Session 14: Under Pressure: Mental Health in Reproductive Science
Hosts Giles Palmer & Dr. Marlane Angle
Embryologists: Occupational Demand & Resultant Stress Outcomes (EODRSO)
Bryan Tully
Pressure points: UK survey data and practices
Helen Priddle
Staying Sane: A Guide on Mind/Body Strategies for the Laboratory Professional
Alice Domar
Panelists: Dr. Jacques Cohen, Shaista Sadruddin, Dr. Jose Castilla & Lisa Duran
Organized by International IVF Initiative
Dr. Helen Priddle
Helen Priddle gained a PhD in Molecular Biology working with Embryonic Stem Cells, and was an academic scientist from 1992 until 2006, when she retrained as a Clinical Embryologist. She has worked at Nurture, Centre for Reproduction and Gynaecology Wales and is a Senior Clinical Embryologist for London Women's Clinic Wales. Helen had the honour of holding the office of Treasurer of The Association of Clinical Embryologists from 2016 to 2019. With additional qualifications in management, computer science and psychotherapy, Helen has many strings to her bow and takes a keen interest in wellbeing
Dr. Alice Domar
Alice “Ali” Domar, Ph.D, is a health psychologist who focuses on the application of mind/body medicine to women's health issues. Her research focuses on the relationship between stress and infertility, with a focus on the impact of cognitive behavioral interventions as well as access to care and patient retention. She is also a practicing psychologist and does individual, couples, and group therapy.
She is the executive director of the Domar Centers for Mind/Body Health, the director of integrative care at Boston IVF, and an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology, part-time, at Harvard Medical School. She is a past-chair of the mental health professional group of ASRM.
Dr. Domar is on the board for Parents Magazine and served ten years on the board of Resolve, the National Infertility Association. Sheis the narrator of the DVD’s “Stress and Relaxation Explained” and “Infertility Explained”. She is the author of seven books, including “Conquering Infertility” and the co-creator of the apps FertiCalm and FertiStrong. She is an editor for a new textbook “Patient-Centered Assisted Reproduction: How to Integrate Exceptional Care with Cutting-Edge Technology”, 2020; Cambridge University Press (Domar AD, Sakkas D, Toth,T).
Dr Bryan Tully
Dr Tully has spent most of his professional life as a clinical, forensic and occupational psychologist in the U.K. and Hong Kong. He worked with many stress and burnout issues as an organisational psychologist or consultant with the National Health Service, the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and the American consultancy, RHR International.