SUMMARY
Ebbie A. Stewart, M.D., studies uterine disorders, including uterine fibroids — also called uterine leiomyomas or myomas — as well as adenomyosis and infertility. She also studies the long-term complications of hysterectomy, which is removal of the uterus.
Fibroids are noncancerous tumors of the uterus that commonly cause heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and pressure, bowel and bladder problems, and sometimes infertility and pregnancy complications. Fibroids also are the leading indication for hysterectomy.
For people of African descent, fibroids develop at an earlier age and are more frequent and severe. This makes fibroids a significant cause of health disparities.
Dr. Stewart's team does both basic science research and clinical and translational research, including studying the epidemiology of fibroids, the economics of fibroids and fibroid treatments, and the genetics of fibroids. She and her team also are developing new methods of fibroid diagnosis and treatment and studying the long-term sequelae of hysterectomy.
Although fibroids are the most common uterine disease, Dr. Stewart and her team also study adenomyosis, a disease in which tissue that looks like the uterine lining, also known as the endometrium, is trapped inside the uterus muscle and causes infertility.
Dr. Stewart's research is funded by major grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, as well as by foundations and industry sources. In 2024, Dr. Stewart's team partnered with collaborators at the Fibroid Foundation, the University of Florida College of Medicine — Jacksonville and the University of Mississippi Medical Center to establish an NIH-funded specialized center for research on health disparities in uterine leiomyoma. The center is called Collaboration for Equity in Uterine Leiomyomas, also known as COEQUaL.
Focus areas
- Use behavioral and social science to improve outcomes for all people with uterine fibroids and eliminate health disparities for Black people with this disorder.
- Pioneer novel treatment strategies for uterine diseases.
- Investigate the pathogenesis of uterine adenomyosis.
- Understand how the uterus contributes to infertility.
- Conduct clinical trials in key areas of reproductive medicine.
- Establish strategies to prevent uterine diseases.
Significance to patient care
The long-term goal of Dr. Stewart's research is to recognize uterine diseases earlier and decrease patient, healthcare professional and system barriers that prevent timely and personalized treatment. The goal also is to develop new ways to treat and prevent uterine diseases.
Professional highlights
- Obstetrics and Gynecology:
- Member, Editorial board, 2024.
- Roy M. Pitkin Award, 2023.
- Reviewer, Advancing Research on Chronic Conditions in Women, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2024.
- Blossom Award, A Night in White, White Dress Project, 2022.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:
- Key contributor, Practice Bulletin No. 228: Management of Symptomatic Uterine Leiomyomas, 2021.
- Member, Advisory Panel on Pain and Bleeding, 2018.
- Founder's Award (inaugural recipient), Fibroid Foundation, 2020.
- Member, Expert panel, Optum Fertility Solutions, 2018.
- Key informant, Management of Uterine Fibroids: Comparative Effectiveness Review Number 195, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence-Based Practice Center, 2017.
- Honorary fellow, German Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2016.