Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD
Accepting new patients

Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD

(she/her)
  • Maternal and Fetal Medicine
Westwood OBGYN | 200 Medical Plaza, Suite 430, Los Angeles, CA 90095

About

Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine.

Dr. Afshar is a physician-scientist with clinical and research interests that intersect and include high-risk pregnancy, prenatal ultrasound, genetic testing, placentation, and congenital heart disease, either affecting the mother or fetus. She is the co-director of the UCLA Cardio Obstetrics program and manages care for pregnancies complicated by cardiovascular dsiease and congenital heart disease. Her laboratory is focused on clinically relevant reserach to improve the care and biological understanding of normal and abnormal placentation in order to improve the care of pregnant people and their babies.

Dr. Afshar is a recipient of a National Institute of Health Reproductive Scientist Award, among a multitude of other grants. Her laboratory, The Afshar Lab at UCLA, is focused on congenital heart disease and placentation, among other translational pregnancy related topics.

Languages

English, Spanish, Persian (Farsi)

Education

Medical Board Certification

Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2019

Fellowship

Maternal & Fetal Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, 2019

Residency

Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2016

Internship

Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2013

Degrees

PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2012
MD, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, 2012

Locations

West Los Angeles

Westwood OBGYN

Obstetrics and Gynecology| Women's Health| Cancer Genetics +3 more specialties

Hospital Affiliations

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center

Videos

COVID19 in Pregnancy | Yalda Afshar, MD, PhD, Rashmi R. Rao, MD UCLA
COVID-19 and Postpartum Care | UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology
Prevention and Management of Hypertension for Women | UCLA Health Nephrology & OBG-MFM

Research

Interests

  • Maternal congenital heart disease
  • Fetal congenital heart disease
  • Abnormal placentation
  • Placenta accreta spectrum disorders
  • Cardio-obstetrics
  • Invasive diagnostic testing
  • Ultrasound
  • Vascular biology
  • Reproductive genetics

Publications

Link to Dr. Afshar's PubMed publications

Link to Dr. Afshar's Google Scholar publications

10 Selected Publications (see Google scholar): 

  1. Williamson CG, Altendahl M, Martinez G, Ng A, Lin JP, Benharash P, Afshar Y. Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy: Clinical Outcomes and Cost-Associated Burdens From a National Cohort at Delivery. JACC Adv. 2024 Jul 2;3(8):101071. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2024.101071. PMID: 39050813; PMCID: PMC11268102.
  2. Afshar Y, Ma F, Quach A, Jeong A, Sunshine HL, Freitas V, Jami-Alahmadi Y, Helaers R, Li X, Pellegrini M, Wohlschlegel JA, Romanoski CE, Vikkula M, Iruela-Arispe ML. Transcriptional drifts associated with environmental changes in endothelial cells. Elife. 2023 Mar 27;12:e81370. doi: 10.7554/eLife.81370. PMID: 36971339; PMCID: PMC10168696.
  3. Afshar Y, Yin O, Jeong A, Martinez G, Kim J, Ma F, Jang C, Tabatabaei S, You S, Tseng HR, Zhu Y, Krakow D. Placenta accreta spectrum disorder at single-cell resolution: a loss of boundary limits in the decidua and endothelium. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Jan 29:S0002-9378(23)00729-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.10.001. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38296740.
  4. Desmond A, Imany-Shakibai H, Wong D, Kwan L, Satou G, Sklansky M, Afshar Y. Prenatal Congenital Heart Disease and Placental Phenotypes: Preserved Neonatal Weight Despite Small Placentas. JACC Adv. 2023 Jun 30;2(4):100383. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2023.100383. PMID: 38938228; PMCID: PMC11198356.
  5. Afshar Y, Hogan WJ, Conturie C, Sunderji S, Duffy JY, Peyvandi S, Boe NM, Melber D, Fajardo VM, Tandel MD, Holliman K, Kwan L, Satou G, Moon-Grady AJ. Multi-Institutional Practice-Patterns in Fetal Congenital Heart Disease Following Implementation of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021 Aug 3;10(15):e021598. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.121.021598. Epub 2021 Jul 28. PMID: 34315235; PMCID: PMC8475692.
  6. Afshar Y, Dong J, Zhao P, et al. Circulating trophoblast cell clusters for early detection of placenta accreta spectrum disorders. Nat Commun. 2021 Aug 3;12(1):4408. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24627-2. PMID: 34344888; PMCID: PMC8333096.
  7. Yin O, Kallapur A, Coscia L, Constantinescu S, Moritz M, Afshar Y. Differentiating Acute Rejection From Preeclampsia After Kidney Transplantation. Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Jun 1;137(6):1023-1031. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004389. PMID: 33957644; PMCID: PMC8141043.
  8. Yin O, Kallapur A, Coscia L, Kwan L, Tandel M, Constantinescu SA, Moritz MJ, Afshar Y. Mode of Obstetric Delivery in Kidney and Liver Transplant Recipients and Associated Maternal, Neonatal, and Graft Morbidity During 5 Decades of Clinical Practice. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Oct 1;4(10):e2127378. PMCID: PMC8491100.
  9. Mok T, Woods A, Small A, Canobbio MM, Tandel MD, Kwan L, Lluri G, Reardon L, Aboulhosn J, Lin J, Afshar Y. Delivery Timing and Associated Outcomes in Pregnancies With Maternal Congenital Heart Disease at Term. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 Aug 16;11(16):e025791. Epub 2022 Aug 9. PMID: 35943056; PMCID: PMC9496287.
  10. Desmond A, Nguyen KL, Watterson CT, Sklansky M, Satou GM, Prosper AE, Garg M, Van Arsdell GS, Finn JP, Afshar Y. Integration of Prenatal Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Congenital Heart Disease. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Nov 20;12(22):e030640. PMID: 37982254; PMCID: PMC10727279.

Insurance

  • Aetna
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Centivo
  • Cigna
  • First Health
  • Health Net of California
  • Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
  • L.A. Care
  • Medicare Advantage
  • MultiPlan
  • UFCM Health System
  • Prime Health Services
  • Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
  • TRICARE
  • UnitedHealthcare

The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change. 
Please contact your benefits coordinator or health insurance company directly to verify coverage.

Visit our health insurance information page for more details.

Recognitions

  • Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021, 2023, 2024
  • Southern California Rising Stars, Super Doctors®, 2023, 2024
  • 40 Voices in Maternal Fetal Medicine, 2020
  • Editorial Board, Journal of the American Heart Association
  • Editorial Board, Contemporary OBGYN
  • Editorial Board, Scientific Reports
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund, NextGen Pregnancy Fund, PI (2022-2026)
  • Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, Foundation Bridge Grant, PI (2024-2025)
  • Gates Foundation Grant, 2020-2022     
  • Center for Disease Control Foundation Grant, 2020-2022
  • UCLA Iris Cantor Women's Health Center/ CTSI Pilot Award, 2018-2020
  • Vascular Biology Training Grant, NIH/NHLBI, UCLA
  • Stanley Harris Resident Research Award, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2016
  • Leo Rigler, MD Award for Academic Achievement, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2016
  • Gregory Dantzler, MD Chief Resident Teaching Award, , Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2016
  • Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Award, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2016
  • Quilligan Scholar, Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, 2015-2017
  • Eugertha Bates Prized Memorial Award, Volunteer Award, 2012
  • Chancellor’s Student Service and Leadership Award, 2012
  • Ervin G Erdös, M.D. and Sara F Rabito Erdös, M.D. Prize for Excellence in Basic Science, 2012
  • Jay G Hirsch and William A Tito Memorial Award for the Class of 2012
  • Gold Humanism Honor Society, Gold Foundation, 2012
  • Foundation for Women’s Wellness, Barbara & Jack Krulewitz Women’s Health Fellowship, 2010-2011
  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Predoctoral Award, 2009-2010