Cheryl K Walker MD

Cheryl Walker, MD, is an Obstetrician Gynecologist with subspecialty training in immunology and infectious diseases as well as epidemiology who has been working to understand the role of the gestational environment in the development of autism and developmental disabilities. Dr. Walker’s early research concentrated on the impact of infections and immunologic responses in reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes.  She transitioned her focus to reproductive epidemiology over a decade ago, and began working to understand the complex influences of maternal physiology, medical conditions and obstetric interventions on neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism spectrum disorders.  Working with various data sources, including self-reported data, objective information from medical records, biological samples and large administrative databases, Dr. Walker is trying to understand how the gestational environment responds to maternal conditions that result systemic inflammation, metabolic derangements, and placental suboptimality, and what implications these alterations have for neurodevelopment.

BA – History, Smith College

MD – UCSF

Residency – OB/GYN, UCSF

Fellowship – Reproductive Infectious Diseases and Immunology