Dr. Rozance is the Scientific Director of the Perinatal Research Center and the PI/PD of the NICHD funded T32 Training Program in Perinatal Biology and Medicine. His laboratory has been continuously funded from the NIH since 2009 when the focus was on nutrient sensing by the pancreatic islet, insulin secretion, and beta-cell – endothelial cell cross talk. While continuing this area of research, he has broadened the scope of his work in several ways. First, he is engaged in research to demonstrate the role of “fetal-derived” signals, like glucagon, in regulating placental function and maternal metabolism, thus challenging the current dogma of the fetus as a passive participant in the regulation of its own growth. Second, he uses novel genetic approaches in sheep to investigate the role of specific gene products, like placental lactogen (chorionic sommatomamotropin) and glucose transporters, on placental function and liver and pancreatic islet development. Third, he investigates the response of the pancreatic islet to a variety of perinatal insults including genetic manipulations using both sheep and mouse models. Finally, he utilizes mouse models to determine the long-term impact of perinatal insults on the developmental origins of diabetes and metabolic disease. His basic physiological studies have led to his work focused on perinatal glucose metabolism, neonatal hypoglycemia and neonatal hyperglycemia.