Irina Burd, MD, PhD is the Sylvan Frieman, MD Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland. Her areas of clinical expertise include high-risk pregnancy conditions and fetal brain development. Dr. Burd earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University followed by a combined M.D./Ph.D. program at the Rutgers University–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (where she served as an Administrative Chief Resident) and performed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Burd was recruited to the University of Maryland from Johns Hopkins University, where she rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Full Professor.

She has published over 180 peer-reviewed research articles and is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Ikaria Research Award from the Perinatal Research Society, a research award from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology/American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation, the Thomas R. Boggs Jr. Research Award from the Philadelphia Perinatal Society, the Passano Foundation Clinician Scientist Award, the Society for Reproductive Investigation President’s Achievement Award, and the American Society for Reproductive Immunology Distinguished Service Award. In 2023, Dr. Burd was elected to the  American Society for Clinical Investigation (Honor Society). She has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2009 and served as Chair of the NICHD Study Section “Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Biology” from 2016 to 2021.

Dr. Burd is the Past President of the Perinatal Research Society, Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology, and Past President of the Society for Reproductive Investigation. She also served as a Co-Chair of the Women First Research Coalition (WFRC) under the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society (AGOS), where she played a leading role in national policy and advocacy efforts to advance women’s health research and influence federal research priorities in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences. During her tenure with WFRC, the Coalition secured report language in the FY2021 appropriations bill directing the NIH to convene a consensus conference on research gaps, and, in FY2023, contributed language that allocated $2 million toward a National Academies study of women's health research funding.

As Chair at the University of Maryland, Dr. Burd leads several Maryland-wide and national initiatives aimed at reducing severe maternal morbidity and enhancing maternal-fetal health. She collaborates closely with state agencies, public health stakeholders, and academic institutions to implement data-driven strategies, improve access to high-quality perinatal care, and address racial and geographic disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes.