team in the summer of 2020 and assists with all currently active studies. She has a focus on developing innovative overall research organization tools including sample processing and storage tracking systems.

Emily Gascoigne  

​Emily Gascoigne is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been working with the Manuck Research Team since 2019, and she is interested in maternal-fetal health, both locally and globally. Emily also volunteers as a Doula on Labor and Delivery at UNC. She works primarily on the STEP-Inpatient study and COPES studies.
Olivia Soto-Allison

Olivia Soto-Allison is a member of the UNC Chapel-Hill graduating class of 2023. She is pursuing a major in Hispanic Linguistics with a minor in French and Translation and Interpreting. After college, she plans to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant. She has not completely decided about what she would like to specialize in yet but is very interested in MFM and is excited to gain experience as a research assistant. Her primary role within the Manuck Research Team is to work on daily sample processing (placentas, blood) from labor and delivery. She also assists the team with Spanish translation and interpretation.

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​Karen Dorman, RN, MS

Karen is the Director of Perinatal Research for the Dept of OB/GYN at the University of North Carolina. She began her nursing career in 1977 in MICU after graduating from the University of Texas.  She moved to Labor and Delivery to start one of the first critical care obstetric units in the country. She has held multiple positions in and out of labor and delivery but landed in MFM research while at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Karen moved to UNC in 1998 and headed the MFMU as lead nurse coordinator for 13 years until moving to this position. Karen has 2 sons, a wonderful husband, an adorable dog – Roxie and enjoys cooking, bicycling and camping.