Our Faculty

Each patient encounter and research challenge represent a unique facet of a field I love. Early in my medical career, I realized I wanted a deep understanding of the processes of life and their effects on reproductive physiology and disease.

The medical system can be overwhelming and impersonal, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) can be an enormously challenging experience for patients. I empathize with how my patients might feel. Providing access to fertility services for LGBTQIA+ patients and creating a positive, welcoming atmosphere for patients are integral parts of my practice.

I love meeting my patients, hearing their unique stories and feeling like I've been able to offer them something that makes their lives easier, more comfortable and brings joy to them and their families.

Outside of my work as an OB-GYN and REI specialist, I love to experience the outdoors by traveling, camping, hiking and skiing with my family. I also enjoy painting watercolor and cooking without a recipe.

As part of my role, I also run the Kallen Lab — a research program that aims to improve our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying follicular development and reproductive aging in the mammalian ovary.

Areas of interest/expertise: LGBTQ+ fertility services access, regulatory mechanisms underlying follicular development and reproductive aging.

In addition to OBGYN training, Dr. Peipert has expertise in public health, epidemiology, and health services research. Previous NIH-funded grant/project experience include: 1) NICHD-funded randomized trial of a computer-based intervention to encourage dual method contraceptive use to prevent unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); 2) Contraceptive CHOICE Project, a large prospective cohort study, the which recruited close to 10,000 women and followed them for 2-3 years for contraceptive effectiveness, satisfaction, and continuation rates; and 3) FACT (Fertility after Contraceptive Termination) Study. Dr. Peipert continues to be interested in conception, STIs, and infertility, and specifically the effect of Mycoplasma genitalium on fertility.

Areas of interest/expertise: contraception, sexually transmitted infection, infertility, epidemiology, public health

Dr. Dundee has a particular interest in the application of assisted reproduction technologies to unique populations.  She also enjoys working with pediatric and adolescent reproductive endocrinology patients, particularly primary and secondary amenorrhea.  Additionally, she performs minimally invasive surgeries to optimize fertility.

Areas of interest/expertise: ART, pediatric and adolescent reproductive endocrinology, primary and secondary amenorrhea, minimally invasive surgery

Navid Esfandiari, PhD, ELD, HCLD, is a Clinical Professor and the IVF and Andrology Laboratories Director at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Dr Esfandiari has been a hands-on clinical embryologist for nearly three decades, has published over 100 papers and book chapters in the field of human reproduction, and his current research is focusing on improving IVF treatment outcome. Dr Esfandiari serves in American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Patient Education Committee as well as the SART Quality Assurance Committee.

Dr. Johnson was at UVMMC from 1990-2009, as former division chief of REI and vice chair of the Department of Gynecology. She returned to us in 2020.  Passionate about teaching, she has found UVMMC a great place to educate Fellows, Residents, and Medical Students.

Shanmugasundaram Nallasamy received his Veterinary Medicine degree in India and his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He continued his post-doctoral research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. In 2019, He started his independent faculty position at the University of Vermont, where he currently holds a primary appointment in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Larner College of Medicine.

His research interests are always centered around reproductive biology. Throughout his career, he has investigated various reproductive processes, such as ovarian follicular development, in vitro embryo development, embryo implantation, endometrial decidualization, cervical remodeling, myometrial function, and steroid hormone regulation. The current focus of his laboratory is to understand the structure and function of the extracellular matrix in the uterus during pregnancy and parturition. His laboratory utilizes physiologically relevant, genetically engineered mouse models, as well as genomic, proteomic, tissue biomechanical, and imaging techniques to address various research questions.

Areas of interest/expertise: Reproductive biology, Parturition, Preterm birth, Myometrial biology, Extracellular matrix