Assistant Professor

Leah M. Lamale-Smith, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and perinatologist who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. As a provider of maternal-fetal medicine, she cares for pregnant women who have an increased chance that they or their babies will have health concerns.

Dr. Lamale-Smith's expertise is in performing invasive fetal procedures for prenatal screening and diagnosis, including chorionic villus sampling (CVS), amniocentesis, and fetal blood sampling and intrauterine transfusion. She is also experienced in caring for women with higher-order multiples, women with complex medical conditions such as autoimmune disorders and cardiac disease, and critically ill women who require intensive care during their pregnancy or postpartum period.

As an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Dr. Lamale-Smith educates medical students, residents and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Her research interests include preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and ultrasound in pregnancy.

Dr. Lamale-Smith has published numerous abstracts and peer-reviewed articles, and her work has appeared in Obstetrics & Gynecology, The Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine and Reproductive Sciences, among others. She completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Lamale-Smith earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine.

Dr. Lamale-Smith is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and member of numerous professional societies, including the American Medical Association, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.