Meet Our Fellows

Alexandra Gallagher, MD, joined the Stanford University Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship program in August 2024. She earned her BA in Political Science from Dartmouth College where she graduated with honors and played Division I women’s soccer. Prior to medical school, she contributed to translational research which aimed to clarify molecular mechanisms underlying stem cell regulation in the context of tissue regeneration and disease. This work resulted in several peer-reviewed publications.

She subsequently attended Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine. During medical school, Dr. Gallagher served as a co-leader of the surgical specialties college, lead instructor and curriculum developer of the acute care Saturday Academy course, and conducted several cost-effectiveness analyses investigating the clinical and economic impact of operative delivery methods, which were accepted for presentation at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) annual meeting two subsequent years.

She then remained at OHSU for residency, where she continued to grow as a clinical researcher and discovered a passion for Quality Improvement (QI). Dr. Gallagher served as her residency QI and Patient Safety co-leader from 2021-2024. In this role, she developed and implemented a project which improved timely recognition and management of severe antenatal hypertension. She additionally served on the OHSU Housestaff Quality & Safety Counsel and OHSU Perinatal Best Practices Committee. As a resident, Dr. Gallagher was awarded the 2021 Medical Student Educator Award, 2022 Resident Educator Award, 2023 Portland Society of Obstetrics & Gynecology Resident Research Award, 2023 SMFM Resident Award for Excellence in Obstetrics, and 2023 Society of OBGYN Hospitalists Outstanding Resident of the Year Award. As a third-year, she was selected to join the SMFM Resident Scholars program. As a chief resident, she was selected to join the SMFM Patient Safety and Quality Committee, serving a three-year term (2024-2027). She additionally served as an administrative chief resident during her fourth year.

Dr. Gallagher’s personal interests include running, reading and spending time with her husband and two daughters. She is thrilled to work alongside such passionate and collaborative faculty, fellows, and residents at Stanford.

Kelly Darmawan, MD attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she graduated cum laude and with College Honors with a B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and minor in Global Health. During her undergraduate studies, she captained the club water polo team. She also volunteered at a free health clinic in Mexico, raised money for the Mattel Children’s hospital by organizing an annual 5k race (Bruin Run/Walk) as part of the Student Wellness Commission, and performed basic science research characterizing a stem cell model for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. She then continued her studies at UCLA for medical school, where she found her passion for ObGyn. As a medical student she worked to improve disparities by volunteering as a leader for the UCLA student run free clinic and mentor other students by serving as an Anatomy Teaching Assistant. She also served as the class Social Chair and performed qualitative research on implementation of cervical cancer screening guidelines.

She was thrilled to return home to the Bay Area to complete her residency at Stanford University in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In residency, she served as an ACOG leader as ACOG DIX Junior Fellow Co-chair of the Physician Wellness committee, where she championed wellness for both ACOG fellows and junior fellows. She also served as the Chief of Quality Improvement (QI) from 2021-2023, Education Chief from 2023-2024, ObGyn department Resident Safety Champion from 2020-2024, and representative for Resident Education Committee 2023-2024.  As a member of the Resident Safety Council, she worked on improving the use of Voalte, a communication tool, with multi-disciplinary group of residents and fellows which resulted in a publication and improvements within Stanford Hospital. During residency, she was awarded the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine in Obstetrics Award and the Stanford QI certificate.

She has published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts and has presented her research at various conferences. Her research interests include maternal morbidity and mortality, mental health disorders in pregnancy, and maternal cardiac disease. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys hiking, working out on her Peloton, and spending time with her family and friends. She is excited to continue her training at Stanford as an MFM fellow!

Rachel Madding, MD, will join the Stanford University Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship program in August 2025. She graduated Cum Laude from Middlebury College with a BA in Environmental Studies, Sociology and Anthropology and minored in Global Health. During her undergraduate studies, she also played varsity soccer and spent a semester abroad at the Universidad de Valparaíso in Chile. After graduating college, Dr. Madding completed a post-baccalaureate pre-health program at the University of Pennsylvania. She then worked as a clinical research coordinator for a large multi-site study focused on childhood acute myeloid leukemia which resulted in multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts.

She then attended medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. As a medical student, she spent a summer doing clinical rotations in Medellín, Colombia, and worked as a volunteer Spanish interpreter at Puentes de Salud, a non-profit that provides free healthcare services to underserved populations. She was recognized for her academic excellence and received the Foerderer Award for international study and the Catherine Liu, MD, Memorial Prize in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In her fourth year, she developed an appreciation for clinical research and studied the impact of COVID-19 on the care of patients with gynecologic malignancies.

Dr. Madding subsequently joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR. During residency, she served as the residency recruitment committee leader and was involved in the OBGYN Department Informatics Work Group. She developed an interest in Quality Improvement (QI) and volunteered on the Perinatal Mortality Review Committee. In residency, she was awarded the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Excellence in Obstetrics Award and was elected to the position of Administrative Chief during her fourth year. She also presented as a guest lecturer on the popular podcast “CREOGS over Coffee” on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in pregnancy. Her primary resident research project focused on alternative options for cervical cancer screening for individuals with a history of trauma.

She has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts and has presented her research at multiple conferences. Outside the hospital, she loves hiking with her husband and Rottweiler, hosting small dinner parties, spending time with family and friends, and biking on her peloton. She is beyond ecstatic to join the incredibly supportive and innovative community at Stanford University.

Emi Komatsu, MD, is excited to be joining the MFM fellowship in August 2025. She grew up in Palos Verdes, California, and graduated cum laude from Tufts University with a B.S. in Biochemistry. Dr. Komatsu then spent two years working at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where she worked as a research coordinator in gynecologic oncology clinical trials.

Dr. Komatsu attended medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. After graduating, she completed her ObGyn residency at the Los Angeles General Medical Center with a focus on serving underserved communities. Her clinical interests include maternal health equity, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and quality improvement on labor and delivery. During her residency, she participated in several resident committees, including the education and resident wellness committees, and was elected Chief Administrative Resident by her peers. Dr. Komatsu earned several awards including the medical school teaching award, nurses choice award and Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Excellence in Obstetrics Award.

Dr. Komatsu has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts on topics including placenta accreta spectrum disorder and umbilical cord occlusion techniques in complicated multifetal gestations.

In her personal time, she loves to spend time with her friends and family, eat at the newest restaurants in town and try the latest trendy workout. Dr. Komatsu is so excited to continue her training as an MFM fellow at Stanford!

Sandhya Chandrasekaran, MD, PhD, will join the Stanford Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship program in August 2026. She grew up in the Bay Area and completed her undergraduate education as a double major in biology and chemistry with honors at the California Institute of Technology. During her time there, she realized her dual love for scientific investigation at the bench and patient care at the bedside. Subsequently, she moved to Manhattan to pursue her MD/PhD training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She successfully defended her thesis in neuroscience in 2020, elucidating the epigenetic sequelae of stress on neuronal brain cells. During that time, she also spent nearly a decade caring for patients the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP) clinic, a student-run, attending-supervised clinic, serving in several leadership capacities. She graduated in 2022 as the sole MD/PhD trainee to have received a trifecta of recognitions: Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee, Distinction in Medical Education, and Distinction in Research.

Her passion for OB/GYN blossomed during her graduate training, when disparities in reproductive rights became increasingly evident amidst a charged political climate. She was particularly struck by the relative lack of basic science research in obstetrics, limiting advances in both clinical practice and counseling. During her time at University of Chicago as an OB/GYN resident physician, she has been active in recruitment events and South Side community-based outreach initiatives. Most recently, she was elected as Academic Chief (2025-2026) by her peers and has spent dedicated efforts to redesign the journal club curriculum and evidence-based discourse. She has additionally been involved in several clinical research projects centered on preeclampsia, twin placental pathologies, fetal growth restriction, and cervical insufficiency. She ultimately hopes to start a lab bridging her interests in epigenomics and obstetrics exploring the placental molecular changes mediating prenatal maternal stress with fetal neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Outside of work, Sandhya is a trained South Indian classical vocalist and enjoys jigsaw puzzles, comedy shows, and spending time traveling with her family and friends. She also loves experimenting in the kitchen and channeling her creative energies through impulsive DIY ventures. She is thrilled to return home to California to further her professional ambitions among the MFM division at Stanford!

Emma Swayze, MD, MMS, will join the Stanford University Maternal–Fetal Medicine fellowship program in Summer 2026. Originally from Redwood City, CA, she attended Boston College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, followed by a Master of Medical Sciences at Boston University. She earned her medical degree from the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, where she was highly involved in Street Medicine and helped pilot a new outreach program in Kalamazoo. Between her third and fourth years, Dr. Swayze completed a research fellowship with the South American Program in HIV Prevention and Treatment at UCLA, where she developed her research foundation and passion for maternal-to-child transmission of infectious disease.

Dr. Swayze completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, where she was selected as Education Chief and received the Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Resident Teacher in Obstetrics and Gynecology for three consecutive years. She was also inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha society. An avid runner, Dr. Swayze completed the Boston Marathon, an experience that helped inspire her path toward medicine. She is well published and maintains a strong research interest in maternal-to-child transmission of infectious diseases, particularly syphilis.

She is thrilled to join the innovative and supportive Stanford MFM team.