Session 53: RBMO LIVE

Session 53: RBMO LIVE

Tuesday 2nd March, 2021. 3PM EST/ 8PM GMT / 9PM CET /

Moderators: Professor Bart Fauser and Dr. Jacques Cohen

Interviews, discussion and showcase articles

“It is so, (if you think so)” Dr. Simone Palini

Further thoughts from “Genomic DNA in Human Blastocoele Fluid” a former winner of the Robert G. Edwards Prize for the best paper published in RBMO.


Selected articles:

“The Prevalence, Promotion, and Pricing of Three IVF Add-ons on Fertility Clinic Websites”
Professor Joyce Harper

"Testicular Pain as an Unusual Presentation of COVID-19: a Brief Review of SARS-CoV-2 and the testis"
Professor Antonio La Marca

"Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy in Severe Male Factor Infertility"
Dr. Mehmet Resit Asoglu

"A Comparison of Metabolic Health Parameters in ICSI-Conceived and Naturally Conceived
Adolescents"
Dr. Maike Schnoor OBO Dr. Susanne Elsner

DR. SIMONE PALINI

Simone Palini approached IVF in 1999 at "Infermi Hospital" in Rimini and was the laboratory director of the IVF unit at 'Cervesi' hospital in Cattolica until 2004.
He obtained a degree in Biology at Urbino University (1998) and a specialty in molecular genetics at Bologna University (2000) with a thesis on PGD.
In 2008 he was awarded the ESHRE certification as senior clinical embryologist and has worked in different public and private laboratories in Italy, Europe as well as in UK.
His major interests are embryo / gamete vitrification, PGD and gene expression profile in infertility.
Simone has reported, as a speaker, at numerous international conferences and Master degree programs and  Universities.
In 2013 he won the Roberts Edward Prize with "Genomic DNA in human blastocoele fluid", and also the GFI prize on “MiRNA in Blastocel Fluid”.
He is Vice-President of SIRU.
He has numerous interests in his life including sailing, gliding, skiing, quantum physics and his 3 children of which he is very proud.

PROFESSOR JOYCE HARPER

Joyce Harper is an author, academic, scientist and educator. She is Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London in the Institute for Women’s Health where she is Head of the Reproductive Science and Society Group and Director of Education.
She has worked in the fields of fertility, genetics and reproductive science since 1987, written over 200 scientific papers and published three books. She started her career as an embryologist, then moved into reproductive science and genetics. Now she is researching into fertility education, the social aspects of fertility and infertility, from social egg freezing to childlessness, and FemTech.
She is co-founder of the UK Fertility Education Initiative (www.fertilityed.uk ) and founder of the International Fertility Education Initiative who have developed a fertility education poster (http://www.globalwomenconnected.com/2020/01/global-fertility-education-campaign/).

PROFESSOR ANTONIO LA MARCA

Antonio La Marca is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of the Mother, Children and Adults of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy and is the clinical coordinator of Clinica Eugin in Modena. He was awarded his MD in 1996 by the University of Siena, Italy, specialized in obstetrics and gynecology in 2001, and gained a PhD in Biology of Germ Cells in 2004. His clinical activity covers all fields of reproductive medicine and surgery, and he has taken part in thousands of IVF, laparoscopic, and hysteroscopic surgical procedures. Professor La Marca’s research interests include ovarian reserve and endocrinology and pharmacological manipulation of ovarian activity, including the prediction of ovarian response in IVF, the personalization of ovarian stimulation protocols, the physiological significance of anti-Müllerian hormone and antral follicle count (including their measurement and clinical utility), and conventional and alternative strategies for ovarian stimulation. In addition to his clinical and research activities, Professor La Marca is a much-requested lecturer (presenting around forty invited lectures annually), an active member of several national and international professional and scientific societies, and a consultant for Italian Ministry of Health for infertility-related issues.
He has published extensively in his field, being recognized as author or co-author of more than 180 peer-reviewed articles and numerous chapters in national and international textbooks, and is currently principal investigator in several phase 3 and 4 trials and recipient of several competitively assigned national and international grants; his current h -index is 43, with more than 8,000 citations. He is member of the Editorial Board of the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, Frontiers of Endocrinology and Editor-in-Chief of Minerva Obstetrics and Gynecology

DR. MEHMET RESIT ASOGLU

Associate Professor Mehmet Resit Asoglu received his MD degree from Gaziantep University in 2006. He has been working in one of the biggest IVF centers in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr.Mehmet manages couples seeking for assisted reproductive treatments. He utilizes preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy in select cases and vitrified-thawed embryo transfer in artificial and natural endometrial preparation cycles in his everyday practice. He has conducted research related to reproductive endocrinology and infertility, resulting in several publications

DR. SUSANNE ELSNER 

Susanne Antonie Elsner works as a post-doc research associate at the Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Lübeck, Germany. She has a university degree in politics and history and worked for several years as a nurse in an emergency room.
Between 2015 and 2017, she worked on an ICSI follow-up study. The study cohort was originally recruited between 1999 and 2001 and this was the third follow-up. The main outcomes of this study were the metabolic and endocrine health of the ICSI offspring. The special feature of the study was that parental data were also included to control for differences between the intervention and the control groups regarding a potential ICSI effect.

DR MAIKE SCHNOOR on behalf of Dr. Elsner  will be presenting the talk.
Maike Schnoor works as a post-doc research associate at the Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Lübeck, Germany. She has a University of applied sciences degree in health sciences and worked for several years as a nurse in different hospitals

PROFESSOR BART FAUSER

Bart CJM Fauser, MD, PhD, FRCOG, is a gynaecologist, Professor Em. of Reproductive Medicine, former Head of the Department for Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology and former Chair of the Division of Woman & Baby at the University of Utrecht and the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
He is a Fellow ad Eundum of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), Honorary member of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), executive Board member and scientific director of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), international member of the (US) National Academy of Medicine, Editor in Chief of Reproductive Biomedicine Online (RBMO), Night in the order of the Netherlands Lion, past member of the board of the Dutch Medical Research Counsel (ZonMW), and past Editor in Chief of Human reproduction Update.
He previously held posts as a Fulbright scholar at the University of California, San Diego; visiting professorships at Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA), Free University (Brussels, Belgium), University of Siena (Italy), University of Southampton (UK), and the University of Adelaide (Australia). He was a past chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) steering committee for infertility guidelines.
His major research interests include the pathophysiology of human ovarian function (including PCOS, and POI), ovarian stimulation, IVF and women’s health (including contraception, menopause and healthy aging). He has published close to 500 peer-reviewed articles (Hirsch factor > 100), is one of the most cited authors in reproductive medicine and his work has been widely covered in the national and international lay press.

Dr. JACQUES COHEN 

Jacques Cohen is a reproductive biologist, laboratory product developer and high complexity laboratory director (HCLD). He is director and founder of the ART Institute of Washington, which runs the joint National Institute of Health and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center IVF program in Bethesda Maryland (USA). He is product developer and co-founder of IVFqc/Althea Science, which develops software solutions for laboratories and clinics. He was co-founder of Reprogenetics, a PGD service, now continuing as Cooper Genomics. He was a co-founder and product developer of Life-Global/IVF-Online. He has (co-)authored more than 300 publications, several textbooks and 12 patents. He is Emeritus Chief Editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online. He was one of the founders of Alpha – Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and one of the founders of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis International Society - PGDIS. He is a founding member of the International IVF Initiative.
Jacques Cohen was born in The Hague, The Netherlands and graduated in Biology of Reproductive Science in 1978 at Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. He has a Ph.D. from Erasmus University in Rotterdam (supervisor Prof. Gerard Zeilmaker), in aspects of in vitro fertilization and male factor infertility. His postdoctoral studies (1982-1985) were performed at Cambridge University (UK) and Bourn Hall Clinic (supervisor Prof Robert Edwards). Jacques Cohen has (co-)developed a number of embryological methodologies and devices: blastocyst cryopreservation, assisted fertilization, assisted hatching, preimplantation genetic testing, ooplasmic donation, single sperm freezing, CODA filtration, Global media, and GPS dishes. He currently serves on Advisory Boards of biotech startups TMRW, Kindbody, DADI, IVF 2.0, Orchid Health and Phosphorus.